How to get stuck in people's heads

"Stop singing that song! It's stuck in my head now!"

This is the complaint I hear most often from my room mate, who is also my best friend, and thankfully, still considers me someone she likes after moving in with me.

Live with me for long enough and you'll get to know my echolalia , a common symptom of ADHD and autism (I have ADHD). It's a condition where repeating of words, phrases, or sounds is used to "stim", or self-soothe. As a composer, it's a superpower - it allows me to work on melodies and musical ideas through repetition, even while I'm doing something else (like working, or cooking). As a person who lives with other humans... well, you can ask my room mate what she thinks. I'm always singing or humming something, and when it's not my own work, it's something I heard on my musical theater playlist.

And most often, it's Intermission Song, from the show A Strange Loop by Michael R Jackson. You can listen to the Tiny Desk performance of it here (please note that A Strange Loop tackles themes of race, sexuality, oppression, family dynamics, and religious disillusionment - and some of the lyrics are explicit).

A Strange Loop took the off-Broadway scene by storm, becoming the first musical to ever win a Pulitzer before opening on Broadway. It's a show about Usher, a musical writer who works as an usher on a Broadway show, who's writing a musical about a writer, who's writing a musical about a writer. A show about a writer writing a show about a writer writing a show?

Yes, and you need only to listen to the opening number to know that it's brilliant.

Listen to it, and let me know how often you find yourself singing "How many minutes til the end of intermission? Is that how the show should open? Should there even be a show?" over the next few days.

How to get stuck in people's heads

I write often about speaking and how to get your big idea out there. But the truth is, doing your big talk isn't enough - that is, sharing it once, on a big platform, isn't enough. Similarly, just launching a book into the world and hoping people will read it isn't enough. You have to keep messaging, little by little, consistently. What's more is that you have to show people why your idea matters, and why it's important to them.

In marketing, we call this the pain point. Why does your idea matter? What problem does your idea solve? Picture one of your avatars - your ideal audience member, your ideal client - really picture them. Who are they? What do they do? What keeps them up at night?

I'll give you an example. My avatar is the busy leader who has brilliant ideas and not enough time to execute them. They have real expertise in something that matters - something that can make a real difference for the bottom line of their business and change people's lives. Their pain point? That idea never getting to see the light of day, which means they never get to make an impact - all because they're too busy doing what they have to do on a daily basis.

I'll tell you a secret about writing a catchy tune - it's all about strategic repetition. Repeat something too many times, and it becomes banal. Say it only once, and it won't stick in your audience's minds. But say something exciting three times, and then change it a little, and then bring it back later? That's how you make it really stick.

One of the easiest ways to get stuck in people's heads? Consistent, high-quality messaging on social media. Where you should be depends on where your audience hangs out, so here are three examples of clients who are playing a song we can all sing along to.

Ellen Taaffe

Ellen Taaffe 's new book, The Mirrored Door, came out in October. In it, she focuses on breaking through the hidden barrier that locks successful women in place - the point at which many of us hesitate and decide we're not ready to move forward when presented with an opportunity. Ellen helps women reach their full potential by overcoming the gendered expectations that we internalize throughout our lives.

Ironically, in getting ready to promote her book, Ellen had to overcome her own mirrored door - hesitation around putting her thought leadership out there on a daily basis. We worked together to come up with a strategic plan so that nothing felt like "too much" - a mix of quotes and tips from the book, articles by others in Ellen's area of expertise, polls, videos, and newsletters.

Ellen shared with me an important mindset shift: early on, she thought that she wouldn't want to share content from the book for free, because she'd want people to buy the book. But... "I find that sharing what we have serves your audience and if it helps or intrigues they may just become your new reader."

Ellen's book launch wins include being featured on the news, writing for Marie Claire , and winning book awards . But her every day thought leadership is what makes her stay in her audience's mind.

My personal favorite? Her book unboxing , which resulted in a perfectly out-of-focus video because she and her husband were so excited. Ellen's joy is palpable, and she shows up fully. It's another moment that shows Ellen practicing what she teaches in her book: rather than hesitating to share an imperfect video, she embraces the moment to let her audience in.

Caroline Maguire

Caroline Maguire M. Ed. is the author of Why Will No One Play With Me , a social coach for ADHD and neurodivergent people, and a TEDx speaker . She's also written a chapter in the new book How to ADHD, by popular YouTuber Jessica McCabe .

Since Caroline helps neurodiverse children, teens, and adults navigate social challenges, her main platform is Instagram . On it, she shares a strategic mix of educational content , trends , and storytelling .

Caroline's content works because she isn't afraid to get vulnerable. She's not only an expert of what she does because of schooling and certifications - she's also open about how she navigates the world with ADHD and learning differences. She's also always up for a new challenge - her new YouTube channel is quickly becoming a place where people with ADHD seeking social strategies can learn and engage.

What's more, is that Caroline is a master at partnerships. I love this YouTube video collaboration between her and Jessica McCabe - she invites Jessica into her home to talk about ADHD-friendly house hacks. The video is all about organizing your living space to be conducive to your ADHD-related challenges, and includes everything from what to keep next to the front door, to having easy access to items that support your brain function, to automations to make your life easier. It's an invaluable resource for anyone who can use some help organizing their home (including me)!

Through her partnerships and her valuable content, Caroline keeps her audience coming back.

Richard Bistrong

Richard Bistrong is the real deal when it comes to building relationships. Over the last decade, he's become one of the world's leading voices on corporate ethics and compliance. He travels the world training corporate teams on how to build an ethical culture by stopping corruption before it starts; and he has several award-winning e-learning series. He often talks about making difficult issues discussable, the thought processes that we must all be aware of when it comes to bad behavior, and what it means to face regret .

Like Caroline, Richard often gets vulnerable on social media, but in a different way. A former FCPA violator, Richard spent 14 months in federal prison and then cooperated with the Department of Justice. He talks about the most difficult parts of his journey candidly, including how his arrest affected his family and how he owns his past .

The biggest lesson we can take away from Richard's social media presence is that he treats it as an extension of the relationships he makes globally. While nothing replaces some face-to-face time during a 'compliance coffee ' during a trip, Richard makes the extension of the relationship into the digital world feel natural. He does this by celebrating accomplishments , telling stories in the same way he might tell them if he were sitting across from you at dinner (this protocol error during a visit to a pharmaceutical manufacturer is one of my personal favorites), and sharing updates from his travels that include both the people he met and the lessons to be learned. In a technical and informational field like ethics and compliance, Richard could simply share valuable thought leadership and be providing extremely valuable information, but he goes the extra mile and stands out by putting his relationships first. Visit his LinkedIn page - it really feels like a place for Richard and 34,000+ of his closest friends to hang out.

While most of Richard's relationship-centered posts have some thought leadership included in them, he's also not afraid to simply share some good news, so I will do the same. Richard's LinkedIn Newsletter recently crossed 13,000 followers ! When you consider how he uses LinkedIn, having this many engaged followers ready to read his longer-form content is truly valuable.

I'd love to help you get stuck in people's heads! Book a time to talk with me and let's think about how to make your messaging memorable.