Spice up boring or formulaic writing with this HOT TIP!

There are a million things I can say about the movie, Everything Everywhere All At Once. One could say an infinite amount, since this film is about the metaverse, alternate realities, infinite possibilities, and all that. However, since this blog is focused on content and messaging for your small business, what I really want to discuss is one thing: Hot Dog Fingers.

For those who have not watched it, the movie's heroine, Evelyn (brilliantly played by Michelle Yeoh), experiences several alternative universes: one in which she is a blind opera singer, one as a Kung Fu master movie star, and one where she is in a romantic relationship with her IRS agent (Jamie Lee Curtis) and, due to a freak evolutionary adaptation, everyone is born with hot dogs for fingers. Yes, you read that correctly, hot dog fingers.

In our current metaverse, that is filled with formulaic movies and predictable plots, Everything Everywhere All At Once really shines. Is it bizarre, whacky, and most likely conceived while the writers were micro dosing on psilocybin? Yes! Was it completely refreshing and an absolute joy to watch? Absolutely!

Obviously, formulaic plots work. Just look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has made $25 billion worldwide, making it the biggest movie franchise ever. I've certainly watched and enjoyed my fair share of these movies. But do I think about them for days? No. Do I google more info about the writers of these movies? Nope. Do I follow the actors on my social feeds? No way!

So, what does this have to do with writing content for your business?

If you want to be good, stick to the formula.

You're more than welcome to write posts and articles that are safe and formulaic: The Top 5 Ways to Avoid Paper Cuts or The 7 Essential Ingredients in an Everything Bagel. That type of content is good. It works. It's like a Marvel movie. It gets the job done.

However, if you want to be memorable, be yourself.

If you want to write content that is refreshing and share-worthy, be unique. And the best way to do that is to be yourself. Bring your own individual experiences of life into your writing. There may be a thousand other people in your service or profession, but I guarantee nobody sees it quite like you. No one who shares your same job title shares the exact same life experiences as you.

This blog post that I'm writing right now is an example (so meta!) of bringing your life experiences to your business content. I'm sure there are countless bloggers who write about sharing your business message. But I wonder how many of them have a) watched this movie and b) wrote about it in a way that ties back to writing and messaging.

So if your content is feeling stale or boring, try bringing a little metaphorical "hot dog fingers" to your writing. OK, you don't need to be quite as whacky as hot dog fingers, but it doesn't hurt to bring your own unique of point of view into your writing, even if its for your business. Your unique perspective will be more memorable and shareable than any safe formula you can find.

Still at a loss for how to bring your life experiences into your writing? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

You could write about...

• a unique event you observed while taking a walk
• an interesting conversation you had with a friend or family member
• a great podcast you heard
• something that made you laugh
• a challenging experience that you learned something from

Enjoyed this article? My newsletter subscribers receive these articles long before they are published anywhere else and with bonus pics! Sign up here to receive the latest inspiring posts fresh off the presses and delivered into your inbox every other Friday.