What's holding you back?
Tracy Friedlander
The world doesn’t need another forgettable podcast. It needs your voice, your POV, your big conversation. Let’s make your podcast impossible to ignore.
Ever feel like there’s something in your industry that nobody talks about, but should?
Maybe it’s a perspective, a frustration, or even a solution that’s been simmering in your mind.
The truth is, that thought could be your most powerful source for content.
Most people stay quiet about what really matters in their niche.
Why?
Fear of backlash, fear of judgment, or just the comfort of sticking to what’s safe.
But the voices that truly stand out - the ones that build followings and spark change - are those that dare to say something meaningful.
These are the ones who are considered thought leaders, and are looked to for valuable conversations that can induce change where it’s needed.
That’s why it’s so important!
Your version of this might not be controversial, but I guarantee you have something valuable to say.
Maybe it’s a perspective that goes against the grain. Maybe it’s a practice you’ve refined and believe others are missing out on. It could even be something you know to be true, but you don’t see anyone talking about it.
What matters is that you speak up. When you share these thoughts:
I experienced this myself when first starting out being public online.
It was back when I didn’t know exactly what I would do as a business or for money, but it was at a place in my life where I needed to change. The only way I knew I could make those changes was to start to change my life. My first step towards the unknown was going public and growing my audience.
How I did that was, I started to share my ideas publicly. Facebook was where I chose, because that’s where I already was and where I felt the most comfortable. I chose the most obvious audience: people like me who both needed to hear my ideas (whether they knew it or not!) or wanted to hear someone say what I had to say but didn’t have the courage to say it themselves. Many of them were already gathered there (friends and colleagues).
Recently I put a poll in my Instagram stories, “Who here is nervous or fears sharing opinionated content on social media?”
100% of the people who answered my poll on Instagram reported maximum ?? emoji.
Listen - I GET IT. When I was first starting out, I resisted posting anything opinionated or controversial like crazy and had many-a-coachable moment when I finally did it.
I remember one time in particular where I put a middle finger emoji photo and someone reported me to Facebook! HA! I was very much in a niche that resisted truth-telling and change, and because of that, I had been conditioned to keep my mouth shut.
But as I opened up, shared authentic stories of struggle and overcoming adversity as a student and a professional, conversations began to spark.
领英推荐
It gave me the confidence to share more and to dare to say things that other people weren’t saying.
After a while, it started to show me what was missing in my little corner of the internet, what people wanted to talk about, what made them uncomfortable and what made them think.
But - THIS is the purpose behind creating content. Because when you help someone think differently, they remember you for that.
Here’s how to start speaking your mind publicly to spark real and authentic conversations:
Over time, you’ll start to see (and feel!) the topics that make you happiest to talk about, and those will, over time, become your “content pillars”.
Content pillars help you erase that “what do I post” conundrum, which keeps you consistent.
I want to share a story about one of my posts that is considered opinionated and somewhat controversial back when I was posting primarily for a musician audience.
One of my posts, under the broader theme of “income independence” from my content pillars was the controversy of student loan debt.
In the post, I shared a story about a student who wanted to go to an expensive music school and was asking for advice. But upon further digging, I discovered that she wasn't even sure she wanted to be a musician.
So in the post, I made the statement that unless you’re 100% sure what career you want, that you should NOT go into debt by going to a fancy $50K/year school, but rather, a state school where you might even have a scholarship. Take your time to figure out exactly what you want first.
(I know - not that controversial, but definitely opinionated, and certainly sparked conversation!)
The post went positively viral, shared numerous times and 100s of comments.
My point is this: it doesn't have to be an opinion or point of view that you know people go crazy over (like any number of hot-button topics we have these days.) It could really be as simple as something you'd like to see more people talking about that is missing your take on it.
Microniching it up:
I just want to add — this is an example of something going viral in a tiny little corner of the internet where people are having conversations that are less mainstream. Many times those areas don’t have any thought leaders. This is why I talk so much about standing up and saying what you want to say, no matter who it is you want to talk to. You can make an impact on your immediate circle, and start growing your online presence in a way that really matters.
To sum it up:
Building a name for yourself and growing a loyal audience requires more than just sharing tips or playing it safe. You have to own your ideas, even the ones that might make people uncomfortable. When you’re bold enough to say what others won’t, you become unforgettable - and your audience will grow around that authenticity.
This week, think about what you’ve been holding back. What’s that thought or idea you know could make a difference if you only shared it? (If you're not ready to share it publicly, hit reply and tell me what it is! ??)
What you have to say might just be the spark to the conversation your audience is waiting to gather for.