Yes, You Can [and SHOULD] Steal Others' Content.

Share your voice online.

Every day.

Easier said than done, right?

When I first started writing LinkedIn posts, I had no idea what to write. I would just stare at a blank screen and wonder what to write. So, I usually just ended up closing the computer and walking away. It was too hard.

That bugged me.

I knew that writing online every day would help me find my voice and help me become known for a few specific topics. I had to find a way to make sharing those words easier.

I needed a system for sharing my thoughts, aka content creation.

Lucky for me, there was no lack of social media platforms, each of which has new content pumping out every second of every day. I could easily see examples of good, compelling content every time I hit the refresh button.

My system turned out to be super easy and free. After all, "Good artists copy. Great artists steal." -Picasso

Now, I know alarms are going off in your head if you're a normal white coat,

"Ah! Jamie! You can't plagiarize! That's soooo bad!"

"No way! I can't steal someone else's work"

And you are correct. You should never blatantly steal someone else's words. However, look at the principle I'm trying to teach here: steal how they convey their message.

You want to steal:

• the template
• the scroll-stopping idea
• the feeling the message conveyed

Of course, you'll need to add your own words and make them relevant to your topic. You give yourself a strong headstart by building your content off of a framework backbone that works.

Today I'd like you to know the sweet benefits of working this way, and how to turn it into a simple system for yourself.

Here we go!

Benefits of stealing content frameworks:

1. Proves what is already working. When you share words, it isn't just the words that you share, but *how* you share them that makes them hit differently. Chances are, when you see an article that stops your scroll, there was something about the catchy headline or surprising first sentence that got you interested in reading more. It just worked on you, so use that as a template for yourself. What did that author do? Copy that framework in your own words!
2. Saves you time. It is much easier to start with a template that you can make your own than staring at a blank screen wondering how you'll fill it with your own words.
3. You are more readable. When you write online you must actually be readable! People have very short attention spans when they scroll and you have to catch them in milliseconds or they are gone. Using white space, bullet points, and a <5th grade reading level (among other things) really helps people comprehend your words.
4. Gives you a framework to share your ideas. We all have ideas but can struggle to share them in a way that other people can learn from us. Typing up three massive paragraphs with much highly-technical information may provide great insights, but you'll lose people to information overwhelm. Ideas that can be boiled down and taught in a few words really pack a punch, and few in medicine right now can do it.
5. Forces you to create systems. "A good system shortens the road to a goal" -O.S. Marden. Treat everything like a system to make tasks easier, including digital writing. When you are copying & noting templates from others you are very quickly going to have to start organizing all of these ideas into one place. Suddenly, when you have everything in one place a system for creating compelling content, you have made the job so much easier for yourself to stick to for the long run.
6. You learn from great writers. Be on the lookout for great content to copy. That will introduce you to a world of people who have been mastering this craft for years (decades) and can teach you for free, in public just by seeing their writing. Learn from them! Interact with them! Don't only assume the world revolves around you and wait for people to notice your work. By learning from people who are doing well, and all of their systems around how they work you can develop those skills as well.

Now let's jump into what a simple system looks like to actually copy the template of someone's excellent content that you'd like to apply to your own subject.

Systems Examples:

1. For emails, simply create a folder titled "Good Copy". Then as soon as you see an example of an email with good copy (aka, words you really liked), drag and drop that email into the folder. Voila! Add to it every time you see an email you like. That folder is your growing list of starting points. Use them!
2. For social posts, copy & paste the text [or just screenshot it!] into one central place. Could be as simple as Notes on your phone. I use Notion.
3. When scrolling, see what stops your scroll. Everything that made you stop, and click 'read more' is a good hook line and one to save for yourself. If it got you to stop, it'll get others to stop as well. Be very aware of your own scrolling and what makes you stop. It is an interesting exercise and helps you learn something rather than just aimlessly flip through screen after screen.
4. Gather & use. Gather all these ideas over weeks and months, and your treasure chest of good ideas will be in one place, ready for you to turn into your own.
5. Create once a week. I've found that first thing Monday morning is my most productive time of the week. So, I set myself up for success by spending all of Monday mornings writing up all my social media posts for that week and scheduling them out. That way, I can: 1. Stay in the creative flow state 2. Not let a busy week slow me down 3. Have fun writing things that connect together throughout the week.

*And just to state the obvious: don't copy & paste someone else's content as your own. 1. That's wrong 2. You'll never learn to create for yourself and will always stay stuck copying others to try to keep up. 3. It's a small world. They will know and won't be happy about it. Recently I accidentally posted words that weren't my own due to an error in my systems (not recording who said something in a comment on one of my posts) and I felt gutted when it came to light. It's not worth it. Just other's templates as an example to build on yourself to make your own*

Happy stealing!

Jamie

PS- Whenever you're ready, there 2 additional way I can help you:

• ??? My Wealthy Whitecoat podcast was released recently!???? Subscribe to listen to a?new episode every week here.
• Going live online tomorrow night to highlight case studies of pharmacists doing cool things with precision medicine. Save your spot here. (If you can't make it, register anyway and I'll send the replay)