??? You’re more than your ‘hot takes'

A bit ironic that the title for this week’s Marketing Hot Takes is that you’re more than your ‘hot takes’... right? ??

Let me explain what I mean though… because although I love a good hot take, I do want to share that ONLY sharing ‘hot takes’ within your industry is NOT sustainable.

A few weeks ago, I shared on LinkedIn that I was bored of the content that I was seeing online from thought leaders or people building their personal brands.

It’s a lot of noise, and frankly, a lot of pressure to continue to create content and pull ideas that are trying to strive for:

DISRUPTION

INNOVATION

CHANGEMAKER

I mean think about it… it’s almost like the cycle of *viral content*, right?

When we’re trying to pull new ‘hot takes’ every day, week, month… it tires us out because now we’re trying to create content that does a few things:

? Is almost like ‘click-bait’ so it can get the most eyes and attention

? Keeps us working FOR social media and the algorithms

? Shrinks our message into ‘hot takes’ and ‘quick bites’ for people to consume

And can I tell you something? Here’s the MARKETING HOT TAKE ??? for you - You are more than your hot takes.

We worked through this exact scenario with one of our clients. He is known for sharing hard-hitting facts, pulling in eye-catching headlines from news outlets to share, and resharing images that really grab your attention.

This strategy was working for him, for a while… but the problem was it diminished everything that he wanted to share, the message he had, and his personal story into ‘hot takes’ that made his entire relationship with followers transactional.

When that started happening, his content helped him:

?? Amass a large following (10K+ followers!)

?? Get noticed by brands to be highlighted as a contributor for their Creator series

?? Have more people looking at and consuming his content

Sure, all those look great but those weren’t his goals. The vanity numbers, recognition by brands, and more people consuming his content didn’t help to reach the goals we wanted… which were:

?? Getting people subscribed to his newsletter

?? Moving people off of the platform to purchase digital products

?? Being invited as a speaker, podcast host, and panelist for events

What I’m trying to say, is that while hot takes are great for being eye-catching, disrupting thought cycles and patterns, and almost being ‘shock value’ for your audience…

If you aren’t tying in your personal stories, experiences, and methodology into that type of content it now creates a psychological pattern for consumers that your content is simply of ‘shock value’ and transactional.

And from a Thought Leadership & Personal Branding strategy perspective, I don’t want that for you because I want you to have a community you feel connected to, a community that will support your work and look to work with you because they TRUST your experience and stories.

So how do you move past *only* sharing hot takes and into other territories?

Well, well, first thing is that I’m not saying you should totally stop sharing hot takes. I mean… this entire email series is called “Marketing Hot Takes” ??

Instead, I challenge you to share a bit more about your opinions backed by YOUR experiences and stories.

Here’s a little image that might help. At The Quirky Pineapple Studio , we call this the “Story Connection Timeline”. There are 7 parts to your story (like a novel) and within those 7 parts to your story, your audience will connect to different areas depending on where THEY are in their own journey.

If you’ve got time this week, set aside around 30min to work through the Story Connection Timeline to map out your Founder’s story and where your community/audience falls within that. This can help you figure out certain experiences and stories you can pair with your hot takes to make them more personal and less transactional.

Give it a try and let me know how it went!

And if you want additional support for your Thought Leadership strategy, let’s get on a Clarity Call to talk about how we can Amplify Your Message with your very own Branded Copy Style Guide and 12-month Marketing Game Plan, so you know what to say, where to say it, how to say it, so you get booked for industry opportunities!

In next Tuesday’s hot take, we’re talking about how to know WHAT to say and WHERE to say it!

#stayextraquirky ??

Cassandra

P.S. You’re more than your hot takes. Scroll up to read how striving for hot takes in your content can be hurting your overall strategy and connection with your audience.

P.P.S. Ready to amplify your message and story for more industry opportunities? Schedule a call to learn how we can Amplify Your Message together.

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