How to Start Creating Content

To Increase Your Personal "Surface Area"

Connor Widmaier

Jul 28, 2022

July 28th, 2022: Greetings from Long Island, New York.

This week I got some exciting Ghostwriting leads and started working with two new clients.

Also, I made the new Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru my early morning writing space. $1.40 for an espresso— not bad!

Today, I’m going to show you how I would start creating content if I had to start over.

I’ve been creating content consistently for about a year.

In that time, I’ve

Hit over 1 million views
- 143,000 LinkedIn,
- 255,000 YouTube,
- 826,000 Twitter
Made friends from NYC to Singapore
And started a business related to content creation

Best of all, I’m building skills and a reputation to thrive in a digital-first future.

That said, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, especially in the beginning, so today, I’ll try to help you avoid them.

The Biggest Mistake You Can Make is Not Starting

Before getting started, would-be creators often suffer from:

Loneliness
Perfectionism
Lack of Inertia
Fear of Judgement
Confusion/Overwhelm

Unfortunately, that makes many people, including myself, put off getting started.

So this post is for anywho who knows they should be creating content but just haven’t gotten started yet.

If you don’t want to create content, this post is probably not for you.

Start:

Creating content lets you scale your personality.

It’s a force multiplier for your special talents and personality.

I created YouTube videos in Germany.

And every day when I walked into school, 2-3 students who I’d never met before would walk up to me and tell me how they liked my video.

But think about it, these students knew and supported me without ever meeting me because I had put my personality onto the internet.

You now have an army of robots spreading your message as far and wide as there are people on earth— FOR FREE.

If you’re a sales pro, you can sell in your sleep.
If you’re a teacher, you can teach in your sleep.
If you’re corporate, you can network in your sleep.

It’s the single greatest asymmetrical risk in the world.

— Daniel @_danreynolds_

There's a lot going around about "asymmetric opportunities" lately. But what are they? And how you can they help you? 🤿 Let's dive in (a short thread)

Here's how to start, step by step:

Step 1: Pick a Platform + Cadence

At first, you’re going to want to pick one platform.

My YouTuber friend with 620,000 Subscribers recommends you pick the platform you spend the most time on.

Sounds obvious, but think about it, if you spend all day watching YouTube videos, you’ll probably have solid intuition about what makes a good video.

But if you check LinkedIn when you’re bored, maybe snappy LinkedIn posts are more your style.

At first, start with a cadence that feels too easy— maybe once a week.

Don’t forget James Clear’s 3rd law of behavior change:

Make it Easy.

Step 2: Start then learn, Don’t learn then Start

Listen closely: You do not need to be an expert to create content.

Everyone is winging it when they start out.

And the catch-22 is you can’t know what you need to know until you know you don’t know it. (You might want to read that twice😂)

For example, when I started making YouTube videos, I had no idea what I was doing. But once I started, I quickly discovered what I needed to be more successful on the platform.

Thumbnails + Titles (so people click on the video)
Audience retention skills (so people watch the whole video)

Each platform has its differences but many of the skills are transferable:

Capturing Attention
Story Telling
Copywriting

I recommend you treat your learning as Just in time rather than just in case.

So just hit publish and iterate from there.

Step 3: Find friends on the same journey

It’s ironic, but creating content and building an audience can be lonely.

Sure 200,000 people saw my videos, but most of my time was spent editing alone in my bedroom.

So it helps to find friends on the same journey as you. This can help you overcome the fear of judgment, stay accountable, and have more fun.

And one of the best places to meet like-minded friends is through online cohort-based courses.

If you want to start publishing on LinkedIn or Twitter, I recommend Ship 30 for 30.

You’ll publish 30 pieces of content in 30 days, learn the ins and outs of digital writing and make fantastic friends:

If you want to sign up, follow this link (affiliate):

https://enroll.ship30for30.com/august-2022-enrollment/gee9v

I’m taking the course for a second time in August and hope to see you there.

Woody's World

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