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Hey Reader,

Can you see them?

There, in the distance.

Those tiny dots just over the horizon.

They're getting bigger with each second.

They're coming towards us.

We don't have much time left.

"WHAT DO THEY WANT?!"

Well, my friend, there's just been an announcement.

Every marketer and creator on the planet was just told something extremely exciting (yet equally unsettling).

The way they've been creating content...

It's changing.

"How To" content is no longer working.

"GASP."

I know, I know.

Turns out we bored readers to death with tactical nonsense because the SERPs and algorithms LOVED it.

Oh, and then we used a ton of robots to write for said robots, so content became a robot party for a few years there.

"DOUBLE GASP."

I know, I know.

So, now, humans are demanding "How I" content from people and brands.

Which is pretty awesome because "How I" content is less boring.

Except, this presents one BIG PROBLEM...

Content marketers and creators don't know how to write "How I" content.

The only instructions they got were to "be authentic."

"CONFUSED LOOK."

I know. What does that even mean?

So yeah, this is why every marketer and content creator in the world is running towards us right now.

See, they tried talking about themselves but it didn't work.

They were told to post selfies on social and share stories on their blogs.

But...nobody was reading it.

"TRIPLE GASP."

It's OK. I can help.

For years, I've been teaching people to "be authentic" (aka be themselves in a way that connects to the reader).

And to do it in a way that doesn't come across as "faux-authentic," which is a whole other thing where people overshare failures or traumas that aren't connected to their pillars or audience in the name of "getting vulnerable."

"LOOK!"

Ah, yes, it looks like they're approaching.

Gimme the mic. I'm ready.

"ATTENTION, PLEASE."

Here I am, and there you are

So many people ask me, “How do I create content about me without making it all about ME?”
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Here's my best advice:
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Frame it as, “Here I am, and there you are.”

A few examples:

These are all variations of “Here I am, and there you are.”

It's all about using "I" experiences and framing them in a "you" takeaway.

This happened/is happening/is about to happen to me, and here's what you can learn from it.

A common "I" mistake

If you're new to writing experience-based content, you'll likely share random things nobody actually cares about.

I'm not saying this to make you feel bad. We all do it.

"Let me share this moment because 'authenticity'!"

24 hours later...

"Damn, no one cared that I went golfing with my dad over the weekend."

Tough love: If you forget to tie it back to a lesson for the reader, then, sorry, they won't care.

Or, it'll come across as faux-authentic, and people will think you're sharing that moment to check a box.

To avoid all that cringe, before you share a personal experience, ask yourself:

What lesson can I tie this to that my readers will care about?

For example, I got vulnerable on LinkedIn a week ago and wrote about how I'd just experienced a crisis of confidence.

I talked about myself for the entire post. I only involved the reader at the end when I explained why I was sharing this story.

But it deeply resonated with my audience because I'm positive they experience similar feelings. So, I knew they would relate to what I was going through and share their experiences with me, too.

(Go read the comments you can tell people were really craving an honest post like it.)

When you deeply understand your audience, a post like this:

• Allows you to meet readers where they are because you're talking with them, not at them
• Builds trust because people see you as the human you are
• Motivates and empowers readers (in this case, I was encouraging people to power through tough times)

People and businesses have told me time and again that they want to work with me because I seem like I "get" them. You can learn writing and editing from a million different sources, but my audience chooses me because of, well, me.

That's the power of experience-based writing that involves the reader at every turn.

They choose you because they feel connected to you. They trust that you'll do a good job because you've made it clear that's part of your value system. You aren't spewing tactics all day. You're intricately weaving tactics into your stories. You're sharing how you've done it before, not simply how to do it next time.

You're merging your journey with the reader's, so you arrive at your destination together, not separately.

Experience-based writing can also be tactical. It's not all vulnerability and empowerment. For example, I used personal stories to set the scene for tactical advice in this video I made in partnership with Butterdocs.

How to edit experience-based writing

When you're done writing, go back and ask yourself two critical questions:

1. Will my reader care about this experience I've shared?
2. What takeaway will they walk away with?

Take this Tweet I wrote the other day:

At first glance, this is all about me. But if you dig a bit deeper...

People who know me care about this experience because I've been sharing my journey publicly for 2.5 years, so they're invested and excited to see me have a "win."

People who don't know me may see this and think, "That's cool. I wonder what she's done over 2.5 years to get here?" and follow me to find out.

In both cases, this taps into people's aspirations and drive. If you want what I have, this will motivate you. If you've achieved this, this may inspire you to reach the next level.

As for takeaways, I want people to walk away with a key value I hold and preach: There is no such thing as overnight success.

When you follow me, you get no bullshit, all reality.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Erica

PS. I've been a guest on tons of podcasts lately. The latest one was with my friend Nick Bennett on his show "1,000 Routes." It's a show about solopreneurship. But unlike other shows about solopreneurship, only he explores the stories, learns the lessons, and tracks the uncommon routes common solos take to build a remarkable business of one. Check it out here I share a bunch of stories about how I got to where I am today.

Check out my 3 courses that 1500+ people have taken, loved, and gotten "holy shit" results from:

1. Long to Short: Turn one long-form piece into a month's worth of posts. A step-by-step system to repurpose, remix, and remaster your best ideas.

​Morgan recently said it was the best course she's ever taken.​

2. Hooked on Writing Hooks: Turn your ideas into content that actually gets consumed. Learn to write scroll-stopping hooks on social without resorting to clickbait nonsense that feels inauthentic.

​ConvertKit's social media manager said he absolutely loves it.​

3. Content Editing 101. Kill decision fatigue and build confidence as a writer and editor. A look inside a professional editor's workflow & best practices. Packed with lessons, examples, and a roadmap so you can stop second-guessing your writing & editing decisions.

​Kate says this course has saved her hours in her workflow.​

Each course is AI-powered 🪄

You can go through them manually or use AI to play, get it done faster, and test your new skills in real time. My friend & prompt genius Rob Lennon wrote all the prompts and bots for the courses.

What'd you find most interesting about today's email? Reply and lemme know.

Erica Schneider

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