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Psssst...Full Stack Solopreneur launches on November 27th.
Mindshare > Attention
Last week, I told you about the questions I'm obsessing over lately.
This week, I want to dig deeper into why mindshare is the ultimate content outcome.
As a reminder, here's the difference between attention and mindshare:
Attention is someone following you. Mindshare is someone thinking of you every time your signature expertise comes up.
Attention is someone liking your post. Mindshare is someone quoting your ideas in their content.
Attention is someone joining your newsletter. Mindshare is someone actually opening it every week because they don't want to miss what you have to say.
Mindshare doesn't happen randomly—you need to cultivate it.
Here's how:
How to win mindshare
Before I tell you how let me answer a common question:
"How long does it take to win mindshare?"
As always, it depends. Not overnight. Long enough for your body of work to compound.
OK. Moving right along.
Your content needs 3 elements to cultivate mindshare:
- A perspective that makes people pause and reconsider what they thought they knew
- Real experiences that prove your perspective
- Insights that change how people approach their challenges
Surface-level tips and generic advice won’t cut it. AI can generate them. And they blend in with every other piece of lookalike content.
To differentiate, you need to write:
- Content that comes from your unique experience
- Content that shares real insights you’ve uncovered
- Content that helps people think differently about their problems
This sounds easy, but people make big mistakes.
Here are the most common ones I see:
- Playing it safe. You will blend in if you’re unwilling to share your real perspective and strong point of view.
- Overcomplicating information. Bombarding your audience with every detail you know doesn’t make you look smart—it makes your content exhausting and full of friction.
- Skipping the “why it matters” step. Sharing what you’ve learned is great, but if you don’t connect it back to your audience’s challenges, they won’t care.
- Focusing on you instead of them. Yes, your experience matters. But only when it’s framed in a way that helps your audience see themselves in your story.
If you want to win mindshare, you need to stand out.
In my experience, these are the best ways to do that:
Challenge the status quo
By questioning accepted wisdom, you immediately set yourself apart and create space for new thinking.
Here's a prompt to help you think about the status quo you challenge:
"I used to think _______ (accepted wisdom), but after _______ (inflection point catalyst), I discovered _______ (new thinking)."
If you're running a blank, think about:
- Common advice you've disproven
- Unexpected results you've discovered
- Processes you've had to modify
- Insights from client work
- Patterns you've noticed
- Problems you've solved differently
- Obstacles you’ve encountered and overcome
Share counterintuitive insights
The most memorable content often flips assumptions upside down.
To do this, share surprising truths that align with your expertise and help your audience rethink their challenges.
For example:
Instead of saying: "Consistency is key to success."
Say: "Consistency can kill creativity if you’re not careful." Then, back it up with your experience or examples.
Simplify without dumbing down
Clarity is powerful. Break complex ideas into simple, actionable insights that your audience can immediately apply—but never at the expense of nuance or depth.
To do that, make sure every piece of content has one big idea. Too many big ideas will confuse and lose the reader.
The best way to stick to one idea? Write the takeaway first.
Prompt: "What insight do I want my readers to walk away with?"
Start here. Once you know the end, it's much easier to begin.
Tell stories that resonate
Stories stick. They help your audience see themselves in your content and connect to your ideas and vision.
Whether it’s a personal win, a client success story, or a lesson from failure, tie your insights to relatable experiences.
There's so much proof for this. Just Google "why stories resonate more" or "why stories improve recall" and enjoy the rabbit hole.
Then, go read how to write experienced-based content that resonates here.
Make people feel something
Emotions drive action.
Think about it. What makes you stop scrolling on LinkedIn?
I stop scrolling and keep reading on social when I experience this kind of inner dialogue:
- “No way” (I'm surprised)
- “Omg I feel the same way” (I'm validated)
- “Finally, someone said it” (I'm relieved)
- “This looks interesting” (I'm intrigued)
- “I disagree, actually” (I'm ambivalent)
- “I love doing that too” (I'm pleased)
- "Prove it" (I'm doubtful)
- “I've been thinking about this all wrong” (I'm curious/annoyed)
- “Didn’t know I needed to hear this” (I'm having an epiphany)
When your audience feels something, they’re more likely to engage with, talk about, and act on your ideas.
Guess what that leads to?
- Someone hitting your bell so they never miss your content
- Someone thinking of you every time your signature expertise comes up
- Someone quoting your ideas in their content
Mindshare.
Hope this helps.
Erica
PS. I pulled today's newsletter from a lesson I wrote for Full Stack Solopreneur, my new group coaching program launching on November 27th.
The full lesson continues with exercises to help you mine your experiences and insights, form your POV, and create strong content ideas.
If you're a solopreneur keen to create a legendary niche offer, drive traffic, and close new clients, we built this program for you.
Cheerio :)
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New here? I'm Erica.
Your seltzer-loving solopreneur who helps you earn more money with content that moves people to action (but doesn’t feel salesy).
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