🪄Stop trying to "expert everywhere" (do this instead)

Hey Reader,

I record all my calls.

Client calls, sales calls, coaching calls, random catch-ups with other solos. Everything.

Why?

Because the best content comes from real conversations. Not from sitting at your computer trying to reverse-engineer wisdom.

And what I say when I'm not trying to say anything is always better than trying to force expertise all over the place.

When you force it, we can feel it

When you try to manufacture an insight or force an idea, it comes across as blahhhhhh.

We all know the best content feels natural.

But wtf do you do when you can't natural your way through a freaking writing session?

If you're struggling to frame something up in a way that makes sense, it usually means one of three things:

You haven't thought hard enough about it yet
You don't actually understand it as well as you think you do
You've been trying to force it into a box because you've been overthinking it, and you need to go back to the beginning and ask yourself some basic questions

Get up and ramble

Here's what I want you to do the next time you're staring at a blank page:

Get up. Leave yourself a voice note. Just talk about what you're trying to say. Ramble. Let it out.

Don't worry about being articulate or polished. Just explain the thing like you're talking to a friend who asked you about it.

Then listen back and find the moments where you got excited, where your voice changed, where you said something that surprised even you.

That's your content right there.

And if you're writing for clients? Go back and listen to calls.

Pop the transcripts into your favorite AI tool and ask it to identify the key moments for you. This is one of the best ways to use AI, in my opinion—to help you excavate the insights that already exist.

Alright, let's get into exactly how to do that.

How to spot the "OMG THIS IS BRILLIANT CONTENT" moments

Whether you're writing for yourself or helping clients, here's what I listen for in conversations:

The realization moment

When someone says, "I realized I'm really good at [THING]"—stop everything. Mark it as a key moment.

Follow-up questions:

When did you realize this?
What was the inciting moment that made you realize this?
How did you feel once you realized it?
What's the first thing you did after you realized it?
How has this impacted what you do now?

These questions uncover the transformation story that makes incredible content.

The gap identification

When someone says "My clients don't have [THING THEY NEED]"—boom. Content gold.

Follow-up questions:

Why don't they have this?
Why do you know they need this?
Do they know they have this problem, or is it something you can see through all your experience?
What do they need to hear to realize they have the problem?
What's it look like if this problem goes unsolved?
What does it look like when it is solved?

This reveals the exact problem they should be positioning around, in their own words.

The solution breakthrough

When someone says, "So they were struggling with [THING] and I told them Why don't we do [THING] instead"—content jackpot.

Follow-up questions:

Is what they were struggling with a common experience?
How were they trying to solve it?
Why wasn't that working?
How did you come up with the other idea?
Why could you see the answer so clearly when they couldn't?
How is what you proposed different than the status quo?
How did it help you solve their problem?

This reveals their unique perspective and methodology in the most natural way possible.

The pattern recognition

When someone says, "I keep seeing [THING] happen with my clients,"—pure positioning gold.

Follow-up questions:

How often does this happen?
Do they realize they're doing this?
What do you think causes this pattern?
What would happen if they kept doing it this way?
How do you help them break the pattern?
What do they say after you point it out?

This uncovers the problems they're uniquely positioned to solve.

The contrarian take

When someone says, "Everyone says to do [THING] but I actually think [OPPOSITE THING]"—instant thought leadership content.

Follow-up questions:

Why do you think everyone gets this wrong?
When did you first realize the conventional wisdom was off?
What evidence do you have that your way works better?
What pushback do you get when you share this perspective?
How do you convince people to try your approach instead?

This captures their unique POV without them having to manufacture controversy.

Why this works so much better

When insights come from real conversations, they're automatically:

Specific instead of general: You're talking about the exact moment someone realized a thing, changed their mind, came up with a better solution, etc. Specific moments are content gold.

Authentic instead of performed: You're not trying to sound like an expert. You're capturing actual expertise as it happens naturally. It's a bit woo woo, but people can feel the difference.

Relatable instead of abstract: Your audience can picture themselves in the same situation because it IS a real situation, not a theoretical one. Real experiences beat everything else.

My actual process

Record everything (with permission, obviously)
Listen for the moments when someone drops an insight without trying to
Ask the follow-up questions that dig deeper into the story
Capture the exact language they use—don't paraphrase
Turn it into content that feels like them explaining it to a friend

I wrote a bit more about my process in this LinkedIn post last week.

I'll leave you with this:

The most magical writing has nothing to do with forcing brilliance and everything to do with capturing it.

Cheers,

Erica

PS. This is exactly how Nick and I help clients in our new 2:1 offer.

We get on calls, and while Nick helps you clarify your offer, distinct POV, and engagement model, I listen for these moments, ask the right follow-up questions, and help you turn your natural expertise into content that positions you as THE person to solve your client's problems.

If you're doing $17k+ months but struggling to scale because your content isn't driving inbound and you're relying entirely on referrals, let's chat.

And if you want to learn more about what we're doing now, listen to our latest podcast episode where we tell all.