I’m gonna go for a run and get away from all the political discourse! Oh wait…
Just kidding, though. Everything is political!!!
Author: Seth Werkheiser
MYSTERIES OF THE TRAILS
You just never know what you’ll find out there in the woods. This is my second 1,400′ of climbing in one week. Over 4,000′ for the week, with the weekend to go, yet. The thing I found I love about running is climbing. Even when I’m slow, at least I’m moving up some pretty big hills.
Last year I climbed 83,000′ and so far this year I’m at 17,400′ – I’m behind pace if I wanna do better than 2024!
SEEK FLOW
Before seeking more (subscribers, audience, fans), seek flow. This is something I bring up a lot through my Email Guidance offering.
Is your website set up in a way that pulls people in? Or is it a bunch of links to third party platforms that seek only to monetize and collect data from your fans?
Does your sales page include comforting and informative videos about what you offer? Or do you only post those sorts of videos on Instagram for just 3% of your followers to see?
Does your store have more than one item (this one from Laura Kidd) in stock?
We want to expand and grow our audience, but stepping back and making subtle changes to our current operations might be a better place to start
“People share things that have a clear point of view. They recommend brands that help them express their identity. They become evangelists for experiences that reflect their worldview.”
My productivity hack is Blade Runner inspired music from Focus Soundscapes (like this one) and the “pling” sound on my Tomito Pomodoro app. Headphones in, volume up, phone out of sight. Let’s work.
VAL KILMER DIES AT 65
LEARN FROM THE FAST MOVING BRANDS
Love this bit from ‘When Fashion Brands Curate Better Than Museums,’ which goes along with the bit of wisdom we learned from Olivia Rafferty, about looking outside of your industry for inspiration (listen to that here).
“Meanwhile, museums are out here filming awkward TikToks and selling tote bags that say “Support the Arts.”
Meanwhile, Gucci drops a film series directed by Harmony Korine and it’s sold out before you even hear about it.”
Replace museums with “bands” or “authors” or “photographers” and drop in whatever cookie cutter / color by numbers marketing dreck they’re producing.
JESSE WELLES RELEASES 63 SONG ALBUM
Make things, show it to your friends, like Rick Rubin says:
“Some have already criticized Jesse Welles’ output as being too much, and this batch of previously-releases songs won’t help his case. But what Jesse Welles is doing defies all conventional norms. No artist or songwriter has ever been responsible for such a voluminous amount of output that still resonates widely with the public like Welles does. It’s unprecedented territory that calls for extraordinary measures to chronicle it, like releasing a 63-song album.”
Via Saving Country Music, via Tedium.
NO ONE HATE LISTENS A PODCAST
What a great piece from Coco Mocoe:
Podcast hosts with 10,000 followers on Instagram (who barely post) can sell out theaters. Meanwhile, TikTokers with 5 million+ followers sometimes can’t get anyone to show up to a meet-and-greet. Why?
One of my mentors, Jamie Gutfreund, said something that stuck with me:
“No one hate-listens to a podcast.”
I started repurposing my video interviews into podcast format (you can find them here), because I know some of my readers enjoy listening without watching, so they can wash the dishes or go for a walk.
But yeah – large numbers on a quick-hit platform don’t always translate to a longer-form audience.