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The video is different from the post, but feel free to read the post or watch the video first.
Over my decade plus years of creating content I've noticed a few trends that prevented me from progressing forward.
Now keep in mind for me even just 1% delay in progression will stress me out, but make that an actual block. As in something is preventing me from doing anything for a while, that will drive me insane. I'm obsessed with content, and I figure if you're here... then you probably are too.
At least you are wanting to be a creator without the burnout, and/or you want to accelerate your growth. Now I recently was on a panel at NABshow, and this was the topic I spoke on. I wanted to make a post to explain it a bit more in detail.
Why an Equation?
It came to me when I was thinking about the three factors it took to reach a milestone of success. When I say xyz equals success I don't necessarily mean you are going to be a Mr. Beast level of success. Just that relative to you, where you are starting from too, then you will be more successful than before.
Success in any amount, is a percentage towards your overarching goals. Alright if you want to know the equation here it is:
Strategy + Automation x Execution = Success
What does this even mean?
It starts off with how do you plan out your content? What is your Strategy for achieving success? Without one then you are just creating in a hamster wheel, over and over, with no end in mind.
A strategy can be obtained from a coach or guru, it can be devised by yourself, or somewhere in between like I had when I started. However despite having a good strategy for the time (2018) I was missing the other two factors in the equation...
Next is Automation, and that can mean a few things.
It can start with the right tools, such as Nuelink for social media automation, but it also entails the various people you can delegate to. Whether that means an editor overseas, or perhaps using an AI agent to complete some tasks for you as well.
Finally, the real deciding factor for a lot of creators: the Execution.
Again, as I mentioned earlier I started out with a good strategy, but due to my skill level as a creator I could only execute so much. It also didn't help that I didn't have the right tools at the time. You can get around the execution factor if you have tools, and you can get around not having the right tools by working harder. However if you are missing both, then you are really out of luck.
The three factors of this equation play into each other, and when one builds up; It can build the other two up as well, but the inverse is true as well. When you are severely lacking in one of the three areas, then it will pull down the other two.
How to be a Modern Content Creator
As for USING the equation I believe it is a matter of putting in the reps. I created the equation to figure out why I wasn't growing, or how to accelerate my own/ or other creator's growth.
However if you are just starting out, then in reality you can't focus purely on acceleration, as you STILL NEED THE SKILLS.
Now the quicker you put out content, then theoretically you can accelerate the rate at which you gain the skill. Though you need to be careful not to put out slop, but in most cases our first 100 reps will be no where near our quality at a high skill level. We all start somewhere after all.
You start off by picking a content format and type, then put out enough reps in that avenue. The quicker you get to 100 reps in that lane, the sooner you can get to the other content types and formats. In my professional opinion I think the MODERN content creator does do all six types/formats to some degree. Even if its a newsletter instead of a blog, or repurposed clips from long form to make short form (instead of making them from scratch, so at least they are doing all types.
Until you get to a certain degree of skill you don't really need to focus on wide versus narrow dynamic, just put out good posts, mostly related together by niche, but don't feel like you aren't able to experiment. The start of your content journey is one of the easiest times to change your topic/niche, and enjoy dabbling more.
The equation comes into play when you want to accelerate your growth, and/or when you need to fine tune what actions you are taking.
If you feel you are ready to make use of it, which it can be applied to most skill levels, even expert level creators.
That is when you sit down, evaluate if your strategy is up to date or working, find the right tools to help you syndicate, and reflection on your own actions. Are you doing enough? Is your mental health preventing you from working harder? Etc.
I talk more on what it means to be one in other posts from this newsletter:
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
🥡 Takeaways
What you should do after reading this post is try to calculate how many posts you have made out there. Sometimes you can just count the posts in your blog, or youtube studio, and you'll have a total. Sometimes if you were organized from the beginning using something like Obsidian or Notion, then you can already have a count from the database.
Decide if it is the right time to switch type/format, or to continue on with the current endeavor.
Eventually you'll need to diverge, and spread out your Content Ecosystem.
If you want to learn more about the Creator Equation, then I encourage you to check out the mini-series:
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
