#2 Content creation is automated networking. It allows you to build trust and intimacy at scale.

I committed to writing daily 24 months ago.

Here are my results (since 2020):

→ 1,500,000 + views on LinkedIn.
→ 1,500+ unique posts and blogs.
→ 4,000+ followers on LinkedIn.

Here’s what the numbers don’t tell:

→ Connecting with amazing people.
→ Becoming a magnet for meaningful opportunities.
→ Being able to start my own consulting business and quit my 9–5 job.

I didn’t get everything perfect, but what a wild journey.

Here’s everything I’ve learned:

1. You don’t need to be great to start, but in order to be great you need to start.

There will never be a perfect time to start creating content.

• You’ll feel fear.

• You’ll never feel ready.

• You’ll feel like people are judging you.

• You’ll never feel like you have everything together.

Don’t stress. This is normal. I’ve been creating content for almost 2 years and this feeling never goes away.

You’re allowed to feel fearful. You’re allowed to feel insecure. You’re allowed to feel like an imposter.

The truth is you’re allowed to feel anything you want.

But you’re not allowed to be stagnant.

As Robin Sharma says, “action delayed is greatness betrayed.”

Once you start, you’re going to get judged no matter what you do, so you might as well get judged for doing something you love.

2. Content creation is automated networking. It allows you to build trust and intimacy at scale.

Over the last 28 days, I’ve had 46,343 impressions of my content on LinkedIn.

That’s equivalent to interacting with 1,655 people PER DAY including weekends.

And that’s with my stats being down 20% for the month.

That’s an incredible amount of reach with a bit of effort.

Even if you spent 24 hours at a networking event, there is no way you could interact with that many people in one day.

This is the power of LinkedIn. The organic exposure you receive puts you in front of employers and future customers.

I often go to events and meet strangers who say ‘I’ve seen a lot of your work on LinkedIn.’

It’s a strange feeling but I can start conversations with a warm introduction rather than awkward small talk with a stranger.

3. One piece of content can change your life. You just don’t know which one it will be.

Here are a few things you need to achieve exceptional results from creating content:

• Quantity: You create LOTS of content.

• Quality: You make MEANINGFUL content that solves a problem or entertains people.

• Consistency: You keep posting content 3–5 times a week.

• Feedback: You use data to see what works and doubled down.

• Luck: The algorithm helps you go viral occasionally.

Do these five actions long enough and you’ll gain traction. It would be impossible not to.

4. Content builds your social capital. You can make new friends, find customers and build new communities.

Your net worth is your network.

Building an audience means you’re building your distribution channels.

Build Distribution, then build whatever you want — Milton Tutu

With an engaged audience, any business you want to start becomes infinitely easier.

Selling becomes easy.

Look at the Kardashians or Elon Musk. They have such a strong personal brand and audience that anything they touch would be successful.

One post or picture with a new product and it is guaranteed to sell out immediately.

Leverage your content to achieve your goals.

5. Content increases your chances of luck and serendipity.

When you create content, your surface area for luck increases.

I’ve experienced this firsthand:

Most people hire recruiters or specialists to help them find board positions.

These positions are hard to get but I get anywhere from 2–3 board offers per year. Every year. I can pick and choose which ones I accept.

I don’t say this to brag. But when you put yourself out there, you become a magnet for opportunities and you also filter out bad ones.

Each piece of content continues to build your brand long after it is posted.

6. Content creation is hard work. But it’s the one thing that’s transformed my career.

Content creation is demanding. The risk of burnout is always there.

I write every day, publish 1–3 Medium articles per week, and post on Linkedin 5–6 times a week.

It can get exhausting. Especially if I have a busy week or life happens.

I’ve recently started to hire subcontractors to help with my content creation. I’ve got a designer to create more original content and a copywriter to help put together the captions.

I’ll still have final approval over what gets published but this cuts down 80% of the effort needed to come up with ideas.

Delegate to elevate yourself.

Let’s end with this

You don’t need to be an expert to start. You don’t even need a following.

So what should you do in 2023?

Build in public.

Be genuine. Document your learning. Share your wins and failures.

Watch your career skyrocket 🚀
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