This was supposed to be a short post...

...but here's the thing about what you're 'supposed' to do when creating 'content'

Oh dear.

I can tell Substack is going to be the death of me. Because I can’t help myself.

I went into this lark trying to be all strategic: every week I’d write a variety of “content”: one thought leadership post, one how-to post, one inspirational note, maybe throw in a poll and be careful about when I tap into my LinkedIn network to start publicising this newsletter.

I want this to succeed—I really do!

But like a pathetic Westworld robot, my core drive overrides everything. The narcissistic, egotistical, self-indulgent need to write.

So what was supposed to be a short, pithy post to ultimately promote something I’d already written a week ago has turned into a diatribe.

I’m just trying to be honest. Narcissistically, egoistically, and self-indulgently honest.

Because, the piece I wanted to promote—this one, here—suddenly felt unfinished. Fine for The Media Leader’s audience, but this Substack venture is, as I explained at the start, an attempt to be raw and unfiltered as I chronicle my personal journey as a journalist and consultant.

Because I wholeheartedly believe this to be true: we should never just post “content”. We must always, to some degree, post about our convictions.

When it really comes down to it, what right does any “content creator” have to demand someone’s attention without communicating some clear and tangible insight into what really drives you?

Many ads, particularly online ads, are excellent at communicating no insight at all into a brand’s true essence, which is why they’re so dull. But at least the advertiser has paid a media owner some money to publish their sludge.

As I have preached for many years now, media needs advertising as a subsidy to create great, interesting and important work. It would be nice for the ads to be great, too, but that’s just a bonus. We really just need the money, thanks.

But for “content creators” like you and me, you must follow this simple rule: Don’t post content. Post convictions.

[If you’re keeping up, the short post was supposed to start…. now!]

When I led The Media Leader, we didn’t just post the latest news and hot takes — we built around values: Disruption. Inclusion. Courage. Excellence.

(DICE… a fitting acronym given that publishing strategy is, to a large degree, a game of chance. Nevertheless, it was my firm belief that, to make it work, the Courage bit was the most important. And because, in an age of Big Tech monopolies and automated fakery, a media industry without Courage would simply DIE)

So believe me when I insist that DICE wasn’t branding fluff. It was a filter.

The proof was in the output.

Many, many, many press releases from media agencies, media owners and tech companies were ultimately not considered as stories because they didn’t fit the DICE criteria. We were willing to lose the easy clicks and traffic that we would have got from churning out the ‘person gets a job’ story, or ‘agency wins an account’ story, or even the ‘person says nothing interesting at a conference but we sent a reporter and we have to justify the expense’ story.

The only exception to this rule was when we broke a story, which, as we grew and gained credibility with the industry, became more frequent. But we resolved never to become a churnalism factory.

My bet was that readers know they can get that from other advertising and media trade press and were in search of something more challenging.

I implore you, assuming you’re a content creator or marketer reading this, to make the same bet. Trust your audience to respect and admire honesty and challenge.

And I assume you will think the same thing that other trade press editors will think if they cared to read this: “I don’t have the time”.

It only takes a few minutes for a reporter to rewrite a press release and that story will get read.

Sure. But multiply those few minutes for multiple churns per week, and suddenly you’re looking at hours spent on churn when you could have been building one great news analysis, or finding one exclusive story that never would have seen the light of day otherwise.

Most creators — and most media brands — are just the same. Filling the feed with stuff that ‘only takes a few minutes’ to do.

Not because they’re lazy, but because they’re scared — scared of falling behind, scared of saying the wrong thing, scared of losing momentum. So they play it safe.

But safe doesn’t stick.

Especially now everyone (and I almost literally mean everyone…) is using ChatGPT to write content for them.

AI is becoming a crutch. CrutchGPT.

Again, not because creators are lazy, but because they’re scared. So scared that they will be reassured by a sycophantic chatbot that can instantaneously spit out highly readable sentences. If you’re not a highly experienced writer, CrutchGPT seems safe.

But safe doesn’t stick.

People don’t remember content. They remember courage.

So here’s my question.

What’s one belief you’ve been too afraid to publish — but know you should?

I’m not talking about religious or political beliefs. I’m talking about what makes your way of doing business divisive. What would truly have the potential to alienate potential customers or audience because you’re so committed to your way of doing things?

If the answer is “nothing”, you have a problem.

Because most people’s answer is “nothing”.

It doesn’t seem like a smart commercial strategy to do what everyone else does. To be as bland as everyone else is. To use the same crutch that everyone else uses.

Especially when you already have all you need to succeed: your own uniqueness.

You just need the courage to put yourself—your unique self—out there. And without courage…

Now you’re obligated to read a “Call to Action”

Tell me why I’m wrong in the comments.

Tell me why I’m right by inquiring about my writing, live events and consulting services. I work at the intersection of media, marketing and strategy — bringing 15 years of experience to help brands and people in media and advertising communicate with impact. omaroakesmedia@gmail.com