G’day … Trevor here …

Welcome to Reputation OnRamp - thanks for being a valued subscriber!

As I write this, I am listening to Daniel Pemberton’s hauntingly beautiful soundtrack to the National Geographic film, Endurance.

I love Pemberton’s soundtracks. He’s got quite a dramatic signature sound, as evidenced on the 2017 score of King Arthur and, more lately, the Apple TV series, Slow Horses. But , takes him in another, more atmospheric, direction.

Music recommendations from readers of this newsletter have dropped off in recent weeks. Go on, don’t be shy - hit REPLY and let me know what you’ve been listening to this week! 🎧

Changing direction with the content you produce: Some things to think about (and a ‘real-time’ example)

If you’ve created content for any length of time, there’s every chance you have - or will at some point - evolve, or even pivot, in terms of the topics and issues you cover.

This evolution/pivoting may even include the types of channels used.

You might stop producing something altogether (i.e. a podcast or online magazine) and launch another content project.

Or you might rebrand an existing content property (see my example below).

And you know what? That’s quite okay!

Now, please bear in mind, I’m not talking about bouncing all over the place on a regular basis because you’re easily bored, as that will only confuse people and make it very difficult to build an audience for your work (a hard enough task as it is).

Nor am I suggesting you simply give up shortly after starting a content project because you ran out of time or ideas (or both). We all know that publishing interesting and relevant content that attracts an audience and builds your authority requires ongoing dedication and commitment.

Yes, it can become a grind, but the people who succeed with their content efforts are in it for the long haul and show up regularly for their audience.

That said, there will be times when change is in order.

Let’s bring this to life - here are some examples of what I’m talking about:

• Maybe your YouTube channel has had a strong focus on a particular topic or theme, and you decide to move on from it.

• Maybe you have an established podcast but want to incorporate different themed episodes every now and then [Tara McMullin is brilliant at doing this].

• Maybe your Reels on Instagram have the same look and feel about them, but you decide to mix things up.

• Maybe you’ve been sending out an email newsletter for years under the same banner, and decide to rename it and “give it a fresh coat of virtual paint”.

• Maybe you’ve focused your LinkedIn posts along a particular subject matter line and it’s working - you’re becoming known for a specific ‘thing’; however, you’re concerned you are starting to become hemmed in and so you introduce a couple of different topics and themes into the mix.

• Maybe you produce a podcast or video live-stream on a weekly basis, but you reduce that to a fortnightly rhythm in order to free up some time and brain space.

Sometimes we change what we’re doing content-wise for strategic reasons: the topic you cover might not be as relevant any more, or there is a different theme that better suits your needs from a business standpoint. Remember, your content efforts should support your business aspirations, so alignment between the two is critical!

Maybe you’re evolving as a thought leader and keen to explore different intellectual territories.

Maybe you’ve been doing the same thing for a long time and you’re simply sick of it and want to mix things up. That’s cool, we’re human, it happens … if we don’t love what we do from a content creation perspective, it will show in what we produce. Give yourself permission to change!

From the trenches …

The reason I’ve been thinking about this topic is because I’ve just rebranded and relaunched my long-running podcast, REPUTATION REVOLUTION. I produced over 280 episodes of the show before ‘pulling the pin’ at the start of this year.

I left it up though - podcasts are a mighty content asset that continue to attract an audience, even if you’re not updating it regularly.

People were still downloading episodes in the low thousands per month, which is pretty cool. According to Listen Notes, the show currently has a ‘Top 5%’ global ranking (nice to be able to say that, but I don’t think it’s necessarily accurate by any stretch!).

So if the podcast is working, why am I changing things? A friend asked me that the other day.

I’ve alluded to various reasons above why one would do this.

In my case, I’m still all in on professional personal branding (which was the editorial focus of Reputation Revolution, albeit I had edged it more towards personal brand monetisation in the last season).

But I wanted to push myself a bit more and extend the subject matter I was covering, while at the same time sharpen up my target audience focus.

To be honest, part of stopping the podcast at the start of the year was boredom with the parameters of the existing topic format, but also because I had this new concept in mind that I kept coming back to, and this excited me.

So I went back at the drawing board, planning as if I was to launch a completely new show from scratch: (a) working out exactly who the new show would be for, (b) ascertaining what I wanted the audience to get out of it, and (c) developing the content themes that would determine the types of guests I invited on to the show.

And so, Crank the 3rd was born, and instead of just focusing on professional personal branding, I’ve extended the content parameters to something a lot broader - “exploring the entrepreneurial and creative side of life post 50”.

I didn’t launch Crank the 3rd from scratch, but rather, simply rebadged Reputation Revolution, so I retained my audience (for how long, who knows, but I do know a good chunk of my listeners will be interested in the new topics, so it’s a good start).

Another reason for rebadging (versus starting completely afresh) was the credibility I had built up over a good period of time; this is important for attracting new guests to the show.

Oh, and I’m not exactly a trailblazer in this regard. I’ve seen a number of other well-established podcasters who, over the years, have relaunched their shows under a new name and with a different editorial direction. Did they get a drop-off in listeners? Probably. But they also started with a large audience already built in.

Will it work? Not sure, but I’ll have fun giving it a crack!

If you’re interested in checking out Crank the 3rd, you can do so (and subscribe) here. Thanks!

How to stand out in a crowded field by creating your own lexicon!

Back in 2006, the online performance artist, Ze Frank, described ‘brand’ as the “emotional aftertaste” conjured up by a set of experiences.

I’ve always loved this definition - it sure beats how academics define brand!

Eighteen years later and lo-and-behold, last week I heard Ze Frank’s brand definition referenced twice.

Coincidence, undoubtedly. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this descriptor has endured for coming up to two decades!

SO HERE’S THE BIG IDEA: Start creating/sharing/promoting your own lexicon.

Become known for a powerful phrase, or descriptor. It’s more than a quote - more often than not it’s conceptual, an idea reduced to short-hand, and encapsulated in 2-3 words.

A perfect recent example of creating your own lexicon is Amanda Natividad’s “zero-click content” - it’s a term that has really caught on, so much so that other people are now writing about the concept, and using it in presentations etc.

Other high-profile examples include:

• “Content shock” - Mark Schaefer

• “Brand you” - Tom Peters

• "Growth hacking" - Sean Ellis

• “Slow media” - Jennifer Rauch

Sometimes, the idea/concept (and accompanying phrase, or term) is so powerful that it becomes a keynote presentation; if you’re lucky and the idea is expansive enough, it might morph into a book (that’s when you’re really hitting the high lexicon notes!) - for example, Seth Godin (“Purple Cow” and “Permission Marketing”), and “Inbound Marketing” by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, founders of HubSpot.

Sometimes, making up a new word and giving it meaning works just as well, as Jay Baer did with “Youtility”.

Granted, the above are ‘big ticket’ lexicon examples pioneered by established thought leaders with built-in audiences.

But don’t let that stop you from putting some think-time into creating your own lexicon to be used in social media, blog posts, podcast interviews, speaking gigs (HINT: If you feature the term on a slide in a speaking presentation, don’t be surprised if people in the audience pull out their phones and take photo of it to share it with others).

Maybe you already have a term or descriptor that’s uniquely yours - a digestible concept that is gathering dusk in a notepad somewhere: Dig it out, ‘dust’ it off, build upon it, and share it around!

Please note - I’m not talking about coming up with a pithy quote (as powerful as they can be), or a marketing tagline for your business (although maybe your term could become that if it catches fire), but more so a concept or idea that’s uniquely yours, that you describe in an interesting way. Again, I think ‘zero-click content’ stands out as a perfect example of this.

By way of illustrating this lexicon idea further, here are a handful of descriptors of mine I’ve used over a period of time:

• “Credibility before conversion” (#CredibilityBeforeConversion - thinking in hashtags is a great place to start!)

• “Content marketing for PR” (this started as an idea I used on social media, which over time became the became the basis for a book)

• “Spheres of conversation” (this started as an idea I shared in boardroom presentations; it resonated with people so much that over time I developed it as part of a planning framework I used in strategy workshops).

• “Respectful reminders” (basis for blog articles and social media posts)

• “Vanguard content” (this is a newie, about to be properly launched into the world!)

Thinking more broadly, it could even be a question anchored in an idea.

For example, my concept of “What’s your BBC?” is something that others have gravitated to, and shared with their audience (evolved from articles like this).

So, my message is this: It’s not about hitting it out of the park with a concept so unique and creative it becomes a best-selling book (although that would be very cool!), but rather, it’s a strategy of evolving your message and standing out by cutting through the noise with clear and interesting concepts and ideas.

Then, over time and with repetition, your concepts/unique terms might take on a life of their own and you, as the originator, will get the credit (make sure you create a lot of content around the term so it makes it easy for people to find the original source and/or associate you with it).

What do you think of the idea of creating your own lexicon? 📩 Hit ‘REPLY’ ands let me know what you think! (a) Have you developed a unique term that you frequently refer to in your content, or (b) have you got any examples that other people use that are top of mind?

I’d love to hear from you :)

I’ll leave you with this quote from American author and record producer, Rick Rubin …

In case we haven’t met yet …

Hi, I’m Trevor. I help purpose-led business owners become clear and confident in how they leverage PR, content and digital communications for profit, impact and legacy.

Let’s connect on LinkedIn!

Discover more at trevor.world