G’day … Trevor here …

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

While I write this, I am listening to a Drumming Playlist I curated on Spotify.

The list includes Down, Down by Status Quo - this was the very song I learnt how to play the drums to, way back when I was a 14 year old.

I’d just moved to a little country town called Warracknabeal, population 3000. The drums were a present from my parents to help with the angst of leaving my friends behind for some strange place. Mum knew I wanted a set of drums because I continually tapped on the table at home and the desk at school - I guess the fact my fingers started to swell up was a sign I might be needing to upgrade to drumsticks!

The picture above was from a recent solo drumming session at a rehearsal studio, bought for me as a present by my daughter, Molly. I hadn’t sat behind a drum kit for decades, but I jumped right in and err, didn’t miss a beat. I played pretty much non-stop for nearly three hours. I could hardly move the next day, but boy, was it fun!

Did you play a musical instrument in your younger years but gave it up? Maybe time to dust it off and recapture your youth!

#GentleReminder: The power of being interviewed on other people’s podcasts 🚀

I purchased four books this week after listening to the respective authors being interviewed on other people’s podcasts.

My podcast listening habits are pretty set - my PocketCasts app is loaded with different shows - I have my go-to mainstays, but then I dip in and out of a stack of others, choosing to go into the back catalogue of shows and selecting an episode by topic and/or guest.

Anyway, when I land on an interesting expert guest being interviewed, someone who is relevant to me, who comes across as credible and has a strong point of view and a sense of conviction around their area of expertise, then more often than not I will dig further into their work.

This might be as simple as checking out their website, their blog or social channels.

If I like what I see, I might subscribe to their newsletter (a lot of these experts and thought leaders have newsletters these days - there’s a lesson there!) and/or podcast if they have one. If they’ve got a book, I’ll check that out too and maybe add it to my Amazon ‘wish list’.

Am I the only one who does this? I’d love to think I’m special, but no, I’m not the only person who acts this way 😃

Being interviewed on podcasts is one way to really up the game!

Quite simply, podcast guesting is one of the best earned media strategies available for thought-leading solopreneurs and owners of expertise-based businesses, those wanting to extend the reach of their voice and connect more broadly with a relevant audience.

Obviously, there’s a little thing called ‘doing your homework’ and making sure you pick the right podcasts to pitch, that you have honed your craft (i.e. you know your stuff, you can tell stories and engage with the interviewer) and, most importantly, you have a good idea who the audience is you’re talking to, and that you make it all about them.

P.S. Since writing this, I have just finished listening to this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast - Podcasting: How to Create a Better Show, featuring Tom Webster from Sounds Profitable. It’s a ripper! Tom has a new book on the market called The Audience Is Listening: A Little Guide to Building a Big Podcast - I’ve now added this to my wish list! Who ever thought listening to podcasts could become such an expensive proposition!

Aligning your values with your content: What does this look like, and why does it matter?

When it comes to creating content to grow brand visibility, influence and trust in the marketplace, let’s face it, it’s pretty easy to just churn out a lot of stuff.

So, so … so … easy - especially now with the plethora of AI tools at our fingertips.

But unless that stuff (content) aligns with our purpose and broader goals and aspirations, we could be wasting valuable time and effort.

(And of course, when producing content, we also need to have our audience in mind too, but that’s a given, and a topic for another day).

For today’s article, let’s just stick with the bigger picture.

Firstly, it’s of enormous benefit to understand what it is you stand for, both personally and professionally. What do you want to be known for? What principles do you live by? What are your non-negotiables?

I believe that having this awareness and understanding is foundational to building a personal brand that’s authentic and true to oneself, one that will pay dividends for you over time, both internally (i.e. in terms of planning and decision making) as well as externally (e.g. consistent messaging and communications).

Once you’re clear on who you are and what you’re all about, the challenge then is to ensure anything you do from a content perspective (indeed, your marketing communications generally) is aligned with those values, core beliefs and personal philosophies.

[By way of example, here are my values - I hope I live up to them with my content, I certainly try to ]

What does ‘values-content alignment’ look like?

This aspect of personal branding can sound a little ‘woo-woo’, so let me try and bring it to life by way of some scenarios, or examples, of values-content alignment in action:

• IF building trust and reputation is important for your brand (clearly it is if you’re reading this newsletter!), don’t fall into the trap of writing clickbait article headlines or get sucker-punched into creating a ‘viral video’ that might get stacks of views but do little for your brand.

• IF you value the power of story, commit to telling your story - as well as other people’s - through your content.

• IF you believe in transparency in business, create content that takes people ‘behind the velvet rope’ of your company (or projects, or professional life) - don’t hide in the ‘shadows of the boardroom’: be out, loud and proud as the number one cheer leader for your brand.

• IF reinforcing a thought leadership positioning in the marketplace is paramount for your brand and your business, avoid publishing turgid listicles or creating content that simply ‘pumps your tyres’; instead, become part of a bigger picture – do your research, develop an original point of view, put your ideas and insights out there online, and be ready and willing to join in the debate on social media.

• IF being useful and helpful for people is high on your agenda, then go deeper on relevant topics than anyone else - don’t hold back, share what you know, give back to your industry or profession. Oh, and don’t forget to make sure this ethos carries through everything you do on social media (as well as in person, speaking at events for example).

• IF growing and cultivating an engaged audience is important to you, avoid spamming your subscribers with too many over-the-top sales pitch emails, or worse, conning people into opening your emails by using sneaky subject header tactics.

• IF you value authenticity in business, get your people (staff, partners etc) out from the ‘shadows of the cubicle farm’; use social media and your owned media channels to shine the light on them (particularly if, like you, they’re experts with insights and knowledge that will help your customers with their challenges and needs, relevant to your business and expertise). Let’s see the virtual sparkle in their eyes!

• IF contributing value to the world is something you hold dear, give yourself permission to tell bigger stories, to build deeper connection with those in your ‘digital neighbourhood’, versus always be chasing more clicks and views with your content.

But most of all, don’t let yourself become derailed by the grandstanders, the hucksters and quick-hit merchants.

Understand your purpose, and why are you doing what you’re doing. Have a strategy, a content philosophy that aligns to your brand, and follow your course.

I’ll leave you with this quote from the author, Jodi Picoult:

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