Hey friend!

There's a common theme I see in a lot of companies right now:

When in doubt, write a blog.

This makes blogging the one-size-fits-all solution for:

• building brand awareness
• driving traffic
• generating leads

And doing 99% of the heavy lifting.

But the truth is, we're living in a social-first world.

We can validate ideas, test new concepts, and try new formats without spending insane amounts of time and resources on creating new content. 

If you spend 4 weeks working on a blog that flops, that's a massive waste of time, money, and effort. 

But if you spend 1 hour on a social post that doesn't perform well, you have a much faster time-to-learning ratio.

And this is true of other types of content too. 

If you're creating a webinar, a video, or a podcast you can take the core concepts and ideas and start seeding them out in the public. 

LinkedIn, Twitter, and even YouTube let you test the waters, to see what resonates before sinking significant resources into content development.

Here's how I would start validating ideas on social media before spending tons of time and effort on new content:

1. Build a Rough Outline

Don't dive straight into writing.

Instead, start with a rough outline of your idea.

This doesn't have to be complex. Simply jot down the key points you want to cover.

If you're planning a webinar, what are the main points? What's the purpose? Why would the audience be interested in that topic?

This step makes sure your content has a clear direction and purpose. 

If the topic doesn't sound interesting in a few bullets, it won't get any better when it's in a longer format. 

2. Craft a Compelling Hook

The hook is what grabs your audience's attention.

When users are mindlessly scrolling, your hook needs to stand out. It should address a pain point, ask a thought-provoking question, or offer some level of intrigue.

Your hook gets someone to stop and read the next line.

3. Post it

Once you have your rough outline and a compelling hook, it's time to post.

By starting the conversation on social, you're putting your ideas directly in front of your target audience and getting immediate feedback on what resonates with them.

This validation can save you from spending weeks on content that nobody sees or cares about.

If you're used to writing a blog for everything, a social-first content strategy will feel counterintuitive. 

But when you open a dialogue with your audience, you make your content more dynamic, responsive, and ultimately, more successful.

How it works in action

Here is an example of a LinkedIn post I turned into an email newsletter:

The post had over 100 engagements and over 9000 impressions.

And after seeing what questions were being asked in the comments it was clear that this is a topic I could go further on.

From there, I turned it into a full email newsletter.

I had the basic premise down, I only needed to fill in the blanks.

And when I sent that newsletter it had over a 65% open rate.

Not too bad at all.

Membership update!

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Have a great week! 👊

Justin

Here are 3 ways I can help you...

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