CONTENT. It’s a word that strikes fear and causes paralysis. There is so. much. pressure. Will it be good enough? Deep enough? Clever enough? Funny enough? Enough enough?

There’s a rule of thumb that has helped me get past that content paralysis, and it’s called the 80/20 content rule. What that means is that 80% of the time, you serve your audience, and 20% of the time, you sell to them. And if you use the 80% effectively, the 20% becomes so much easier. 

The 80% may seem daunting, but you have more to share than you think. Use your content to educate, inspire, entertain, or connect with your audience. Share what’s on your heart, special knowledge you have, or encourage deeper thinking.

Here’s some of the things I share in today's episode regarding the 80/20 content rule:

• The 80% does not all have to be original stuff, straight from your brain (ps. It’s this thinking that causes the paralysis). 
• When you are so close to something, as we all are with our own businesses, it’s harder for us to think of things that are worth sharing as it seems like common knowledge to everyone - but it’s not.
• Consider questions you wish your clients would ask you (and then answer that question). 
• If you are growing your business and providing the 80% of service content, the time will come when your audience is ready to pay you so they can get more.
• Your 20% should be about solving the problems of your audience. 

Some highlights from the episode:

[ 9:33] Sometimes content doesn't serve a significant purpose other than making a connection.

[9:54] Just because a post is not educating, doesn't mean it's not providing some sort of value.

[10:16] As uncomfortable as it makes so many people, if you've been doing the 80% the right way, the 20% should be easy.

I think you will find that you can serve your clients really well through the 80/20 content rule when you share things that educate, motivate, inspire, or entertain while remembering to listen to the feedback your content generates. It’s the feedback that leads to the 20% - the opportunities for sales and possibly for services that you hadn’t even considered until you listened to your audience and learned what problems you can solve with your unique expertise.

Some of the best conversations happen after the show in my private Facebook group, Take It Personally Podcast. Click here to join in!

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