Episode 58
E58: Building Authority by Writing Articles for High-Visibility Publications with Erica Holthausen
In the latest episode of E58, we had the pleasure of having Erica Holthausen as a guest. Erica shared her insights on writing articles for publication, building authority, and becoming a sought-after expert.
Here are 3 key takeaways from this episode:
- Targeted Reach: Writing for association publications might just be the secret to reaching your exact target audience and building relationships. These publications are often overlooked but can be a powerful platform for showcasing your expertise.
- Thought Leadership: Being a true thought leader is about more than just having a large following on social media. It requires deep thinking, thoughtful insights, and challenging the status quo. Prepare for resistance and backlash, but strive to be a thoughtful leader who makes a meaningful impact.
- Reputation Matters: Building a strong reputation starts with knowing what you want to be known for. Every decision, opportunity, and article should enhance and align with that desired reputation. Don't be afraid to turn down misaligned opportunities and recommend them to someone else who is a better fit.
Are you curious to learn more about how writing for publications can boost your authority and visibility? Tune in to the latest episode of E58 and join the conversation! 🎙️📚
More About Our Guest:
Erica Holthausen is the founder of Catchline Communications, a consulting firm that equips experts with the tools they need to develop a robust body of work that bolsters their credibility and earns them a reputation as authoritative experts. Drawing on her experience as a freelance writer and editor, she guides her clients through the process of pitching, writing, and publishing articles in industry trade journals and business magazines. Her clients have secured bylines in high-visibility publications like Harvard Business Review, Inc., and Entrepreneur.
Connect with Erica Holthausen:
Connect with Erin and find the resources mentioned in this episode at hourlytoexit.com/podcast.
Erin's LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinaustin/
Think Beyond IP YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVztXnDYnZ83oIb-EGX9IGA/videos
Music credit: Yes She Can by Tiny Music
A Team Dklutr production
Transcript
Hello ladies.
Speaker:Welcome to this week's
Speaker:Hourly to Exit podcast.
Speaker:I have a wonderful
Speaker:guest for you today, my
Speaker:dear friend Eric Khen.
Speaker:I always get your
Speaker:Gimme your last name,
Speaker:Erica.
Speaker:I always get Khen.
Speaker:You the T and the
Speaker:H and it works.
Speaker:Ah, there you go.
Speaker:All right, now I've
Speaker:got it settled.
Speaker:So welcome.
Speaker:Thank you for being
Speaker:here and sharing your
Speaker:wisdom with the audience.
Speaker:So Erica and I go way back,
Speaker:not with her last name
Speaker:apparently, but we go way
Speaker:back and I am very excited
Speaker:to have her on today.
Speaker:But before we dig into what
Speaker:she does and how she helps,
Speaker:audiences like ours, I'd love
Speaker:Erica for you to introduce
Speaker:yourself to the audience.
Speaker:Yeah, so Erica Holsen.
Speaker:I am the founder of Catchline
Speaker:Communications and.
Speaker:Live in New London,
Speaker:Connecticut, which I
Speaker:am currently obsessed
Speaker:with this little city.
Speaker:and inspired by you, Erin.
Speaker:I have a little urban garden
Speaker:and I had my first tomato and
Speaker:first tomatillo yesterday.
Speaker:Woo.
Speaker:So it was very exciting.
Speaker:Is this the right time of
Speaker:year for tomatoes?
Speaker:I don't,
Speaker:They're just starting.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So like all the
Speaker:rest are green.
Speaker:And then there was one that
Speaker:was like, Actually red,
Speaker:so it didn't last long.
Speaker:I ate it before
Speaker:the critters could.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:when I used to have them,
Speaker:they never got into the house.
Speaker:I don't have any this year.
Speaker:Get them warm off the vine
Speaker:is the only way to eat those
Speaker:things.
Speaker:yes, yes.
Speaker:Well,
Speaker:please more about, what
Speaker:you do and who you help.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I am, effectively, I
Speaker:work with consultants,
Speaker:established consultants
Speaker:and executives who want to.
Speaker:Increase their visibility,
Speaker:build their authority, and
Speaker:learn how to write articles
Speaker:for publications like
Speaker:Harvard Business Review, Inc.
Speaker:Entrepreneur, all of
Speaker:that kind of thing.
Speaker:So, runs the gamut from
Speaker:figuring out which is
Speaker:the right publication,
Speaker:because there are a lot of
Speaker:opportunities out there and
Speaker:some that we don't think
Speaker:about, like association
Speaker:publications, but that.
Speaker:Might be the perfect
Speaker:place for you.
Speaker:So it goes through picking
Speaker:the right publication,
Speaker:figuring out what is your
Speaker:body of work, what are the
Speaker:things that you're actually
Speaker:going to talk about.
Speaker:Then to the pitch, actually
Speaker:writing the thing and what the
Speaker:structure of an article is.
Speaker:And then most importantly
Speaker:and often overlooked is what
Speaker:do you do with that article
Speaker:after it's been published?
Speaker:Because, Just getting an
Speaker:article published in Harvard
Speaker:Business Review is not
Speaker:going to have the hoards
Speaker:of humans knocking down
Speaker:your door, so you have to
Speaker:actually use it as an asset.
Speaker:So how do you do that so
Speaker:that you can accomplish
Speaker:the goals that you set?
Speaker:I mean, you said there are
Speaker:a lot of things there that
Speaker:I want to, circle back on,
Speaker:especially the term high
Speaker:visibility publications.
Speaker:And you mentioned
Speaker:big ones like Inc.
Speaker:And Forbes and Harvard
Speaker:Business Review.
Speaker:but.
Speaker:that may not be the
Speaker:most visibility for
Speaker:you and what you do.
Speaker:So what does that mean,
Speaker:the context of each of our
Speaker:businesses?
Speaker:Yeah, a hundred percent.
Speaker:and I love that question
Speaker:because everybody thinks
Speaker:of, we talk about getting
Speaker:writing articles for
Speaker:publication, the first things
Speaker:that come to mind are the
Speaker:big business magazines.
Speaker:But if your folks aren't
Speaker:there, Even if they are,
Speaker:but they're not as there
Speaker:as they might be someplace
Speaker:else, then it's not
Speaker:high visibility for you.
Speaker:So it's who are you
Speaker:actually trying to reach?
Speaker:What are you actually
Speaker:trying to accomplish?
Speaker:Association publications are
Speaker:often overlooked, but those
Speaker:can be such a powerful place
Speaker:to not only get in touch with
Speaker:your exact audience, but also
Speaker:to build a relationship with
Speaker:the folks at the association.
Speaker:So I've had.
Speaker:Clients who have written for
Speaker:association publications.
Speaker:And then guess what happens?
Speaker:If you're actually providing
Speaker:high quality content for their
Speaker:members month after month
Speaker:after month when they need
Speaker:somebody to do a webinar,
Speaker:to speak at the conference,
Speaker:to do something else like
Speaker:that, you are a natural
Speaker:person for them to turn to.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I mean, I can say personally
Speaker:that me, Forbes is a
Speaker:flip through magazine.
Speaker:Like I just kinda flip
Speaker:through it and see anything,
Speaker:I don't read it, Yeah.
Speaker:Unlike, my association
Speaker:magazines, which I do
Speaker:actually read 'cause that
Speaker:is very applicable to,
Speaker:what I specifically I
Speaker:want to find out about.
Speaker:and one of the other things,
Speaker:I mean, I know I've run into
Speaker:this, when I have looked at
Speaker:the submission guidelines
Speaker:for some of the bigger.
Speaker:publications.
Speaker:I mean, they want you to
Speaker:have published somewhere
Speaker:else first, and so I see
Speaker:sometimes yes, sometimes not
Speaker:as often as you would think if
Speaker:you are coming in as an expert
Speaker:who is publishing that way.
Speaker:They do want to see
Speaker:writing samples, but those
Speaker:writing samples don't
Speaker:necessarily need to be with
Speaker:a third party publication.
Speaker:So they could be on your
Speaker:blog, they could be on
Speaker:on Medium, so it's more.
Speaker:For coming in as an expert
Speaker:where you are not being
Speaker:paid for your writing.
Speaker:That's what separates it
Speaker:from the, freelance writers.
Speaker:you're not being paid for your
Speaker:writing, but you are getting
Speaker:access to their audience.
Speaker:They do wanna see writing
Speaker:samples, but they're less
Speaker:likely to care that much
Speaker:about where else you have
Speaker:been published if you've
Speaker:been published elsewhere.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Some do, but then you kind
Speaker:of ladder up to those.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:and these are all for
Speaker:publicity and not for pay?
Speaker:Is that Yes.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So for pay is a whole
Speaker:different ball of wax.
Speaker:but these are really to
Speaker:get your ideas in front
Speaker:of the right audience.
Speaker:one of the benefits of
Speaker:writing articles for
Speaker:publication is that the
Speaker:publication has vetted you.
Speaker:So, Unlike writing a book,
Speaker:frankly, which anybody can
Speaker:write, and anybody can have
Speaker:self-published on Amazon,
Speaker:which in so many ways is
Speaker:great because we have access
Speaker:to so much more information.
Speaker:But with writing articles
Speaker:for publication, there's
Speaker:an editorial team that has
Speaker:vetted you and has decided,
Speaker:yes, this is a person who
Speaker:is worth listening to.
Speaker:And with that sort of stamp
Speaker:of approval Adds immediately
Speaker:to, the credibility and
Speaker:to building your authority
Speaker:for what it is that you do.
Speaker:Well, that's an
Speaker:interesting way to put it.
Speaker:because there, our access,
Speaker:direct access to our
Speaker:audience is everywhere from
Speaker:podcast to our newsletter
Speaker:to YouTube or, media.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:These publications, I
Speaker:guess are one of the
Speaker:last kind of gatekeepers.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So there's like that little
Speaker:bit of a gatekeeping and
Speaker:gatekeeping add credibility.
Speaker:and part of it
Speaker:is so few people.
Speaker:this is still an area
Speaker:that is expanding.
Speaker:These publications
Speaker:need this content.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And a lot of folks don't
Speaker:do it usually out of like
Speaker:a little bit of fear.
Speaker:And is that stepping onto a
Speaker:platform that's like a little.
Speaker:Like, ah, what happens
Speaker:when I get this out there?
Speaker:but by doing that alone,
Speaker:that's a great differentiator
Speaker:because if I have two
Speaker:different consultants and
Speaker:one has a column on ink And
Speaker:otherwise they are both equal,
Speaker:I'm probably going with the
Speaker:one who has a column on ink.
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:Now, when you mentioned the
Speaker:need for content, ' cause
Speaker:I'm still, I'm a certain
Speaker:age, I was thinking paper,
Speaker:but I imagine like most
Speaker:of their content is online
Speaker:now, so is that correct?
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Alright.
Speaker:Yes, and that's, where
Speaker:the opportunity resides.
Speaker:So the opportunity is not
Speaker:to write for entrepreneur,
Speaker:the magazine that
Speaker:comes in your mailbox.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:It's the opportunity to
Speaker:write for entrepreneur.com
Speaker:and part of that is because
Speaker:publications have always,
Speaker:as long as they've been
Speaker:around, they have required
Speaker:advertising revenue to stay in
Speaker:the black, to be able to make
Speaker:ends meet when advertising
Speaker:revenue moved online.
Speaker:They needed more and
Speaker:more content online.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Online advertising revenue
Speaker:is driven by traffic,
Speaker:which is driven by search
Speaker:engine optimization, which
Speaker:is driven by content.
Speaker:So they need way more
Speaker:content than they could
Speaker:possibly afford to create
Speaker:if they were paying
Speaker:their staff, writers and
Speaker:freelancers to create it all.
Speaker:So that huge need.
Speaker:Offers an opportunity for
Speaker:experts, then want to be
Speaker:able to get in touch with
Speaker:those audiences and they have
Speaker:something valuable to share.
Speaker:So it becomes a win for
Speaker:the publication because
Speaker:they're getting the content.
Speaker:They need a win for the
Speaker:experts because now they're on
Speaker:this vetted platform that has
Speaker:a much larger audience than
Speaker:most of us have on our own.
Speaker:And it's a win for the
Speaker:reader because now I can read
Speaker:articles that come through
Speaker:the lens of a journalist.
Speaker:Which is a little bit
Speaker:different and articles that
Speaker:come from folks who have boots
Speaker:on the ground experience.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Okay, so one of the terms
Speaker:you've been using is expert
Speaker:of course, and I know we've
Speaker:had conversations before
Speaker:about thought leadership
Speaker:versus authoritative expert,
Speaker:and tell me what your
Speaker:thoughts are about that
Speaker:thought leadership term.
Speaker:This is such a difficult
Speaker:question for me because.
Speaker:the term thought leader
Speaker:has been overused to such
Speaker:an extent that it doesn't
Speaker:mean anything anymore.
Speaker:So I have always shied away
Speaker:from that because so many of
Speaker:the folks who are true thought
Speaker:leaders are who were actually
Speaker:either not remembered.
Speaker:Because the thought leader
Speaker:is the person out front.
Speaker:So one person, Edwin
Speaker:Land, a lot of people
Speaker:don't know who he is.
Speaker:He was the founder
Speaker:of Polaroid.
Speaker:Everybody knows Steve Jobs.
Speaker:Steve Jobs was not
Speaker:the thought leader.
Speaker:He learned a whole bunch of
Speaker:stuff from Edwin Land mm-hmm.
Speaker:Who is effectively forgotten
Speaker:except in certain little
Speaker:nerdy circles, who have
Speaker:a, Polaroid obsession.
Speaker:other thought leaders who
Speaker:are true thought leaders,
Speaker:we do not, humans do
Speaker:not do well with change.
Speaker:So a true thought leader
Speaker:is really, Changing the
Speaker:dynamics of things and
Speaker:there's going to be pushback.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So, Dr.
Speaker:Suzanne Ard is another
Speaker:true thought leader.
Speaker:She is.
Speaker:In the nineties, she published
Speaker:a piece in Nature Magazine.
Speaker:was the person who discovered
Speaker:that forests talked to each
Speaker:other through those fungal
Speaker:networks, the Microsol
Speaker:networks, and a lot of
Speaker:acclaim at first, and then
Speaker:the forestry industry.
Speaker:Went bananas and
Speaker:she was blacklisted.
Speaker:she almost, her career was
Speaker:almost destroyed because they
Speaker:didn't want to hear this.
Speaker:They didn't want
Speaker:this to be true.
Speaker:That would require
Speaker:them to the forestry
Speaker:industry to fundamentally
Speaker:change how it operates.
Speaker:And that's scary.
Speaker:It's a lot easier to just
Speaker:blacklist some crazy woman
Speaker:who says that trees talk.
Speaker:true thought
Speaker:leaders are often.
Speaker:It is not a comfortable
Speaker:place to be, and you don't
Speaker:need to be a thought leader
Speaker:to be a thoughtful leader.
Speaker:Ah.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And in fact, either
Speaker:way, thought is at
Speaker:the beginning of it.
Speaker:People are saying, oh, I'm
Speaker:putting out thought leadership
Speaker:on LinkedIn every day.
Speaker:No, you're not.
Speaker:Like you're not.
Speaker:deep thinking is behind
Speaker:thought leadership.
Speaker:So I think for me, the big
Speaker:thing is if you want to
Speaker:be a thought leader, and
Speaker:if you have ideas that are
Speaker:truly going to turn your
Speaker:industry on its head, cool.
Speaker:Go for it.
Speaker:Make sure you have the support
Speaker:of family members of friends
Speaker:because you're going to it
Speaker:because you are going to rock
Speaker:a lot of boats and people
Speaker:are going to get angry and
Speaker:they're going to take it
Speaker:out on you because humans
Speaker:always shoot the messenger.
Speaker:If you want to be a sought
Speaker:after expert, an authoritative
Speaker:expert, somebody who is the
Speaker:go-to that folks know this
Speaker:is somebody who really thinks
Speaker:through things, who has some
Speaker:insights and perspective and
Speaker:wisdom to share, can do that.
Speaker:And you can just be
Speaker:a thoughtful leader.
Speaker:I like
Speaker:that.
Speaker:I like that one.
Speaker:Where do you think the
Speaker:thought, where does
Speaker:the thought leadership.
Speaker:Term come from?
Speaker:Do you
Speaker:recall or?
Speaker:Oh gosh.
Speaker:It was a business magazine.
Speaker:One of the editors at a
Speaker:business magazine that was,
Speaker:I think, affiliated with one
Speaker:of the big consulting groups.
Speaker:I wish I could remember
Speaker:all the details.
Speaker:He coined the term and, well,
Speaker:he didn't coin the term.
Speaker:The term was coined a
Speaker:bajillion years ago when
Speaker:somebody was writing about
Speaker:a dead white guy and.
Speaker:The person was already
Speaker:dead and was considered
Speaker:a thought leader.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:In some of the Connecticut
Speaker:politics, basically, so
Speaker:originally it was basically
Speaker:referred to people who
Speaker:were already dead and gone.
Speaker:It was a legacy thing Was
Speaker:the eighties or the nineties?
Speaker:I'd have to look again,
Speaker:but one of the publications
Speaker:with one of the big
Speaker:consulting firms was
Speaker:profiling what they referred
Speaker:to as thought leaders.
Speaker:So it was people in their
Speaker:industry who were making big
Speaker:shifts and big changes and
Speaker:were doing things differently.
Speaker:So they, then
Speaker:coined that term.
Speaker:And then we mucked it up.
Speaker:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker:I was gonna say
Speaker:it went from people whose,
Speaker:contributions have stood
Speaker:the test of time to those
Speaker:people who are current,
Speaker:mavericks, so to speak, to
Speaker:like everyone with an opinion
Speaker:apparently.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:and it's, take all of this
Speaker:with a bit of a grain of
Speaker:salt because this is my
Speaker:curmudgeonly approach to
Speaker:the term thought leader.
Speaker:If you love the word.
Speaker:I'm not gonna
Speaker:shame you for it.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:But you may not want to
Speaker:actually do that, and that
Speaker:word may not be as important.
Speaker:it is also something
Speaker:that is, granted to you.
Speaker:It is not.
Speaker:I am a thought leader.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Saying I am a thought leader
Speaker:is like saying, I am amazing.
Speaker:It's just, braggardly.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And it is usually something
Speaker:that is bestowed upon you.
Speaker:You have earned that
Speaker:title from somebody else.
Speaker:So when somebody else
Speaker:refers to you as a thought
Speaker:leader, puff up a little.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Take some pride in that
Speaker:because that's cool.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Well, the interesting
Speaker:thing about that is,
Speaker:if you are a consultant
Speaker:with corporate clients,
Speaker:they want some measure
Speaker:of safety and certainty.
Speaker:They don't want someone
Speaker:who's way out of the
Speaker:pack and who knows what.
Speaker:Gonna happen.
Speaker:Like they've kind of know
Speaker:like, okay, these are the
Speaker:results I'm gonna get.
Speaker:I know she gets some
Speaker:time and time again
Speaker:and everyone's happy.
Speaker:Like that's kind of
Speaker:what they're buying.
Speaker:They're not buying.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:They don't, they don't
Speaker:want to be leadership.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:They don't want to be your
Speaker:laboratory like Right.
Speaker:Definitely not.
Speaker:They have a problem.
Speaker:They want a solution and yeah.
Speaker:so that's the other piece
Speaker:is I think that phrase
Speaker:thought leader has taken
Speaker:on such an oversized.
Speaker:Meaning an idea that it's
Speaker:lost its original meaning
Speaker:and it's probably not
Speaker:what your clients want.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:It's
Speaker:more become a sales pitch.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:For people who wanna you.
Speaker:Thought leadership
Speaker:training kind of thing,
Speaker:or, yeah.
Speaker:because now like everybody
Speaker:and their brother is
Speaker:like, you can hire me to
Speaker:do thought leadership.
Speaker:Like, no, no, you can't.
Speaker:Then it's no.
Speaker:That way.
Speaker:Stop it.
Speaker:Now, speaking of
Speaker:working with people to show
Speaker:their expertise, to become
Speaker:the go-to person, like who
Speaker:is the ideal client for you?
Speaker:How do we know we're
Speaker:ready for high visibility
Speaker:publications?
Speaker:Yeah, great question.
Speaker:So, You have to have
Speaker:experience-based expertise.
Speaker:that's the primary key.
Speaker:So I do a lot of work
Speaker:with consultants who
Speaker:are quite established
Speaker:in their businesses.
Speaker:I work with executives and
Speaker:some business coaches.
Speaker:But the key is if you're
Speaker:new to the field and
Speaker:you're still learning,
Speaker:right, please do right.
Speaker:Maybe not for high
Speaker:visibility publications
Speaker:quite yet, because you
Speaker:might be still working
Speaker:out how this all works.
Speaker:And please, for the love
Speaker:of God, do not write a book
Speaker:when you have just started
Speaker:your business because
Speaker:a book is, in terms of,
Speaker:assets and how they become
Speaker:more valuable over time.
Speaker:Writing on your blog is
Speaker:a great place to explore
Speaker:writing on LinkedIn.
Speaker:Great place to explore your
Speaker:ideas, figure out your own
Speaker:perspective, figure out
Speaker:your point of view, figure
Speaker:out your writing style
Speaker:and your voice, your blog.
Speaker:Same thing.
Speaker:Then there's high
Speaker:visibility publications
Speaker:where it's like, okay.
Speaker:I have a very established
Speaker:perspective and I have
Speaker:the receipts to back up my
Speaker:perspective, so I have the
Speaker:experience with clients to
Speaker:back up what I'm saying here.
Speaker:And then I would argue, after
Speaker:you have the articles, that's
Speaker:when you can also do a book.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Because the book is going
Speaker:to be like that thing is
Speaker:gonna stick around for a
Speaker:long time if it is good.
Speaker:If it is relevant, if it is
Speaker:Evergreen articles, if you
Speaker:write an article and a couple
Speaker:years later you're like,
Speaker:yeah, I've really changed how
Speaker:I think about this, nobody's
Speaker:gonna see the damn thing.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Unless you are sharing.
Speaker:But a book is a huge amount
Speaker:of investment of energy,
Speaker:time, effort, money.
Speaker:So really the best folks
Speaker:are folks who have.
Speaker:They've gone through that
Speaker:first exploring phase.
Speaker:They know who it is
Speaker:that they're serving.
Speaker:They have a very strong point
Speaker:of view and perspective.
Speaker:and one of the ways to know
Speaker:if you have a strong point of
Speaker:view or perspective is if you
Speaker:read things in your industry
Speaker:and you're like, but mm-hmm.
Speaker:Or Yes.
Speaker:And because they're missing
Speaker:something or no, because.
Speaker:That means that is indication
Speaker:that you've got a strong
Speaker:perspective When you start
Speaker:disagreeing or wanting to
Speaker:add more context and nuance
Speaker:to what is already out
Speaker:there, that's when you're
Speaker:ready for high visibility
Speaker:publications, because that's
Speaker:when you are adding to
Speaker:the conversation instead
Speaker:of adding to the noise.
Speaker:Hmm.
Speaker:That is great.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:I do have noticed as well on
Speaker:my side of, things that when
Speaker:people are struggling, instead
Speaker:of getting better at whatever,
Speaker:they continue to work on
Speaker:it, that they're looking for
Speaker:other ways to, get exposure.
Speaker:Like in your instance, like,
Speaker:I'm a newbie, so I wanna get
Speaker:my name out there, so I wanna.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:For high publications.
Speaker:On my end, someone will
Speaker:have some sort of product
Speaker:or a framework that
Speaker:they're trying to sell.
Speaker:They're not fully booked,
Speaker:but they think they've got
Speaker:a great framework, and so
Speaker:maybe other consultants would
Speaker:wanna license it too, like,
Speaker:No wait until you, if you're
Speaker:not fully booked yourself
Speaker:and you have, don't have
Speaker:proof of concept, then you're
Speaker:too early and you need some
Speaker:more work there to develop
Speaker:a little bit more before
Speaker:you're ready for the next
Speaker:stage.
Speaker:So, yeah.
Speaker:Yeah, I love that parallel
Speaker:because it's true.
Speaker:You need to have proof of
Speaker:concept and otherwise you're
Speaker:going to waste your own
Speaker:time, money, and effort,
Speaker:and you don't ever wanna put
Speaker:something out that is, That
Speaker:permanent and that big a
Speaker:deal that five years down the
Speaker:line you're going, oh God,
Speaker:can we just make it go away?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Don't that way back machine
Speaker:to say what I was saying.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Like some of that is natural.
Speaker:Like I look at stuff
Speaker:that I wrote a while ago
Speaker:and I'm like, Ooh girl.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:but like if it's on my
Speaker:own blog, it means I
Speaker:can just refresh it.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:But other things like,
Speaker:there's such a, push for
Speaker:doing everything faster
Speaker:and bigger and blah,
Speaker:blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker:And you can write
Speaker:a book in 30 days.
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:You can.
Speaker:It's gonna be trash.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:But you can, There's so much
Speaker:pressure to do things quickly.
Speaker:You cannot think deeply if
Speaker:you are trying to do things
Speaker:quickly, and if you do things
Speaker:quickly, They are not going
Speaker:to be appreciating assets.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:They're going to be
Speaker:depreciating assets.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:If you're going to write for
Speaker:a high visibility publication
Speaker:or put together a book, make
Speaker:it an appreciating asset
Speaker:that you can use over and
Speaker:over and over and over again.
Speaker:Great advice.
Speaker:Now, back to the body of
Speaker:work that, I know you like to
Speaker:use the tree analogy and the
Speaker:forest analogy, but, as people
Speaker:are developing that body of
Speaker:work, how should they think
Speaker:about what to write about?
Speaker:How do they make sure it's
Speaker:kind of unified and it
Speaker:all kind of talks to each
Speaker:other?
Speaker:Yeah, so the biggest
Speaker:unifying force is knowing
Speaker:what is the reputation
Speaker:you are trying to build?
Speaker:What do you want
Speaker:to be known for?
Speaker:Every single thing we
Speaker:do, every opportunity we
Speaker:accept, every article we
Speaker:write either enhances or
Speaker:diminishes that opportunity.
Speaker:or that reputation.
Speaker:Use the reputation you
Speaker:are trying to build.
Speaker:I want to be known for X.
Speaker:Use that as the filter.
Speaker:Because we will
Speaker:all be approached.
Speaker:It happens all the time where
Speaker:we get approached by somebody.
Speaker:It's like, Ooh, that's
Speaker:such a great opportunity.
Speaker:it's fun, it's sexy.
Speaker:I get in front of all
Speaker:of these folks, but
Speaker:it's not quite aligned.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:When we say yes to something
Speaker:that's not quite aligned,
Speaker:it muddies the waters.
Speaker:It makes it not a
Speaker:hundred percent clear.
Speaker:it is that we do and
Speaker:who it is that we serve.
Speaker:So instead of saying yes to
Speaker:those, I always recommend
Speaker:take that and you probably
Speaker:know someone for whom
Speaker:it is perfectly aligned.
Speaker:So turn that, miss
Speaker:opportunity, that's a
Speaker:miss into a gift and
Speaker:give it to somebody else.
Speaker:But in terms of writing and
Speaker:creating your body of work,
Speaker:Knowing the reputation that
Speaker:you are trying to build, that
Speaker:is the most critical piece.
Speaker:And then, okay, this
Speaker:is the reputation I
Speaker:am trying to build.
Speaker:Collecting questions from your
Speaker:client's, problems that you've
Speaker:solved, all of that can help.
Speaker:And you evaluate each
Speaker:one against, will this
Speaker:enhance or this reputation?
Speaker:If it enhances,
Speaker:great, go for it.
Speaker:Keep writing about
Speaker:that kind of stuff.
Speaker:Figure out where the
Speaker:gaps are in your own
Speaker:work, but also figure out
Speaker:where the gaps are in the
Speaker:conversation that others
Speaker:in your world are having.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So if you're doing your
Speaker:professional development
Speaker:and you're reading things
Speaker:in your industry and you're
Speaker:seeing where people are either
Speaker:oversimplifying something,
Speaker:Or overcomplicating it.
Speaker:That is a great gap for
Speaker:you to fill to be able to
Speaker:say like, let's actually
Speaker:look at the nuance.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Here's why this is over
Speaker:complicated and here's
Speaker:what you can do and why
Speaker:this actually works.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Or here's why this
Speaker:is oversimplified
Speaker:and what you can do.
Speaker:And why it works.
Speaker:that is great advice.
Speaker:I'll say like, part of this
Speaker:podcast is just for me to get
Speaker:free advice from consultant.
Speaker:I admire.
Speaker:Granted, you're very generous
Speaker:with your, information anyway,
Speaker:but, I have and continue to
Speaker:work with, what should be the
Speaker:content of my body of work
Speaker:because I can kind of go in
Speaker:a lot of different places and
Speaker:like, Kind of do sometimes.
Speaker:And so, within the IP bucket,
Speaker:like there's a lot of Yeah.
Speaker:Little buckets in there.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And I do find myself
Speaker:constantly pulled into
Speaker:that general like, well,
Speaker:what about trademarks
Speaker:and what about patents?
Speaker:I'm like, I don't know
Speaker:what, I don't care.
Speaker:Like that's, It's
Speaker:not, copyright,
Speaker:copyright, copyright.
Speaker:And so it's been a
Speaker:real struggle for me
Speaker:to stay in my lane.
Speaker:'cause it's really,
Speaker:'cause people immediately
Speaker:wanna kind of pull you
Speaker:away.
Speaker:And it's hard because
Speaker:people pull you, but also
Speaker:you want to be helpful.
Speaker:Yes, And I know more
Speaker:than you do about a thing,
Speaker:even if it's not my right.
Speaker:I want to be helpful.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:But as soon as we do
Speaker:that, Then, it's sort
Speaker:of that like, be careful
Speaker:what you're good at.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Because suddenly you'll end
Speaker:up doing all of that thing
Speaker:just because you're good at it
Speaker:and you're like, I hate this.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Thanks.
Speaker:I'm good at it.
Speaker:I hate doing it.
Speaker:and then you get more
Speaker:of those requests.
Speaker:So yes.
Speaker:Yeah, it's not easy
Speaker:to stay in your lane,
Speaker:but the more you can.
Speaker:Have a filter.
Speaker:And I think sometimes this
Speaker:is also where that deep
Speaker:and deep work comes in.
Speaker:Sometimes you have
Speaker:to take a break.
Speaker:we swim in this Kool-Aid
Speaker:that has so many opinions
Speaker:about what we should do,
Speaker:how we should do it, who
Speaker:we are, who we should be,
Speaker:like, all of those things.
Speaker:Sometimes I think just
Speaker:silencing all of that noise
Speaker:so that you can connect
Speaker:With your own self, with
Speaker:your inner wisdom and see,
Speaker:okay, yes, I can do this.
Speaker:Is it, is this the
Speaker:direction that I want to go?
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Or is this the thing
Speaker:that I really want to do?
Speaker:And the stronger that filter
Speaker:can be, the easier it is to
Speaker:push off some other folks,
Speaker:because there will always be
Speaker:some folks that you're like,
Speaker:but I really wanna do this.
Speaker:And yeah.
Speaker:so you'll misstep every
Speaker:once in a while, but
Speaker:it makes it easier.
Speaker:How do you find time
Speaker:for deep thinking?
Speaker:I have trouble
Speaker:with that one too.
Speaker:I'm very reactive to my
Speaker:inbox, put it that way.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I am being good, which
Speaker:is not always, I don't open
Speaker:email or LinkedIn until
Speaker:10 o'clock in the morning.
Speaker:I'm an early bird, so I
Speaker:am, that is when my, brain
Speaker:works best the later in
Speaker:the day, the dumber I am.
Speaker:so like 6:00 AM is
Speaker:when I'm like, yes.
Speaker:so oftentimes, I have had
Speaker:a, free writing practice
Speaker:for over 10 years now.
Speaker:Every morning I take
Speaker:10 minutes and I do a
Speaker:free write, and it's
Speaker:the way I start my day.
Speaker:I try not to turn on
Speaker:email or LinkedIn until
Speaker:at least 10 o'clock, so I
Speaker:try to carve out an hour
Speaker:and a half for writing,
Speaker:deep thinking work time.
Speaker:This sometimes works and
Speaker:sometimes doesn't because
Speaker:the pull of the computer
Speaker:and the pull of all these,
Speaker:no, like I also turned off
Speaker:all notifications and my
Speaker:smartphone is the dumbest
Speaker:smartphone you will ever meet.
Speaker:It has no apps.
Speaker:because I Sounds perfect,
Speaker:had to do that for me.
Speaker:Otherwise I'm like,
Speaker:Ooh, squirrel new thing.
Speaker:Ooh, ooh, ooh.
Speaker:some of it Just that.
Speaker:And then I recently
Speaker:started carving out, I
Speaker:take a week long mini
Speaker:sabbatical every quarter.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:And that doesn't mean I'm
Speaker:not working, but it means
Speaker:I don't have any meetings.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And it's a combination
Speaker:of, work and not work.
Speaker:I don't read any
Speaker:business stuff.
Speaker:Sometimes we, just
Speaker:get too inundated.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:I read essays and fiction
Speaker:and things that just
Speaker:delight me, and I played
Speaker:a little bit in my garden.
Speaker:I wrote some copy for my
Speaker:website because that's being
Speaker:redone so that of the mind.
Speaker:Helped tremendously when I
Speaker:came back because I felt more
Speaker:focused, more energized, more
Speaker:clear about what it is that
Speaker:I am trying to accomplish
Speaker:and what my goals are.
Speaker:similarly to that, I list,
Speaker:I have right here actually.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:I have three priorities for a
Speaker:quarter, no more than three.
Speaker:Mm, mm-hmm.
Speaker:Any more than three,
Speaker:and like, I'm sunk.
Speaker:I,
Speaker:I'm afraid I'm not
Speaker:gonna show you.
Speaker:I've got, I'm gonna show
Speaker:you what mine are, right?
Speaker:This is a
Speaker:lie.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:Like, then there's my to-do
Speaker:list, and that's a whole
Speaker:different, like ball of crazy.
Speaker:But, but I try to kind of
Speaker:condense that down because
Speaker:it's like, okay, if you're
Speaker:pulled in too many different
Speaker:directions, we've all
Speaker:had that experience where
Speaker:it's like, oh my God, I,
Speaker:worked so hard today and
Speaker:what did I accomplish?
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:I have no idea.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I have never done, I mean, At
Speaker:some point in my career, I'll
Speaker:figure this out of how to like
Speaker:really make dedicated time.
Speaker:Like your, when we go on
Speaker:sabbatical per quarter,
Speaker:that really does help
Speaker:you just come back fresh.
Speaker:'cause I don't know how to
Speaker:get out of the thick of it.
Speaker:That's something I need
Speaker:to, I definitely need work
Speaker:on.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:it's hard and it took a long
Speaker:time of hearing from a mutual
Speaker:friend of ours, Chloe Ngu.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:saying that she takes many
Speaker:sabbaticals for me to be
Speaker:like, I'm gonna do that.
Speaker:Like I'm gonna try that and
Speaker:then I actually set it up
Speaker:for this, the rest of this
Speaker:year and all of next year.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So it's already carved
Speaker:out in my calendar.
Speaker:'cause if it's, not
Speaker:on my calendar, then
Speaker:I'm definitely sunk.
Speaker:that is so good.
Speaker:' cause no one can
Speaker:put meeting there.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:That's, a little bit brave
Speaker:though, don't you think?
Speaker:did it scare you to do
Speaker:that?
Speaker:It did, it absolutely
Speaker:terrified me to do it.
Speaker:'cause it's that's a big deal.
Speaker:It is a big deal.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And I will say that I
Speaker:chose things like my first
Speaker:sabbatical was over July 4th.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So, That's a lower
Speaker:key time anyway.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:The next one is
Speaker:over Thanksgiving.
Speaker:Again, it tends to be a
Speaker:bit of a lower key time.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:so I did kind of.
Speaker:Choose dates that felt
Speaker:like, okay, I could
Speaker:get away with this.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:which is a terrible way to,
Speaker:think about it because it's
Speaker:also these mini sabbaticals
Speaker:are, this is not vacation.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:So that's the other sort
Speaker:of reminder to myself,
Speaker:because I'm terrible at
Speaker:actually taking time off
Speaker:to actually go on vacation.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:but it's a great reminder
Speaker:to myself that it's like,
Speaker:yeah, when I do this, the
Speaker:dividends are so, Huge.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And I feel clearer and
Speaker:it's so much easier to
Speaker:filter out the stuff that
Speaker:we are bombarded with that
Speaker:just isn't for me because.
Speaker:There's always more than
Speaker:one way to do a thing.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Well that is fantastic advice,
Speaker:and speaking of, feeling like
Speaker:some guilt or being brave
Speaker:in order to take time for
Speaker:ourselves and do some deep
Speaker:thinking, as founders of
Speaker:our own businesses, I mean,
Speaker:the whole reason we're doing
Speaker:this is so that we can have
Speaker:greater impact and bring our
Speaker:own genius to, the world.
Speaker:And so we really do need
Speaker:to make time for those
Speaker:things to make sure
Speaker:that we are at our best.
Speaker:So, this is a very
Speaker:meta podcast and
Speaker:it's hourly to exit.
Speaker:'cause I have to talk
Speaker:about, growing our expertise
Speaker:based businesses from that
Speaker:unsustainable, hourly type
Speaker:of work to one that maybe we
Speaker:could possibly sell someday.
Speaker:So I have to ask you,
Speaker:have you thought about
Speaker:growing your business
Speaker:to sell it sometime in
Speaker:the future?
Speaker:Because of you, I have, and
Speaker:I've gone back and forth on
Speaker:whether that is my desire.
Speaker:Or not exactly what that, and
Speaker:exactly what that looks like
Speaker:and what are the different
Speaker:ways that could show up.
Speaker:one of the things that I
Speaker:did just a couple of years
Speaker:ago is I started small
Speaker:group cohort program.
Speaker:So I have a lot of.
Speaker:Frameworks, like I have IP
Speaker:asset sort of inventory thing.
Speaker:Like I have a lot of things
Speaker:and I'm like, this is cool.
Speaker:I have a lot of things here.
Speaker:So I think it would be
Speaker:possible, which is something
Speaker:that's a huge change for me.
Speaker:'cause when I started it
Speaker:was like, well that wouldn't
Speaker:possibly be possible.
Speaker:And now I'm like, actually
Speaker:might be able to license
Speaker:some of this stuff, right?
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So it's now at least has
Speaker:a home in my head and.
Speaker:We'll see, it's something
Speaker:that is, I am surprised to
Speaker:say it is something that I
Speaker:am, is under consideration.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:It's not my current
Speaker:goal and I, don't think
Speaker:I am ready for it.
Speaker:As you were talking
Speaker:earlier with like, you
Speaker:really have to have like
Speaker:the proof in the pudding.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:The proof is not
Speaker:in the pudding yet.
Speaker:It's still, new enough
Speaker:that I'm, developing
Speaker:that out, but, It's now
Speaker:something that's like, oh,
Speaker:this might be the thing.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Well, I mean, of course
Speaker:the things that help you
Speaker:scale and bring leverage to
Speaker:your business today are the
Speaker:things that possibly could
Speaker:become saleable tomorrow.
Speaker:So it's not about five years
Speaker:from now or 10 years from now.
Speaker:It's about tomorrow really.
Speaker:And having a.
Speaker:Better, business that,
Speaker:helps you decouple your
Speaker:income from your time,
Speaker:which, I love to talk about.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So as we wrap up, we have a
Speaker:couple of final questions.
Speaker:One is, as you know, we
Speaker:believe in creating an economy
Speaker:that works for everyone,
Speaker:and so I'm wondering if
Speaker:there is an organization
Speaker:that you'd like to share
Speaker:that is helping create more
Speaker:opportunities for people.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:this is such a hard
Speaker:question because there
Speaker:are so many organizations
Speaker:locally where I am that I
Speaker:absolutely love, but I'm
Speaker:going to choose Start Fresh.
Speaker:Start Fresh.
Speaker:Connecticut is an organization
Speaker:in New London, Connecticut.
Speaker:It helps resettle refugees.
Speaker:So, I think it was not
Speaker:even a year ago, several
Speaker:refugees from Afghanistan
Speaker:were brought to Connecticut.
Speaker:This organization helped
Speaker:settle that family and
Speaker:they help get the kiddos
Speaker:into school, get workforce
Speaker:training for mom and dad,
Speaker:get English language skills
Speaker:training for anybody who
Speaker:needs that they find housing.
Speaker:So it's just, it's this
Speaker:wonderful organization that.
Speaker:Looks at the family
Speaker:holistically.
Speaker:It's not just like,
Speaker:Hey, you're here.
Speaker:Cool, and like dump and run.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:it's an investment of, at
Speaker:least a year, but often
Speaker:longer than that to help the
Speaker:family really get settled
Speaker:and get what they need.
Speaker:I.
Speaker:Wonderful.
Speaker:We will have links
Speaker:to their organization
Speaker:in the show notes.
Speaker:And so now I, know
Speaker:there's something exciting
Speaker:happening in your business.
Speaker:Is there something that you
Speaker:can share with our audience?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:one of the things that I
Speaker:have done, it started as
Speaker:an experiment a couple
Speaker:of years ago, and.
Speaker:I decided I would do
Speaker:it as long as I found
Speaker:it fun and other people
Speaker:found it valuable.
Speaker:And it's a monthly mini
Speaker:training and q and a that
Speaker:I call pitch to published.
Speaker:So every month I have
Speaker:a different, theme.
Speaker:So we'll talk about
Speaker:headlines one month or how
Speaker:to structure an article or.
Speaker:How do you write a pitch?
Speaker:all of those different things.
Speaker:So there's a theme for the
Speaker:mini training, and then I
Speaker:just open the floor for folks
Speaker:to ask whatever questions
Speaker:they have, and I do my
Speaker:level best to answer them.
Speaker:So it's a great
Speaker:place for folks who.
Speaker:Are curious about might
Speaker:be curious about me.
Speaker:I'm a strong cup
Speaker:of tea and I'm not
Speaker:everybody's cup of tea.
Speaker:So it lets them know
Speaker:like, awesome, yes,
Speaker:you're my person, or
Speaker:No, you make me bananas.
Speaker:so yeah, that's,
Speaker:probably the thing.
Speaker:I've now been doing it
Speaker:for almost three years.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And I just, every month I
Speaker:am surprised and delighted
Speaker:that people show up and, We
Speaker:have a great conversation.
Speaker:we do, we do.
Speaker:I've been to few and they
Speaker:are fantastic and Erica is a
Speaker:great leader of trainings and
Speaker:masterminds and things like
Speaker:that, so it is a lot of fun.
Speaker:So we'll also have links
Speaker:to that in the show notes.
Speaker:Now, speaking of you're
Speaker:current, where you are
Speaker:currently talking about
Speaker:as we record this, as the
Speaker:headlines, and so of course
Speaker:now you're in my head when
Speaker:I'm creating headlines.
Speaker:So, my newsletter tomorrow
Speaker:will have headline.
Speaker:IP in Haiku.
Speaker:And so I think the
Speaker:headline has to have a
Speaker:promise and I need to,
Speaker:satisfy like the promise
Speaker:of the headline, right?
Speaker:And so, I do have
Speaker:a haiku about IP
Speaker:in my newsletter.
Speaker:Excellent.
Speaker:Aaron Austin, making IP fun.
Speaker:all right, so finally,
Speaker:where can people
Speaker:find you?
Speaker:so my website is catchline
Speaker:communications.com and
Speaker:I am on delighted to say
Speaker:I am on one and only one
Speaker:social media platform.
Speaker:So you can also find
Speaker:me on LinkedIn I'm very
Speaker:active there, so if you
Speaker:do hop by, like say hello.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You and me both
Speaker:on that LinkedIn,
Speaker:there's that, you know?
Speaker:it.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah, It allows me to
Speaker:maintain my sanity by just
Speaker:being on that one platform.
Speaker:Well,
Speaker:this has been so much fun.
Speaker:Thank you again for
Speaker:coming on, hanging out and
Speaker:sharing your wisdom with
Speaker:me and with the audience.
Speaker:Oh,
Speaker:such a pleasure.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:We
Speaker:will talk again soon.
