The Content Map: How To Never Run Out Of Authentic Ideas
a better way to "niche down"
This post builds on top of How To Build A World (The 2 Hour Content Ecosystem 2.0) which shows you how to use the topics and ideas you write about, which we will learn about now.
One of the primary reasons creators quit after two weeks is that they lack clarity.
They lack a clear vision for how their brand will look in 2-5 years.
They choose random ideas to talk about, hoping that one of them takes off.
Here's the critical mindset shift:
Stop thinking about your posts as throwing darts trying to hit a bullseye.
Start thinking about your posts as adding pieces to a big puzzle that creates the image of a map.
That's what a good brand is.
People see you as a map to something they want in life, and your content is what helps them navigate certain areas on the map.
So, it doesn't matter if your darts miss the bullseye every time.
What matters is that you slowly add pieces to the map. When a road (how to advice), obstacles (traps to avoid), attraction (fundamental teaching), legend (skills to learn), or landscape (mindset) come together, that's where real value is created.
That's what we need to do.
We need to outline the map that you will slowly create over time.
I would highly encourage you to follow every step until the end, because it might just blow you away (even if it seems boring in the middle).
Mission
There are 3 reasons people follow you (for the sake of a value-first personal brand):
Your post entertained, educated, or inspired them
You talk about things that they are interested in
They believe you can help them change their life
The first 2 are a natural byproduct of consistency and writing quality content.
But the third is the most impactful.
If we take the map analogy from before, the north star of that map is your mission.
It's the desired destination you are helping your audience reach. It's the interesting story you are guiding them through. It's the solution to the current life they don't want to live.
Now, I want you to take out 2 pieces of paper.
The first will be to ideate what your mission is, the second will be to draw out your content map. I wouldn't recommend doing this in a digital software. Pen and paper works best for this.
Start by drawing a line down the center of the page.