Special Announcement: I’m Changing How I Create Content

After much reflection and consideration, I’ve decided it’s time to change how I create content.

THE CHANGE, IN A NUTSHELL:

Starting from next month, I’m going to be exclusively publishing full podcasts.

My written posts and email newsletters will be full transcripts of the podcasts (edited to be readable), so that all formats of my educational publications will be long-form and deep.

No more shorter videos (<20min) or posts. I won’t be cutting podcasts into smaller pieces or creating short summaries anymore. The podcasts will still be published as videos on YouTube, but full length.

In other words, I’m shifting to a quality over quantity model.

WHY THIS IS HAPPENING

I’ve completed a thorough review of my best coaching clients and the other people I’ve observed who have made the biggest improvements with building their confidence, creating amazing social lives, and generally living with integrity.

I found there’s something they all have in common that I didn’t know: They prefer long-form content.

I should have guessed, as it makes complete sense.

When they want to change, they go deep. They’ve listened to many hours of my podcast, or read my books in full, or completed entire courses. They engage actively in my 30 Day Challenges. They show up for the Brotherhood workshops, taking notes and attempting the homework tasks diligently. And I’m not the only person they’re following!

They invest SERIOUS time and effort into their confidence building and self-development education.

I’ve also discretely tracked the other members of my audience, specifically: the ones who “lurk” for a long time, often appearing enthusiastic but not seeming to make significant progress. They have something in common too: they prefer lighter content; medium-length videos, short posts, clips, dabbling briefly in courses, etc.

Obviously there are a few exceptions, but these trends generally hold true.

I’ve had a rude awakening: I’m actually enabling certain people to consume content obsessively without making serious changes!

In my attempt to give people what they’ve asked for, I’ve unwittingly provided too much comfort. This is humbling, because I often find myself trying to help people escape from the information-bingeing trap. Have I been party to setting that trap myself?!

My shorter videos and posts end up giving people a false sense of progress and achievement. I’m somehow enabling them to overlook, tolerate, or ignore the absence of actual behavioural change.

I’ve received feedback that my podcasts and books have a different flavour compared to my shorter pieces. They go deeper into individual topics, challenge people’s beliefs, force people to take responsibility for themselves, and make it clear that action is required.

Frankly, I don’t much enjoy creating the shorter stuff. I’d prefer to go all in, carefully and thoroughly, rather than dabble lightly at the surface.

As hard as it is for me to accept, I need to face the truth: I have been holding people back. I might have to lose some people in order to serve others more powerfully.

What I enjoy creating is also correlated highly with people genuinely improving their lives. Creating the shorter stuff may have been a form of self-sacrificing people-pleasing on my part.

Ouch. I really hate finding out I’ve been a hypocrite!

THE EXPERIMENT

As I’m still not completely certain that all of the above is accurate, I will treat this as an experiment for the next few months. Nothing but podcasts, and we’ll take it from there.

I will use the transcripts from the podcast to create long-form newsletters, so that everyone can choose to either watch, listen or read as they prefer. I won’t be including short summaries. You’ll either read/listen to/watch the whole thing, or you’ll skip it completely.

I’ll also try to make it a habit to respond to requests and questions with links to relevant podcast episodes, or free access to my courses and books. I will discourage people from indulging in comforting quick-fix answers.

However, I won’t be deleting anything I’ve previously created. I have over 1,000 videos on YouTube, and even more articles on my blog.

This change is only about what I’ll be doing moving forward.

I’m open to your feedback on this idea, and any requests you have for content topics. I’d love to know what your favourites are from my previous pieces, especially if there are shorter videos you wish I’d go deeper on.

Thanks for reading and understanding.

I’m here to serve.

Dan

P.S. I will still be creating Shorts (~1min videos) for instagram etc. - these are essentially marketing for the sake of reaching new audiences, whom I will quickly encourage to get into the deeper stuff.

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