RR#105 - Dear Ray… Why Is My Content Failing?

Dear Agony Ray,

I’m a product manager, and I’ve got serious experience at some really well known companies.

I’m trying to turn my knowledge into a service I can sell online and have been posting online for months. But it's just not landing. 

Maybe people don't think product management is that exciting. Or maybe the content I'm posting educating people on what product management is just doesn't have an audience.

But without more engagement, getting organic leads is going to be a real issue.

What do you recommend?

Cheers!

Mr-2-likes-1-comment

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Dear Mr-2-likes-1-comment,

Kudos for putting yourself out there and creating content. It’s not always easy to start, but you’ve started.

And while it’s frustrating to put in the work and not see results, it’s incredibly common.

Here’s the reality: we’re selfish creatures by nature. Most of us just really think about WIIFM (What’s In It For Me).

So the content you publish needs to focus on exactly that: providing the reader with something that they care about, specifically as it relates to their problems and pains.

That’s why I recommend creating content with the following framework:

Problems

Problems are the facts. They're the who / what / when / where / why of the situation your ideal client finds themselves in.

What are the problems your ideal client is experiencing around product management?

When you start talking about the problems they experience related to product management (or lack of it?), they’ll start to pay attention.

Pains

Pains are the feelings. They're the emotional impact of the problem. The frustration. The anxiety. The sense of being stuck.

In other words, ‘pains’ are the reason that problems are in fact, well, problems.

Ask: what are the frustrations and feelings your ideal client feels as a result of the problems you listed above?
 

Mistakes

Mistakes are the mistakes they’re making trying to solve this on their own, without your help or expertise. 

Here’s the good news: chances are, you know the most common mistakes businesses are making around product management.

Call them out. Talk about them. And show your reader a better way to move forwards.

It’s an incredibly effective way to demonstrate authority and to build good-will.

Promised Land

The promised land is the future state they're aspiring to experience. And the place you’ll help them reach if they hire you.

It’s crucial to understand your reader’s ideal transformation: what dream outcome do they want from project management

Another way of asking this: if they had a magic wand, and could wish for any transformation delivered by project management, what would that be?

Once you’ve got it, talk about it. Where have you created that outcome for other businesses?

When you create content that engages with your audiences problems, pains, mistakes, and promised land as they see them, you’ll get more engagement.

My advice?

Keep going, and lean on the framework as much as you can.

I recently answered half a dozen questions on content creation and personal branding in a YouTube video

Watch it here