When Specific Doesn’t Work, Go General

Everyone in marketing and entrepreneurship says to go niche. Drill down until you can drill no more. Let me offer a bit of a different perspective. Towards the end of 2020, I started broadening my audience. Instead of creating content and products exclusively for musicians, I began extending my reach into the much broader, more competitive, and now trendy world of creatives and creators. People have always told me that my books and products could be just as applicable to freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other creatives as they are to musicians. So, however illogical in the minds of the so-called “experts,” it made sense to me to pivot and try something new. What would be the harm? I was feeling stuck doing what I was doing. Again, this isn’t supposed to work. You aren’t supposed to go general or broad. But I did. And I was surprised by the results. My Twitter engagement started going through the roof, I’ve been added to numerous Medium publications, and my content is now being syndicated more widely. People have expressed gratitude for my emails and newsletters as well. I would not say that I’ve arrived, and I haven’t found the exact breakthrough I’ve been seeking. I have big goals and expectations for myself. That said, this stands as a small victory. An experiment worth the trouble. So, what about you? Are you feeling stuck? Is it time for you to pivot or reconsider your direction? Is it possible you’ve been holding yourself back from becoming a thought leader, building a personal brand, or getting in to a “competitive niche” simply because someone told you not to go in that direction? Everyone’s path is going to be a little different, so even the gurus can’t necessarily tell you which way to go. Chances are, you will get to where you want to go faster, or learn the lessons you need to learn on the way to getting to where you want to go, if you stop doubting yourself and start following your intuition more. Try following your instincts, even if it’s just for 100 days. Think of it like an experiment and see where it takes you. The results might just surprise you. For more inspiration, be sure to sign up for my email list.