A Change I’m Making in My Content - Voice Notes

Hello my friend, welcome to the very first episode of what I am currently calling voice notes. So this is something I am changing up on the podcast and it is going to be just me sharing some thoughts when I am working on going through things I am evaluating. I really wanted to bring this to you to perhaps just give you further insights into processes that I am considering and looking at from a business perspective, sometimes from a personal perspective as well, but this is the first episode of voice notes. And so I am going to be incorporating these on an ongoing basis, adding these to the regular schedule of interviews that you are used to. And the reason why I am leading with this very first voice note episode is because here is what I have been thinking about. I have been thinking about content creation, I have been thinking about my content strategy and balancing authenticity with strategy and I know authenticity is a bit of an overused word, but I have been thinking about my content as we head into 2025 and the importance of the craft. So I have been doing the podcast now for over 8 years, I have got over 350 episodes, most of those are interview format. And if you see the video content that I put out or have been putting out, most of it is the talking head video clips, short clips, talking head, right, and that has been the primary bulk of my content for quite a long time. And to be honest with you, I am a little tired of the format, perhaps some of my audiences as well. And it is very one dimensional and I am not sure it allows the audience, you, the listener, to go to that next level and have that true connection, one to one, right, you to me, which is what I am trying to accomplish right now. So these voice notes are just me on the apple of iPhone voice memo, recording it, uploading it and sharing it with you. And with content, I have been spending a lot of time evaluating different platforms, right, outside of just the podcast. LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and really trying to get clear on who it is that am I trying to reach and what am I trying to accomplish. And of course, I am always following, right, other thought leaders and learning from them, reading books and listening to podcasts, as a matter of fact, I just spent 10 hours over two days, driving back and forth from Arizona and use that time to really go deep on content, content strategy, which is partly why this is a comedy like this in this voice format. So for me, my focus is on what I, what I think I've missed with content, I think I've missed the importance of pre-production. Meaning it's become relatively easy, if you will, not requiring much thought or attention to editing the talking head clips from the podcast. So my process for that is I record a podcast, right, video podcasts using Riverside, and then we usually, for the most part, use something like Riverside itself or Opus Clips, right, Opus Pro, which will use as AI to automatically create short clips of the video talking head content. That can be good for speed and efficiency and getting things out. There still is, in most cases, a pretty decent amount of post-production editing that's still required, even though those AI tools, right, will find these clips and whatnot. For me, usually it's not really the right clip that I want to post and share. So it's still requiring this post-production process, which of course is time, money, and slows everything down. More importantly, though, is getting back to what I'll call one-dimensional content. What I've realized is that my content has been fairly one-dimensional, right, the talking head video. What I've come to this realization is that that that's not good enough anymore. It's been done, it's been played out, and it's not really driving the growth, I think, that I'm seeking moving forward for me in my content strategy. And spending a lot of time evaluating YouTube and how important pre-production is there, how important across all platforms, title, thumbnail, or image, the creative, the copy. Once again, using the words of the craft and air quotes, the craft becoming good at the craft, the craft of posting to social media in a way that's going to grab that attention, drive engagement, and reach more people, because is it that the purpose, really, is we're looking to reach more people to create engagement and conversations. And so I've just come to this realization how important that pre-production is, starting with the idea. Like, what is the idea for the post? What is the intention? What is the goal? And I, I don't know if you can relate to this, but more often than not, I feel I'm in this mode of just post, just get it done, get it out, don't overthink the production, the idea, the actual clip, the talking head clip, right? The segment, the copy that goes with it. And while that can be useful in the beginning, right? When you're looking to scale and just get your reps down and get some momentum going, right? And that's all great, but at some point, it's the content that matters. And of the learning that I've done recently in terms of how frequently should you post and everybody's got their ideal metrics of posting X amount of times for a week or all that fun stuff, consistency definitely does matter. But here's what matters more. I think at some point, we get to this point where quality becomes more important impact. The consistency, depending on where you're at with this, right, consistency, you definitely want to build consistency like that plane, right, who's getting ready to launch off the runway, you've got to have that consistent forward motion to become airborne. But at some point, right, you've got to, you've got to launch. And that can just be head down, get it done, get stuff out, you're going to learn along the way. So not sure we are on your journey when it comes to content creation, but for me personally, I'm at this place where it needs to be more about quality production. And that, you know, I already told you what that means, things like thoughtfulness and being intentional around production. And so if you're unsure what I mean by production, that includes things like the caption, that includes the title, that includes like you taking time to write engaging copy. And so AI can help in some degree with you crafting copy. I definitely am using AI, by the way. Jet GPD and other tools to help me craft, right, content. But it definitely isn't cut and paste. But it can definitely be a great starter and AI will continue to get better at more tells you over time. And it is helping me to how shall I say formulate ideas and organize them as a launching pad. But don't make this mistake of like, you know, just cut and paste AI produce this post one and done, because it becomes really obvious and looks like everybody else's AI posted content and be, you know, Mrs. the human element, right. The real connection and the real what you're really trying to convey to the viewer, the reader, which is why the talking head video content that, you know, I've been producing for so long with the podcast isn't enough. It's one dimensional. And so this here today is an example of another dimension, these voice notes. What are you going to be getting from these voice notes, personal challenges, wins, right. Questions from you guys. And by the way, for listening right now, you want to ask me a question. Hey, you can head over to Instagram and just DM me, which question is. I'd love to know what type of content resonates with you the most. Is it video? Is it written? And what are some of the things you're working on when it comes to your content strategy leveling up for the new year? So that's just a quick voice note. Just wanted to share that with you. I hope you like this. If you do like the voice note, by the way, feel free to let me know as well. Instagram is probably the simplest to DM me or LinkedIn. And if you like the podcast, as always feel free to leave us a review because that helps us reach more people. But I'll look forward to chatting with you on the next voice note. And until then, hey, let's connect on social. That's it for today's episode. Before we wrap up, I just wanted to remind you about my agent classes, your proven system to double your agent referrals in just 90 days. Imagine never having to call call again, instead building real lasting relationships with top producing agents who want to send you business with done for your presentations, marketing automation, weekly coaching. All designed to make growing your business easier and fun. So if you're ready to take control of your agent referrals and grow your income, visit mortgage marketing.pro or check the link in the show notes and why you're there. Don't forget to check out the success stories from other mortgage pros who've already seen incredible results. Thanks for listening and I'll see you on the next episode. You