Everyone wants to be seen as the leader, expert, and All-Knowing One in their industry.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who want to be a “thought leader” or best-selling author in today’s digital, gamified world don’t have any leading thoughts. More importantly, they want “the audience” without having to take the time to think deeply about who they are creating for and why.
In order to be a “thought leader,” you must be willing to LEAD WITH YOUR THOUGHTS.
Anyone can say, “The key to creating content that resonates is to be authentic.” The problem is, do you know what that means? How do we measure authenticity? What action steps can you take after hearing that advice? (Most people come up empty-handed.)
So, I want to put a compass in your hands.
There are 5 levels to becoming a legendary writer, creator, or “thought leader” in your field.
Each level is outlined in detail in the mini-book The Content Pyramid: The 5 Levels Of Becoming A Legendary Writer, Creator, and Thought Leader.
- Level 1: Consumption
- Level 2: Curation
- Level 3: Obvious Connection
- Level 4: Non-Obvious Connection
- Level 5: Category Creation
Unfortunately, most people struggle to make it past Levels 2 or 3 on The Content Pyramid.
So, here’s a quick explanation to help you learn the basics and level up.
Level 1: Consumption
Most people spend their entire lives being content consumers — not content creators.
On any given social media platform or website where users can participate, 1% of the users create the content, 9% of the users curate, organize, and update the content, and 90% of users consume the content.
Being a consumer is not “playing the game” — it’s sitting on the sidelines.
Level 2: Curation
Most people do not start by creating original content.
Instead, they curate thoughts and ideas from people they admire. Eventually, they forge a path of their own. Picasso studying Van Gogh’s Impressionism and then a decade later creating Cubism is a perfect example.
All of that said, curation is very easy to do but very difficult to master.
- The lowest form of curation is sharing
- Next is curation with opinion
- Above that is curation with insight
This is how you start to move up The Content Pyramid.
Level 3: Obvious Connection
When people move from Curator to Creator, they typically begin with Obvious Connections.
- “Want to run Facebook ads? I’m going to teach you how.”
- “Want to write a book? I’m going to show you how.”
- “Want to get promoted? I’m going to give you a 3-step process.”
To be clear: there is nothing wrong with this.
But without intentional category design and Languaging, you’ll like be just a slightly better version of the person (or company) that came before you.
Level 4: Non-Obvious Connection
Non-Obvious Connectors are writers, creators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who change the world with their thinking.
Examples of Non-Obvious Connectors:
- Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of Black Swan
- Cal Newport, author of Digital Minimalism
- Susan Cain, author of Quiet
These authors write books every few years. When they finally hit publish, they reveal a new, Non-Obvious Connection to readers. Most people claim they want to do the same.
But they really want dinner party approval and instant gratification.
Level 5: Category Creation
The top of The Content Pyramid is Category Creation.
Both Obvious Connectors and Non-Obvious Connectors can achieve the top of the pyramid, even curators (like Ryan Holiday). And that’s because the highest level of creation is category creation — becoming known for a niche you own.
The benefit of creating your own category, and becoming known for a niche you own, isn’t just radical differentiation.
You also unlock new business models for yourself.
Making money as a writer, creator, entrepreneur, or “thought leader” is easy when you know exactly who you’re creating for (and who you’re not for).
When you create a new and different category, you’re just in the business of giving people more of what they want and need.
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This is one of the weekly Category Design Tips we share at Category Pirates. To discover more, hop aboard and become a Category Designer yourself!
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