Last week, Vox published an article by internet culture reporter Rebecca Jennings about how everybody needs to be a self-promoter now—and we all hate it. Then, I read a response by writer and book coach Leigh Stein, who was quoted in the Vox piece, in which she admitted to actually enjoying creating her social media content. Stein said that she was considerably more optimistic about the state of things than Jennings article was.
I found the exchange fascinating. I find it hard to disagree with either of their perspectives! And Stein wasn't really disagreeing with Jennings either—which left me with one thought: I don't think we're talking about the same things here.
So I resurrected an old piece from July 2021 that made the case I wanted to make—that self-promotion sucks and is contentless, but that self-promotion is not the only mode for creating content that gets the job done on social media—and updated it for today's social media moment. This episode has my response to both Jennings's and Stein's articles, as well as a description of how enshittification doesn't only apply to platforms but to creators, too. And then, I share the 3 Rs of Digital Content.
Footnotes:
All new episodes are available in written essay form at whatworks.fyi
***
If you’re questioning your relationship to work but finding it difficult to make lasting changes, I’d love to help.
I’m committed to helping you confront and deconstruct big assumptions that compete with your good intentions. And that’s exactly what we’re doing in my new 8-week cohort-based course, Rethink Work.
We’ll examine the beliefs, stories, and systems that keep us hustling—even when it hurts—so you can make changes that last and create a more sustainable approach to work.
★ Support this podcast ★EP 198: Finding A New Opportunity To Serve With Abundance Practice Building Founder Allison Puryear
EP 197: Growing A Sold-Out Program From The Seed Of An Idea With Fix My Churn Founder Val Geisler
EP 196: Building An Empire One Piece of Content At A Time With Bonnie Gillespie
EP 195: How Small Ideas Lead To Big Success With Tara McMullin
EP 194: Finding A Niche In A Crowded Market With Photographer Janeris Marte
EP 193: Doing More With Less: How Small Business Owners Take A Minimalist Approach
EP 192: Creating What You Love Using Patreon With Real Talk Radio Host Nicole Antoinette
EP 191: Your Business Is A Mess–And That’s Okay With Tara McMullin
EP 190: Getting It Done In Just 3 Days Per Week With Oasis Center For Craniosacral Therapy Founder Mindy Totten
EP 189: What’s Working In Community Building With Mighty Networks’ Senior Community Strategist Audra Lindsey
EP 188: Streamlining Your Business Model To Just One Offer With Services That Sell Creator Jereshia Hawk
EP 187: Spring Cleaning Your Small Business
EP 186: Finding Clients On LinkedIn With Career Stories Founder Kerri Twigg
EP 185: Finding Your Personal Networking Style
EP 184: Taking Your Small Business Seriously With Lauren Caselli Events Founder Lauren Caselli
EP 183: What’s Working In Professional Networking With Rebelle Con Founder Shannon Siriano Greenwood
EP 182: Launching A Brand On A Mission With Fear Her Fight Athletics Founder Maria Rodriguez
EP 181: How Tara McMullin’s Brand Has Evolved Over The Last 10 Years
EP 180: Selling & Hosting Retreats With Writer Jennifer Louden
EP 179: Reimagining The Coaching Business Model With Business Strategist Kyla Roma
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Organic Marketing Simplified: Effective podcasting strategy for growth and monetization
THE GO BIZ GUY
The Sigma Femme Podcast
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
Habits and Hustle