SFR 275: What Content Goes Where

You can publish the exact same content on multiple platforms and get completely different reactions from your audience. Why?!

 

I really don't read that many books!

 

I have a different method of learning  - that’s kinda controversial… and a few people have gotten a little fussy with me about it.

 

Here’s what went down... (and it’s kinda funny!)

 

A little while ago, I was talking about a book that I had consumed.

 

I was like, "Hey, I read this book."

 

What I meant was that I’d listened to the book.

 

Then someone reached out and said, "Stephen, did you actually read the book or did you just listen to it?"

  

I was like, "Who the freak cares?"

 

So I wanted to address that question... because it raises a few interesting points that can seem, at first glance, kinda opposing … 😉

 

I want to let you know...

 

The REASON I consume books the way I do.

 

WHY it matters WHERE you share your content

 

The ‘A -Word’ I HATE…

 

WHAT matters MORE than WHERE you get your content from

 

But first, let’s start with WHY I don’t read that much...

 

HUNTING ANSWERS

 

I'm NOT a slow reader, but it's NOT abnormal for me to spend two to three months reading a book.

  

...and maybe you're like me, but I'll read a paragraph and often, I’ll get distracted by thoughts...

 

I'll sit back and ask:

 

 "How does this plug into my framework? Does it fit here or there?"

 

The question I'm asking is:

 

 “Is this TRUTH?”

  

… just because it's in a book doesn't mean that it's true, right?

 

I’ll go off on these mental tangents… and that can take A LONG TIME...

  

...so because of that, sometimes, I just want to absorb the main ideas from a book and so I’ll just go with the audio version.

 

Back in the day, when I first started this game, I read more books cover to cover, but now that I've read enough of them, I focus more on…

 

Executing

 

My specific questions

 

... and that's what guides my education.

 

I'm more hunting answers rather than trying to consume and master all the content.

 

I want the information faster and I wanna know the key points quicker.

 

I can listen to books at 2 x - 3x speed, and be like:

 

 "Oh my gosh, key point. How does it relate to the framework I know causes success? BAM.

 

You know what? I thought that was a cool idea, but I actually don't think it works. It's an attractive idea, but that doesn't mean it's right.’

 

Okay, let's NOT insert that idea into the framework…”

 

I think A LOT of people, feel weird about the fact that they're listening to a book, instead of reading it.

 

I've heard many people apologize by saying, "Well, I didn't read the book, I just listened to it."

 

*THAT’S STUPID*

 

...seriously, who cares?

 

 It doesn't matter! I consumed the book, (let's call it that).

 

STOP GETTING HUNG UP!

 

 

If you're like me, and you like listening to books, stop apologizing for that.

 

It doesn't matter! Who cares, okay?

 

Yes, I listen to books. I listen to books far more than I read them.

 

I know some people will be like, "Well, you have to read the book to take in the information! "

 

But that’s NOT TRUE

 

In my head, it’s like the movie Beautiful Mind...

 

I can close my eyes and see my framework and where it plugs into all the frameworks of my favorite funnels.

 

I can see all the follow-up sequences and all the promo sequences.

 

 It's drawn out in my mind.

 

One of the reasons I use my whiteboard like crazy is 'cause drawing is how I learn.

 

Now, let's get historical here…

 

CONTENT MARKETING BC

Back 2000 years ago, a lot of the time, Dads were big storytellers, and people would listen to their grandparents and their fathers.

 

Q: And how was information passed?

 

A: By speech.

 

I can guarantee that  none of the kids were sitting around going, "Dad did you read that in a book ...or did you just hear that from grandpa?"

  

… you know what I mean?

 

Just because the method of passing on knowledge has changed doesn't mean that the knowledge is bad.

 

Thousands of years ago, orators, (people who got up and spoke) were the teachers...

 

There weren't many books.

 

It's NOT like they were over at the printing press - they were handwriting that stuff, man.

 

No one was sitting around saying, "I'm sorry, I don’t believe you unless it’s handwritten with a quill on a scroll!”

  

Too many times we get caught up on the whole method of information delivery.

 

Don't apologize for the medium that you learn from the best.

 

HOW I LEARN…

 

I listen to audio...

 

I’d rather download a program and listen to it while I'm going about my day than sit down.

 

Sometimes, I need to pace around.

 

However, just to get contradictory here, there is a subconscious power of a platform that you can utilize to boost *COUGH* your ‘authority’...

 

 And that is the second point I wanted to make in this episode.

 

 

BOOSTING YOUR ‘A- WORD’ WITH CONTENT MARKETING

 

One of the biggest questions I get asked is, "Stephen, how do you become an authority?"

 

I'm like, "Man, I don't freaking know?"

 

 In fact, I was talking to Stacey Martino, an amazing relationship expert, at the Unlock the Secrets Event.

 

I was like, “... sometimes I don't know whether to burn my skeletons in the closet 'cause I hate 'em or hug 'em because of what they’ve made me?”

 

 I'm NOT talking about secrets and stuff,  it’s just the past and some level of crazy experiences that we go through the further we get…

 

… and not just the entrepreneur path.

 

Any path will require you to kinda purge yourself and keep getting better.

 

I was telling Stacey...

 

 I never tried to be an authority.

 

 I just did what Russell said, (which was to start publishing), and I accidentally got in a little bit of limelight.

 

 … but *that's the lesson*

 

I could just talk to someone on a street corner and they might be, “Yeah, that’s interesting, and who are you???…”

 

BUT...

 

A podcast has waaay MORE authority with the same freaking info.

 

Think about it!

 

Being seen on certain platforms generally increases your status...

 

 People are like:

 

"Wow! You’ve been on a radio show!"

 

"Wow! You've been on TV!"

 

The medium that you consume information from vastly affects how the audience perceives the information. The medium is a pre-frame for the information.

 

If I'm gonna go scroll through Instagram, I treat that information differently.

 

Every platform has a different context:

 

Speaking

 

Reading a book versus listening to it

 

There's a context behind each platform!

 

UNLOCK YOUR CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY

 

I started thinking about this subject during the Unlock The Secrets event.

  

(A brilliant event by the way)

 

It was 3 days, literally, deep-diving into Russell's 3 books and teaching (in more depth), how to do what was in the book.

 

In fact, a lot of times, when I first started attending Russell's Inner Circle meetings, (not as a member… this was years ago, when I just was sitting on the side, just kind of listening and observing)...

 

I was shocked to find out a significant percentage of the room had NEVER read Russell's books, but we're in, (at that time) his $25,000 Mastermind, (which went to $50,000).

 

 

I've told that to people in the past, and they were like, "What? That’s psychos, that’s crazy!"

  

But ask yourself this... “Is it REALLY crazy?”

 

Obviously, you get waaay more from a mastermind than the book itself...

 

However, a lot of times, Russell would be teaching some of the very concepts and principles from the book to his Mastermind.

 

It doesn't matter if people:

 

Read

 

Listen

 

Learn from a Mastermind, (which comes with far more obviously than the book, obviously)

 

The BIG lessons are:

 

#1: Who freaking cares if you've been reading or listening to books.

 

 #2: Understand the other side of that coin, and know like, "Oh my gosh, the mediums that I choose to publish on are actually affecting my audience.” #STATUS

 

It's funny because people ask, "Stephen, you haven't written your book yet?"

 

It’s funny, ‘cause I'm saying the same things that are gonna be in my book in my podcast…

 

There’ll be more detail, clarity and refinement… but basically, it’ll be the same stuff!

 

WHERE YOU DELIVER MATTERS

 

What's interesting is when you're chatting with somebody and they share something they’ve learned, and you're like, “Really?”

 

And they're like, "Yeah, yeah, I read it in this interesting book."

 

Q: What do usually happens?

 

 A: It satiates the question.

 

You think, "Oh, they've read it in a book, therefore it's probably good. Therefore, it's likely to be true.”

 

There's a HUGE lesson, right there…

 

 

The method of content delivery does carry authority.

 

For example:

 

I could give the exact same speech face to face to someone on the street that I gave at Funnel Hacking Live

 

...and they'd be like, "Oh that's really interesting."

 

But for some reason, put me on a stage with the exact same speech…

 

 

… and there's MORE Authority.

 

People will trust what I say far more quickly

 

There's an increased speed of trust and affinity just from just being on a stage.

 

If I take that same speech and put in a book, “Whoa!”

 

For some reason, our brains look at content delivered in a book and go, "Oh my gosh, look at that, this person is an expert... "

 

So, I’ll say it again…

 

The method of the information delivery matters.

 

YOUR CONTENT MARKETING PLAN

 

Maybe you consume my content on…

 

YouTube

 

iTunes

 

The Blog

 

 ...or wherever, (we put it all over the place).

 

However,  if you watch me, I know that MORE authority comes across in a video than if you’re listening to me on the podcast.

 

... and that's okay, we all consume differently.

 

But I know that’s the case… and that's fascinating!

 

It's the reason why when you say, “I listened to a book,” instead of, “I read a book,” people will try to discredit the fact that you read the book.

 

“Well, you didn't actually read the book…!!!”

 

 What they're really saying is, “I heard it from a higher authority!”

  

...even though it's the same freaking information.

 

It’s so funny!

 

 ... whether you're B2B or B2C; it doesn't matter...

 

The medium you choose is a pre-frame for how you’re perceived.

 

I know people who are like, "I'm NOT gonna go on that platform because the context of that platform would not do well for the information I'm giving!"

 

I get it.

 

… which is why there's A LOT that I can't or will not share on a podcast.

 

People reach out and say, "Stephen you give so much stuff on your podcast. What else can possibly be in your courses?"

 

#TonsMore.

 

There's A LOT more helpful stuff in my courses ...because the context of the platform allows me to do more.

 

For example:

 

The context of OfferMind allows me to change…

 

the environment

 

the setting

 

the state of the brain faster.

 

Information is just information, but the way you choose to develop your content with the platform you put it on vastly affects how people are gonna perceive and consume it.

 

WHAT MATTERS MORE THAN WHERE YOU GET YOUR CONTENT?

… dropping gold nuggets here  🔥

 

Can you imagine if you treated every one of my podcast episodes like you were sitting in an audience watching me speak?

 

You would treat the episode with far more affinity and far more, (I hate using the word), *authority*...

 

 At Unlock The Secrets, I was sitting dead center in very front row, and someone said:

 

 "You're taking notes, Stephen?"

 

I was like, "Yeah, duh... Russell Brunson's speaking!"

 

"But you sat next to him..."

  

"That doesn't mean that I’ve' stopped learning from him."

 

There's a reason why Russell continues to cite Brandon and Kaelin Poulin, Alex Hormozi, and myself as success stories, I try to be his best student, which means…

 

I treat Russell's podcast like he’s speaking on stage every single time.

 

I treat his podcast like he’s turning around and requiring me to re-teach it to somebody as soon as he’s done talking #LearnForTwo.

 

One of my tricks is learning for two.

 

Learning for two was a theme of this show probably 200 episodes ago.

 

HOW NOT WHERE…

 

It's the way I treat the things that I learn that’s sooo powerful...

 

Just because I'm learning from someone face-to-face versus on a stage does NOT mean I should treat it differently!

 

… but people have a tendency to do justthat.

 

*DON’T*

 

YOUR MISSION

 

Go find the one, the two, the three people that you wanna keep following who will teach you a skill set that you know you need, (not things you're getting distracted with)…

 

 And anytime time you’re listening to them speak, act like they're on a stage.

 

Anytime they speak, act like you paid $100,000 for a one-day consultation.

 

I used to charge 35 grand for a day's consultation and the waiting list was more than I actually just had time to do, so I don't do it anymore.

 

It was funny how differently someone treated the exact same information because of the context.

 

Let me give you an example:

 

When I left ClickFunnels and I wanted to join the Inner Circle, I was like, "Dude, Russell, let me pay full price."

 

He was like, "Oh, man you don't have to... "

 

I said, "No, no, no, no. It's because I need to treat the information like I paid money to be in it."

 

I also got charged an extra five grand this last year to be in the 2 Comma Club X program on top of my normal Inner Circle fee, which was funny because I'm one of the coaches.

  

I was like, "Ah, dude, you're paying your fee.”

 

 If I don't feel a personal investment, if I don't allow myself somehow to change state with it, I will NOT treat that information how I need to treat it.

 

DO WHAT WORKS

  

Don't apologize for the medium that teaches you the best.

 

Understand how the medium you choose does influence those that are starting to follow you or who consume content from your business.

 

The delivery of the information doesn’t matter, as much as the value you place on it.

 

It doesn’t matter if you read the book or listen to the audio…

 

Who the freak cares????

 

What matters is how I treat the information.

 

When I listen to books…

 

I pause them a lot.

 

I take notes on my text messenger

 

Screenshot it

 

Write it down later

 

...I have tons of text message screenshots 😂

 

 The last book I actually physically read was (I think) David Goggin's book, 'Can't Hurt Me,' which is so good.

 

(Don't listen to it if words offend you 😉)

 

When people are like. "Well, Stephen I'm not publishing yet," I get it.

 

 I didn't want to either.

 

But one of the reasons why it's so powerful to publish is because…

 

 People will treat the exact same message differently just by you changing the medium that you deliver the message on.

… that’s why we pump out so much content.

 

One of  the BIGGEST reasons is... ( and I hate saying it) *AUTHORITY*

 

The medium you choose is a pre-frame for how you’re perceived.

 

… you can shout your message on a street corner, and the chances are that people will think you’re CRAZY, but increase the staus of WHERE you place your content…

 

...and you also increase the status of your message!

 

COMING FULL CIRCLE

Finally, *Some Exciting News*…

  

 A few days ago, I told Russell:

 

"Dude, good news, man. For 2020, we have the very room that the 2026 Funnel Hacking Live was in”

 

Funnel Hacking Live 2016 was my very first Funnel Hacking Live.

 

 It's the one where:

 

I hid a bicycle in a bush

 

I Bootstrapped my way there

 

I stayed up all night in a hotel lobby

 

I traded funnels for tickets, hotel nights and plane tickets

 

I was like, "Let's go full circle."

 

It'll be September 2020, I don't like giant events cause I tend to learn a little bit less and the speakers can't go as deep…

 

 So it will probably be a 1000-person event.

  

 If you didn't get a chance to come this last year, we'd love to have you next year.

  

Go to offermind.com,  we're making it so that you can grab tickets year-round - so you can plan and stuff like that.

 

AH, YEAH!

 

 Hey, wish you could geek out with other Real Funnel Builders and even ask questions while I build Funnels Live?

 

Ah-oh…

 

*Wish Granted*

 

Watch and learn funnel building as I document my process in my funnel strategy group.

 

 It's FREE!

 

 Just go to the scienceofselling.online and join NOW.