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The Weekly Wrap: Are You the Most Interesting Voice in the Room?

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And that’s a wrap of the week ending Oct. 11, 2019

This week I’m thinking about finding the heart of thought leadership. I offer my take on an article suggesting publishers’ hearts don’t seem to be in the subscriber game – and why they (and content marketers) need to try harder. I interview Duct Tape Marketing’s John Jantsch about his new book – and what we can learn from American transcendentalists. And I point you to an article that will help give your content heart and soul.

Listen to the Weekly Wrap

My theme this week: If the mind creates ideas to believe in, the heart creates the belief in the ideas. Let’s wrap it up.

  • One deep thought (2:00): What do the words “thought leader” mean in a world where almost any question is instantly answerable with one click? Your company won’t have access to better quality information than your competitor. Promoting your thoughts well simply elevates yours to the loudest voice in popular opinion. That doesn’t mean you’re leading thought. You’re simply making common thoughts easier to find. I explore what it takes to, instead, be the most interesting voice in the room. Here’s a hint, courtesy of Jerry Maguire:

Are you the loudest voice in popular opinion? Or are you genuinely leading thought? @Robert_Rose #WeeklyWrap Click To Tweet
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Don’t Forget the Leadership in Thought Leadership
  • A fresh take on the news (8:32): With ad revenue drying up, subscription models should be a key priority for publishers. But new research argues many aren’t trying hard enough to make that model succeed. I offer my take on the problem (one that content marketers share) of converting visitors to subscribers. One place to look for answers is the concept of a subscriber itself. Are they prospects? Sales leads? Shouldn’t we think of them as customers of our ideas?
With ad revenue drying up, subscription models should be a key priority for publishers. @Robert_Rose #WeeklyWrap Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

  • This week’s person making a difference in content (13:42): This week’s guest wrote one of my favorite business books of the last five years, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur: 366 Daily Meditations to Feed Your Soul and Grow Your Business, by John Jantsch. It offers much more than an inspirational quote. It delivers value on each day, with musings, explorations, and thought-provoking questions for those of us making our way through a business career. John is a marketing consultant; speaker; author of several other books, including Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine; and a true thought leader in marketing. We talk about everything from the relevance of American transcendentalism to digital culture, his ideas on self-reliance, trust, empathy, and the riskiest thing people can do with their lives. Listen to his fascinating ideas, then get to know John better by:
  • Picking up a copy of The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur at a local bookstore, as he recommends, or any online bookseller.
  • Joining the Daily Self-Reliance Community (sign-up at bottom of page).

  • One content marketing idea you can use (33:20): I’d love for you to take a look at a post on the CMI blog that’s in line with this week’s theme: 13 Easy Tips to Give Your Content More Personality, by Sarah Rickerd. This wonderful article offers great tips on how you can get to the heart of better content. As you might expect, my favorite is the very first tip – to tell a good story.

As Sarah writes, “The trick is to come up with a story that has both entertainment value and a message that coincides with the purpose (or mission) of your content. Do this, and you’re likely to keep your reader around for a little longer.” And that’s about getting to the HEART of your story.

A good story entertains AND sends a message related to your #content’s purpose, says @ConquerContent. #WeeklyWrap Click To Tweet
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Discover the Secrets to Successful Content Creation

Love for this week’s sponsor: Demand Generation Summit

Don’t miss CMI’s half-day Demand Generation Summit on Wednesday, Oct. 23. This free, virtual event is designed to help marketers affect demand and increase profitable customer action. Choose from five webinar sessions or register for all five. Attend live when you can and catch the rest on demand.

Speakers include Corinne Schmid, Chris Dayley, Michael Brown, Mark Bornstein, and Carlos Hidalgo.

For more information and to register, visit http://cmi.media/demandgen2019.

The wrap-up

Tune in next week for another deep thought, a fresh take on the news, an interview with one brilliant person making a difference in content, and a great content marketing idea you can use. And it’s all delivered in a little less time than it takes to fill a moat full of alligators and snakes.

If you like this weekly play on words, we’d sure love for you to review it and share it. Hashtag us up on Twitter: #WeeklyWrap.

It’s your story. Tell it well.

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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

Robert Rose

Robert Rose

Robert is the founder and chief strategy officer of The Content Advisory - the consulting and advisory group of The Content Marketing Institute. As a coach and strategist, Robert has worked with marketers at more than 500 companies including global brands such as adidas, Roche, Salesforce, NASA, and Hilton. Robert is the author of four books. His latest, Content Marketing Strategy, was published by Kogan Page in September 2023, and was called “a rich and much-needed understanding of content marketing" by Professor Philip Kotler. Robert is also an early-stage investor and advisor to a number of technology startups, serving on the advisory boards of a number of companies, such as DivvyHQ, and BrandLens.You can follow him on Twitter @Robert_Rose.