Quality over quantity: A content strategy focused on connection inside an online community

Getting paid for their work has come with challenges for writers, but that has never made sense since having a show, movie, book, newspaper, article, or any information without writers is impossible.

The SAG-AFTRA union, which represents TV and movie actors, went on strike this past week, stating a need for fair compensation — it’s the first Hollywood strike in 43 years where both actors and screenwriters are banned together to demand not just a better salary, but a guarantee that AI will not replace them and that they are compensated for the work that appears on streaming services.

Meanwhile, an email was sent to writers to announce that Medium changes to the partner program for contributors, writers, and columnists who publish on their platform to encourage long-form writing that digs deeper, well-written, and verified content, financially rewarding them for this work.

President Barak Obama wrote a letter to American Librarians thanking them for protecting our freedom to read. “It’s so important, in fact, that here in America, the First Amendment of our Constitution states that freedom begins with our capacity to share and access ideas — even, and maybe especially, the ones we disagree with. More often than not, someone decides to write those ideas down in a book.”

Braintrust interviewed Aarthi Srinivasan during a live call with community members to answer questions about AI that had many attendees on edge about the future of their careers. These are just a few of the thousands of conversations happening nationwide. Last week I participated in an AI challenge to learn what’s new in this developing field and found so much tech doing so many unethical practices I was floored.

As a former reporter, it was my job to collect the facts, interview people to get as many sides of the story as possible, and present that information as best as possible to the subscribers accurately. When I got it wrong, I owned up to my mistakes. It eventually cost me my job, and I’ve learned that while covering crime wasn’t a good fit for me, it taught me to ask great questions, be diligent about getting sources, and the importance of accurate information.

It’s one thing to use technology to help us find something, get some ideas flowing, or help with manual, repetitive tasks like importing data — but written content, creative expression, and the ever-changing dynamics of the economy have frustrated writers for decades. I wanted to believe that everyone had good intentions. Still, there is just too much at stake to make assumptions about what people will do when we’ve been told repeatedly, based on past experiences, that this culture will not change unless systematic change is focused upon it.

While AI isn’t new, the way that it is now being used, without laws, standards, or ethics — is, in my opinion, very dangerous. When we are working to recover from a global pandemic, we need connection and to be more intentional about who we talk with, how we spend our time, and what we are doing in the world.

About 4.2 billion social media users are scrolling, clicking, watching, reading, or in some way consuming content. No matter your interests, there is sure to be an audience that also likes what you like, so sharing your specialty will be imperative to succeed in the creator economy.

There is a growing trend of interest in supporting small businesses, supporting local establishments, and creators supporting creators instead of big box stores. Due to the decline in the marketplace, we can speak up and change things, including who we support, vote for, and give our time, energy, and money to in our lifetime.

Creatives have a collaboration over-competition mindset.

The game for creators is collaboration. As an online blogger, I’ve seen more collaboration this year than in the past 10 years. That’s because business owners, entrepreneurs, solo entrepreneurs, YouTubers, podcasters, bloggers, writers, and even consultants have decided they are better together — it’s the age of collaboration! Coaches hire coaches, consultants hire consultants, podcasters hire editors, writers engage designers, bloggers employ social media experts, and the list goes on…

Earlier this year ConvertKit launched a Creator Network to help creatives who write newsletters using the email marketing tool to support each other by offering referrals to their subscribers. This week they hosted a meetup to support this new endeavor and encourage those who’ve signed up for the ConvertKit Creator Network to meet and exchange contact information, understand each other’s audiences, and decide how to start building better relationships with people they’d like to refer.

Knowing how hard it is to start in email marketing, ConvertKit set out to connect for intentional community design and development as they take feedback from customers and make improvements to ensure the platform delivers the promises of audience growth made simple.

PodTalks, a quarterly event held in the PodPros Community, was held this week, sharing the best tips, resources, and what’s working in the podcasting industry. The host, Alex Sanfilippo, and co-host, Jamie Legagneur, led the event with energy and enthusiasm. The community showed up and committed to supporting each other as they launched books and podcasts and worked to find the stages to share their message.

There is no better time to be a podcaster, and it’s easier than ever to start, but intentionality, consistency, and authenticity make podcasters successful. AI’s threat to the podcast industry is making the business of podcasting oversaturated — which some would say is the case now. According to some speakers, Spotify has shaken up the industry in more ways than one.

In the Authors Who Lead community Kimanzi Constable, published in over 80 magazines and publications, spoke to existing and future authors about the do’s and don’ts of pitching. When asked about AI, Kimanzi said he’s never used it…other than for basic applications like Grammarly, a spelling and grammar application that many writers use. While the conversation about AI in that community might continue, AI isn’t able to write your book for you, at least not yet.

In your online community, less is more.

Many clients I’ve worked with need a ton of content before members arrive in their online community. This can lead to thinking that we should use AI to generate content, hire a community manager (or get an app) to post daily content, or expect members to check to see what events are posted regularly — causing the host to feel like they are constantly creating content.

It’s easy to get caught up thinking you need to spend hours building content because that is what so many marketers have been advising us to do for years, but the content is rarely why your people are there. Online community members seek a dedicated place to share challenges, thoughts, or ideas. They want to ask questions, respond in support of other members, and feel their opinions are valued.

From a business perspective, the difference between social media and online communities is that social media focuses more on views and advertising. The goal of all content on social media is to get opinions, and that is how the algorithms are set up for businesses to make money. That means you, as a creator, must “pay to play” the game on social media by purchasing advertising to be seen by your own fans, audience, or customers!

When you own your audience, on an app you control, an email list, or your podcast, it is yours to manage, and you get to decide how to communicate and when with your audience. As a community leader, one of your key jobs is creating a safe space. This is something that AI will never be able to do because only humans understand body language and emotions. As you plan, consider how many members you’re gathering at a time. Breakout rooms are an effective tool for helping members feel heard. Let’s say you’ll give a discussion prompt during your live call. Consider breaking them into pairs or small groups if you have more than five participants.

You should also consider how your members want to connect between calls.

Would they feel more inclined to share thoughts, ideas, or challenges with a smaller private group?

If so, think about how to organize these groups.

Would they instead text with another member directly?

Would they use a chat feature or prefer to post or comment on a group activity feed?

Some members would rather talk via voice messaging software or applications like Voxer and What’s App.

Funny that at the end of the ConvertKit meetup, one of the attendees created a What’s App group for the 20ish people who attended the event.

What kinds of ways do you talk to people right now?

Let me know; send me an email at Deb@FindCalmHere.com.

Updates:

• The Community Strategy Podcast returns on July 30th with new episodes.
• The Creator to Community Builder book advanced reader cohort will be starting soon!
• Starting this week, I’ll be spotlighting a community on social media.
• The Creator Shop Summer Collection is now featured on our website.
• A growing community directory is being created for referrals.