POV + Values + Communication = Messaging Magic

You can’t delegate your point of view. But you can delegate the content.

(This concept for sure came from Jereshia Hawk. I’m less sure which podcast episode I heard it in, but I think it’s this one.)

I thought this was such a brilliant distillation of a big concept.

Essentially, how you view the world is what sets you apart. How you communicate. How you live out your values. That magic combo (mixed with the experiences and aspirations of your perfect-fit people) is what makes up your brand presence.

But that’s also why it’s sometimes so tricky to nail down your “differentiator”—especially if you’re a solopreneur or founder-forward brand. Because you live and breathe who you are. So it can be hard to point to and explain something that’s so inherently part of you.

That’s why knowing your unique values—and especially where they overlap with your ideal audience’s—is so essential.

First and foremost, understand what your values are and how you define them so that you can be as intentional as possible with where they show up, how you talk about them, how you let them shine through, either implicitly or explicitly. Basically, how you apply and integrate them into everything you do.

I’ve had a many conversations with people who were (more than) a little bit hesitant to have their values be so explicit because of the environments they grew up in or the communities they’re part of. Or because of that pretty universal fear of not wanting to come on too strong and repel/upset/polarize people. Or simply because of needing to insulate themselves from judgement.

⇨ One business owner I spoke to said, “Not my vibe. I’m more reserved when it comes to values. I let people find out that I’m very liberal little by little. I don’t like to have someone push their beliefs onto me, so I try not to do the same. I’ll listen, but won’t engage because I get pretty upset.”

⇨ Another said, “I think that I live them out and I share them with people I can sense are aligned. I have a lot of very conservative friends and family due to my upbringing and I don’t want to deal with the relational fallout that would happen if I went too public about many of my views. So I post things that are ‘dog whistles’ (but like the positive version of that lol) for those things, like my focus on empathy and supporting women. And I hope people catch my drift, but I try to refrain from being explicit just for my own peace.”

[Note: I found both these responses to be really interesting because they were focused on politics, which I see as very clearly related, but entirely the same as brand values.]

And to these concerns, I say: valid.

It’s good to know yourself and your limits. There’s something to be said for genuinely holding space and welcoming in many different perspectives. There’s also potential in leading by example and showing another way to be and think and feel as they observe you stepping into your values. A megaphone to the face likely isn’t going to convince anyone of anything. Besides, “convincing” really isn’t our goal as business owners to begin with.

But also, there are ways to lean into the commonalities between you and the communities that you want to be part of.

You also have the option to put on those horse blinders as needed so that you don’t feel the need to care what the auntie from church or your nosy neighbor up the street has to say. Because she is not your ideal audience. Him talking about you or feeling some sort of way about you will not detract from the business that you want to have. Now, if these people you care about disappointing or riling up actually do have influence and power, okay, that’s something different. But being firm in who you are and what you stand for will make every decision feel better, regardless.

And standing in your values will make it feel like you don’t have to hold space for two different versions of yourself. Unless you want to, of course. We talk a lot about multifaceted-ness in my orbit. Step into all your multi-passionate glory and the many versions of yourself if that feels right and useful and generative.

But if you don’t want to divide yourself into even more pieces than you already inherently have, then there’s something magical and, again, differentiated, for someone who can move through the world firmly rooted in who they are. (While potentially still welcoming in other perspectives.)

In fact, that openness and tolerance and relatability could actually be one of your core values and a reflection of your voice. It could make your brand richer. It could make people more comfortable if they feel genuinely seen and heard and held. You don’t necessarily have to believe the same thing as long as you’re able to create an environment of mutual respect and understanding, or put clear boundaries in place. If you can be you and leave space for them to be them, then you’re good to go.

Reminder: You don’t need to work with clones of yourselves. You can if you want to. Sometimes that’s so much easier because you know exactly what’s keeping them up at night, what solutions they’re actively looking for, what hesitations they have. Because you’re them. Or some past version of yourself is some version of them.

But you do not have to work with your own carbon copies. With a dose of empathy and brand values to connect you, you could serve someone who comes from a totally different walk of life. For you to decide now, and in the future.

Now, back to the original concept surrounding outsourcing.

Establishing what your point of view is, leaning into that, curating that, is the first step. Expanding your worldview and hot take into content is the next step.

Outsourcing the content can be part of your process. But only once you’re clear enough on what you want to put out into the world and who you want to connect with.

After you:

⇨ have that solid brand messaging strategy (including your values and voice)

⇨ have the resources to translate those ideas to and through someone else

⇨ know what your content pillars are

⇨ know what you want to stand for and how you want to stand out…

then you are able to outsource that content. When it feels right, if it ever feels right.

Maybe you create the original content in long form (blog post, podcast episode, etc.) and someone else splices it apart. Maybe you thrive in short form and someone can smush many posts and thoughts together into a broader cohesive message.

Maybe you have someone draft the initial draft and you inject your own point of view, personal anecdotes, etc. Maybe you use writing/speaking prompts from a trusted source. Maybe you “partner” with AI for any or all of this.

Regardless, you (probably) shouldn’t ever be completely hands-off your content. Because content is you putting yourself out there. Especially when you’re the face of your brand, the direct service provider or coach, the thought leader. When it’s face-to-camera or voice-to-microphone, you’re going to have to incorporate your personality anyway.

In product-based businesses, larger agency/team settings, etc., then you could hand off your content in theory, but only if you find someone who you trust. Someone who understands your point of view (and your audience’s) and can emulate your voice and values.

(^I know lots of AI products promise this and the bajillion hours of time you’ll save, but PLEASE don’t use anything AI-generated without running it through your very human lens first.)

That said, there will never be anyone who fully understands your lived experience the way you do, because they just cannot possibly know every single anecdote you have in your head.

So for the instances where you want to inject more of yourself, make sure you’re going through as that fine tooth comb at the very end of the content creation process. You might want to share little lessons that you have learned along the way. You might want to share little tidbits about your favorite foods, your favorite movie, your favorite music, or your kiddo or your life partner, or whatever it is. You might want to include a question from your last sales call.

It’s not micromanagement to add to and approve your content before it goes out in the world. It’s brand management. It’s trust and reputation management. And it goes a long way.

And then on the topic of AI…

This month, my entire solo episode is about the use of AI in a human-first brand. I am not swaying you one way or the other. I am presenting some really interesting (in my opinion) use cases for you to decide for yourself how and where AI fits in your business, if at all.

But, we cannot rely on AI to create our content in a free-for-all vacuum, even after training it with our voice, values, audience, favorite prompts, etc. Even after generating a long history where it learns the words you and your audience use, it’s not ready to go public without your oversight. Yes, AI can be a shortcut, but it can’t be the full extent of your content creation process.

Or, honestly, it could be. It is for lots of business owners and “thought leaders.” But your audience will almost definitely feel that AI wrote it, not you. And then the entire point of creating content—which is building trust and connection by getting to know you and how you view your work and the world—is sort of defeated. So tread lightly.

Plus, it still takes work to convert whatever AI is producing into a fully-fledged post, a carousel, a YouTube video, whatever. There still needs to be some touch from some human at some point in the process. Again, if at the very least, simply to spot-check it so that it actually sounds like something a human—and actually, very specifically, YOU—would say.

So, outsource, outsource, outsource where you can. (I have a whole podcast episode about outsourcing and my next solo episode touches on the parts of my business that I would outsource in heartbeat if I had the funds to.)

But as freeing as outsourcing can be, we still need to have a handle on who we are as a founder, as a brand, as a bigger vision that we’re part of.

Get clear on that, and stretch all your messaging, marketing, and decision-making SO much farther.

⇨ Let’s chat if you want a thought partner along the way.

 

This is an excerpt from Toward Purpose & Progress, my newsletter where I share business tips, good news, shoutouts to Founder Friends, and other juicy snippets. Subscribe here for more rants, reflections, and resources.