How NOT To Build A Personal Brand

The fundamental issue with my approach to writing this newsletter.

This week I had a grand - and incredibly obvious - revelation.

Applying yourself to something without intentionality yet still expecting progress is silly.

And it’s hard to be intentional when you don’t know who you’re writing for.

I know all this, but I still made an absolutely basic error this week.

So spend 3 minutes reading this and try not to be as foolish as me.

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🧨 Predictable Misfire

I’ve had to turn away dozens of clients since I started writing for YouTubers.

From 1000 sub channels, all the way up to 1,000,000+, most creators need people to help them write stuff.

But without the personal capacity to write for more than a small handful of creators simultaneously, there’s a) great demand left unsatisfied, and b) money left on the table.

So I dreamed up a bold solution.

I decided to offer a service where I would review people’s YouTube videos (from a scripting standpoint) and provide feedback to help them write a better one next time.

I created this service without actually asking if this was something people wanted.

Then I realised I probably should have asked.

So the day after launching the service, I asked if people actually wanted it.

87% of respondents did not.

Or, rather, 87% of respondents wanted a slightly different version of the service, where I reviewed the scripts BEFORE they were filmed.

George @GeorgeBlackman_

If someone offered to review your finished YouTube video, or a YouTube script you haven't filmed yet... Which would be more useful to you?

Not only is this clearly a more valuable service in hindsight (lol), but I would have known other people thought so if I had just asked them first.

But this oversight got me thinking about my approach to building my personal brand overall - and how poorly I’ve been doing it.

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🛠️ Brand Building (Badly)

My attempts to build my personal brand have been sporadic at best.

With client work coming first, I just don’t find the time to devote to it.

• I tweet frequently, but with no real direction.

• I write this newsletter every week, but I have to scrap to find the idea on the day it’s supposed to come out.

• I release Gumroad templates with no marketing plan.

For any potential clients reading, let this not be a reflection of my ability to do good work - I promise I still write terrific YouTube scripts 😅

However, I’ve realised I’m ignoring many of the basics of brand building, purely because I’m not devoting enough time to it.

Yet I’ve seen what happens when (more by luck than judgement) something really resonates. I released a free YouTube script template last week, and it got downloaded nearly 300 times, made me £60 in donations, and sent my Twitter followers from 600-700 overnight.

Suddenly, I had a revelation:

I’ve NEVER actually asked you who you are! I don’t know whether this gets read by YouTubers in search of content writers…or content writers in search of clients.

I don’t know whether you want advice on writing better scripts, or insider tips on how to work for YouTubers.

These are SUCH BASIC ERRORS - errors which I’ve been conscious of, but haven’t found the time to correct.

I hope I’m not alone in experiencing this type of cognitive dissonance.

What’s the thing you KNOW you should be doing to accelerate your goals…but which you continuously avoid anyway?

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👷‍♀️ Brand Building (Better)

Now for the real solution.

As part of my new scheme to Do This Better, I want to find out more about you so I can create stuff that you actually need.

I feel like there’s a bunch of insider info bubbling around in my head, but I’m currently failing to translate it into real value for people who want it.

So with that being said, I would be so grateful if you’d fill in this survey.

It’s just 3 questions, but it would have such a meaningful impact on how I tailor what I do to try and be as useful as possible for you.

Here it is again, just to get you excited about it:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QF5RM5Y

That’s all for this week! I hope you’re well.

All the best,

George

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🔧 Free YouTube Script Template

As mentioned above, you can grab the template I use to write for YouTubers here - it’s free!

📝 Script Review Service

Having updated the service to reflect the preferences my audience provided, click here if you’d like me to review your YouTube script!

It’s temporarily $200 cheaper while I’m trialling it :)