The Formula for Making Work That Stands Out

Insightful, relevant, actionable — the three adjectives to remember that will help your work to stand out.

Insightful - information they can only get from you

Insightful doesn't mean novel. It also doesn't mean exhaustive. But what it does mean is your reader will have some type of lightbulb moment. I recommend starting by noticing and writing about the small things — the tips of  icebergs. These tiny details often times get ignored, making them the perfect breeding ground for insights not many people have considered.

Relevant - solves someone's immediate problem

What's in it for me? Does your work have an insights that's relevant to a problem that your reader is currently facing? A way I ensure my work is relevant is by writing to myself 6 months ago. What would have saved me grief or time 6 months ago?

Actionable - advice can be actioned immediately

Are there clear steps that can be taken once your reader is done reading? An amazing way to develop rapport at scale is to give your readers quick wins. These should not take very long, but should feel productive enough that they'll want more. I do this by adding takeaway examples to my work so that the reader can understand how the insight might be applied.

Next piece of content you make, try to have at least two of these characteristics. You'll be on your way to building a healthy, hearty relationship with your audience.

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