I can say without a doubt that if you are a solopreneur and/or content creator that you are probably not doing enough content. I know for a fact I am not, and I actively try to systematize everything.
You need to be putting out 100 pieces of content everyday.
-Gary Vaynerchuk
I've mentioned that quote multiple times on this blog, and I still can't remember it verbatim, but that doesn't matter. The point still remains, we are NOT putting out enough content, and I think he is right. From my own usage of platforms, and seeing what works I can affirm his statement. It is interesting too because people often misunderstand it, or worse just claim "oh he can do it cause he has a team"... no!
I mean yeah, of course he can cause he has a team, but that doesn't mean the people like you and I can't either.
It also isn't just a matter of CREATING, but also REPURPOSING and CROSSPOSTING as well.
I would start off with my smaller more condensed post first:
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
Omnichannel vs Multichannel
Personally I don't really think the distinction is that important at this point. In either case it is more than what most people do, and they are often confused for each other anyways.
I even created a "definition" post to help explain it!
The idea is simple, put your hand in all of the cookie jars, eventually one will stick, and more importantly your audience will be able to reach you anywhere. That is the most important thing.
Note: There are a few affiliate links scattered about in the post, although they are only there because I KNOW they will be helpful to you. Plus the point of the post is to provide immense value, so I wouldn't put anything in it that I didn't think would fit the "jab jab jab" mentality!
Creating My OmniContent
My goal was to incorporate all of the areas I already know into a sprint I could do on a daily basis. In fact my main goal for last year was to create the OmniContent. That didn't end up happening, as I shifted my focus on the PolyCast interviews (worth it IMO). I did however get five episodes/sprints out, and proved the concept worked. Even if I did have to do it manually.
Interestingly enough the calcuated amount of posts that came from the sprint was about 107 pieces of content. That is counted cross posts (same video on FB Watch and YT for example) or social sharing like Tweets. However that is okay, as it is still contextual to the platform.
I was tired of creating content in silos, and although I still do in a way, it isn't as hard for me now as it once was. (THANKS NOTION!)
The idea was to consolidate my efforts for all platforms into one funnel of work for myself. Now that I have my content production machine (inspired by August Bradley's, and mixed with my own), I can do individual platforms AND combined.
Content Pillars
It all starts with the main pillar piece, like this long form blog post you are reading for example. Although this isn't an OmniContent so idk when I'll repurpose it! It can be in any form, whether that is written/audio/video or even Live counts as its own thing in my opinion.
You take that original piece, and then you can convert to the other formats. (Live would technically always have to come first for the most part, so we will ignore it for now). A blog post can be voiced over (by human or machine), then made into audio. That audio can be turned into a video, using something like Lumen5 or synthesia, or in my experience I make a slideshow out of it and record over that!
Conversely, if you are making a video you could cut out the audio and make it into a podcast, but make sure you try to make things contextual for an audio only audience when recording video (i.e. don't just point to the image on screen, describe it). Then transcribe the audio into a blog post, bonus points if you work on formatting it as an actual blog post.
Or if you start with a podcast, you could make a visualizer to make a video, and then again transcribe it.
Repurposing
In order to wrap your head around all of the topics and concepts we are going to talking about today, I think it is prudent to go over the idea of repurposing.
It is simply the process I explained above, taking one piece of content, and transforming it into another. It is more than just pillar pieces however, it also works on the smaller scale...
Here is a recent post I made on the best Repurposing Tools!
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
Here is a great post to help you more.
Ross Simmonds
Microcontent
That smaller scale, or micro in this case, is simply the chopped up pillar pieces now. You take the quote from the video, or awesome paragraph from the blog post; Then put it into a quote image for Instagram, or make a clip out of it for LinkedIn, etc.
You can really reach a lot more people this way, and you end up contextualizing it for that platform ever more.
A new-ish platform came to my attention:
It feels like a canva met lumen5, and comes together in a modern interface. I'm excited to play around with it more.
New Age Influencers
Sharing + Crossposting
I think this is an underrated aspect to going omnichannel. You don't have to have purely unique content per platform. Much of your audience, if not all, will not see it on both sites. If you make a video and put it on two video platforms, we will get into various platforms later, then most of the time it won't show up in that follower's feed on both sites.
Let alone that follower even FOLLOWING you in the first place on both.
There are also tons of ways of uniquely sharing your content, that most people don't think about. Keep reading to find those out.
Written
Newspapers started it, and then blogs took over. Writing blogs is still a top way of growing your content ecosystem. What once started as only enthusiast and journalists doing it, anyone can make a successful blog now. It still takes a lot of work, and you have to know the best practices to get started.
However it is certainly worth it. I'm writing this piece after all, and I'm really excited to see how it performs.
Writing is a great way of getting your thoughts down, and is the main motivation as to why I created the Fireside Codex alongside the OmniBlog, so that I could put down ideas/thoughts without the formalities.
Content Management Systems
This is a big part of your life, as your CMS will most likely be your website too, unless you go with a headless CMS like Ghost or Strapi. Which is usually for those of the programmer variety. For me I wanted a minimalist system, which Ghost provides, even for non-coders!! I did code a decent chunk of my website, even with my limited coding knowledge.
Although that was after years of using Wordpress's archaic system, or toying with Wix and Substack. The latter I still respect a lot, and will discuss below.
Having the right platform/tool is key, as if you choose one that ends up being more work than it is worth. You will end up with too much metawork like I did with Wordpress. Preventing you from creating.
Ghost CMS
A modern cms, and more importantly to me a minimalist one. Not only in the admin area, so that I could focus on actually creating, but also in the code. Unlike others like WP, where they have multiple languages running the software, Ghost is all built in Javascript. A rather modern programming/coding language, that is significantly faster.
Check out my review here.
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
I wanted a site that I could just focus on creating, and moreover consolidate from all others like wordpress and medium.
Substack
I tried this one out before making the plunge into Ghost, and I really like the simplicity of it as well. The pure and simple writing experience makes it perfect for those getting started, and wanting to grow.
The one thing about SS, or it's video alternative Special.tv that I'll mention later, is that they both take a 10% cut. Not a big deal if you're making $100 a month, but for sure a big deal when you're making $100,000. Although I'm all for supporting the company, and if you don't mind then go for it.
I use automizy.com for my email service, but Ghost and Substack both have integrated email aspects to the blog. Giving you the ability to grow your email list from the blogs themselves.
I really want to find a way to make a polymathic email ecosystem for all of the various content I create. That way if you only care about videos or only care about polycasts, then you have that option!
Every interesting paragraph (don't do all though), every quote from your guest, or anything of that sort can become a tweet. Gary even mentions that out of those 100 posts a day thing, 50 of them could be tweets. You could be going down a hashtag, and replying to posts giving your 2 cents. Anything that is creative and valuable.
You can also make threads of tweets that are a combo of many tweets in a numbered list. Sort of like mini blog posts, and helps you start valuable conversations. Once you make a great thread, you can use the reader below to form it into a post.
LinkedIn Articles
Another slept on feature for the platform. Any time I've made an article on there, it has gotten good views. I also don't mind the editor, which is saying something, as I couldn't ever use Vocal.media's terrible editor.
The articles are native, so it gives a quicker experience for people in your network to learn your thoughts, and for you to grow your thought leadership.
I made it part of my OmniContent sprints to write a post for every sprint. Most of the time the articles will relate, but it doesn't have to. I did it as a habit stack to make it quicker/easier to get done more often.
Decrepit Places
In addition to places that you SHOULD use, these are some that I think only hurt you or you can't use anymore. Since writing is the earliest content on the internet I don't think this would matter for the other content types.
For one stop using Medium.com, the company is rather toxic about the content. They have made it to where large publications can no longer export their content, in an effort to stop another situation like the Hackernoon migration. They don't share your piece if it is not monetized at all anymore, and they just don't give you the control over your own work anymore.
Tumblr, Blogger, Wix
IMO these are just not worth it anymore, the saturation has come and gone. Wix is included in that becasue the cms built in is not the greatest, and for the cost is not worth your time or money.
Quora "Spaces" or Blog posts; These are Quoras attempts at making it more of a social platform, and they were great once upon a time for growth, but now it is just either not worth it, or not even functional anymore.
Visual
Never underestimate the power of a great image. They can be shared basically anywhere, and if you're prolific enough you can make a ton per post.
For example each OmniContent sprint I make a horizontal, vertical, and square image. For video/blogpost, pinterest/stories, and podcast/instagram respectively. Making it versatile across various mediums, and if you use templates that you make ahead of time it is super quick.
I can use any image editing software like Adobe or Affinity, but I prefer to use canva, as I have made 30-50 templates (using my colors and style) that quickly can be turned into what I need.
Still an ever growing platform, and with all of their new features it seems there is a new influx. While the feed is still important to keep publishing too, there are a lot of features that not everyone is using.
Let alone doing all of them yet. First and foremost you should set up your profile. Make at least 1-3 of every content type, so that the channel for that type shows up on your profile. I.e posts, reels, igtv, guides, etc.
Use the highlights feature for your stories, and make cover photos for them in canva.
Keep to a theme or color scheme, and/or pattern of posts schedule. I don't follow this rule fully, but I probably should!
I have a full profile (still working on guides), so it should look something like this or better!
Guides
A new feature on Insta, that allows you to make a combo "blog" and picture list post. They are like little courses or tutorials, using your pictures, and you can add text. From what I can tell they are limited to Creator accounts until you make them. Although you can go to one, and then scroll to the bottom, and make one from there from what I'm told.
They are an interesting way of stringing posts together, and you can give people information on how to do something.
An amazing visual platform, that if used right can lead to some serious traffic for your blog. I cross post all of my images on insta over to pinterest, as an automation, as I don't have a particular strat I am using right now.
However infographics often do well, and they are doing sponsored posts now well too. The idea behind some pinterest bloggers, is that you make 5-10 vertical images per post, that all lead to the post, and all have different styles you can test to see which works.
Slideshare/Scribd
A part of the OmniContent process, is taking the blog post and making it into a slidedeck. This gives me the visuals for the video, as well as another form of media I could then put on slideshare. I'm not sure how I want to go about it now that SS got bought out by Scribd, but considering that platform had slides too it may be good. I may go for direct upload to scribd. Regardless, the slidedeck provides additional SEO benefits, as well as another way for people to consume the information.
It adds a more visual element to the blog post, and another point of entry!
UPDATE Dec 2021: Now that Slideshare has moved to Scribd I am not convinced it is worth the effort of making the slides. At least not as often, which I had them part of my OmniContent before, which means I would have made them weekly or daily even.
Giphy
I'll touch on this more later in the post, but the virality of gifs and the usefulness in your own content is fantastic. I've even made this post's header image to be a gif, which I'm really glad Ghost CMS supports. I even sent it to giphy linking back to this post for extra reach.
Video
The content king as many people call it nowadays. Every platform likes video because it keeps the users engaged, and you can convey your thoughts in an easily digestible way.
Now that the internet has the bandwidth for the medium, thanks in no small part to Netflix actually, we can see for sure it continuing to grow as a medium.
They say it takes a 100 videos for you to really find your rythym, and start to see growth.
No Longer just YouTube
This was always the go to place, and it will stay that way for a while. Even though FB is trying to compete with their Watch and IGTV platforms, I do not think it would even come close. Especially since most of YT's power comes from the search engine functionality.
They have made terrible mistakes as a company, and still live to see the day. Cough... youtube red cough. Adpocalypse, etc. Over time competitors might take market share, but don't think it is going away anytime soon.
Too many podcasters think they can get away with not doing video, or video creators thinking they can get rich quick. Neither one is true, and you do need to put in the work. Make sure your video SEO is on point, and engage with those comments! Also pro tip, check out the community section if you have enough subscribers.
FB Watch
This company is a mixed bag for many content creators. Nowadays the only reason why you may be posting to FB, is either you have it set to automate posts, or you have a FB group. Pages just don't do it anymore, and the lack of privacy leaves much to be desired.
I think FB groups are not the best way to do it anyways, go use circle or tribe to make a social network. Much better in the long run, short term even, and you have your own place. FB tomorrow could decide groups are no longer worth it, and then quickly end them.
The video platform is also weird, discoverability is mixed, but when I joined repurpose.io I needed to use it for the microcontent clips. (As you couldn't technically download from YT to make the clips at the time).
I'm still in that habit for the most part, even if I may not need to be now, so each of the interviews gets cross posted to the platform. Simply as a means for a chance at getting seen.
IGTV
Despite my aversion to FB, I am actually quite confident about IGTV, still many people sleep on the vertical format. Although it is probably going to keep growing, and the platform rewards you for making the posts.
Combine that with the other types on there, and you have a pretty wide reach on Instagram. With repurpose.io too it makes it easier to make vertical versions of your videos anyways.
TikTok
I've been on there for two years now, and although I haven't grown as much as I like. That is probably to be attributed by the fact I should be posting more. I think for the past year I should have been doing 10 videos a day, and even for the next year I'd argue that to be true.
If you make at least 3 a day, there is a large chance you'll grow. I've seen someone go from nothing, and in 7 months go to 20 million followers. It is still viral, and it is hitting its fourth wave. Don't keep waiting.
YouTube Shorts
Just a copycat of Reels and Tiktoks, but considering the platform's chances of virality, and not many people making the format. It would be a great opportunity to make them. I could see someone cross posting to all three quite easily, just don't start with Tiktok, or that stupid watermark will be on it.
It should be coming to the US officially here soon.
Instagram REELS
Ig is known for copying features, and running with them. From what I've seen people have literally just been reuploading their tiktoks, and they're going viral for them. Purely because there is not enough content for that type just yet, and if you make native then even better.
It is a nice feature to have. Feels better in user experience than just feed based videos, and isn't as big of a jump as IGTV felt.
There is a potential for Vine-like content on that platform in particular.
Organic Reach on LinkedIn Through Video
Doing anything on LinkedIn is a good idea, the organic reach alone is fantastic. Although just like every other platform, video is doing a lot more.
This is where I would say cross posting is not worth it, as it would seem ingenuine on that professional based network. Create a more professional based video series for the audience.
Special.tv
A platform that you can make your own channel like a Netflix had a baby with Youtube. You can start creating a subscription based service that will help you create income.
I take my regular videos and post cross post them there, and I plan on making unique series to go there only. I think this is a good alternative to OTT options, as those can get expensive quickly. Although like Substack, Special only takes a 10%, which is helpful when starting out.
That is part of the PolyPro series.
OTT/VOD
Akin to the previous one, but more of a difficult option. You essentially create your own app on roku, fire tv, and other tv based options. As well as of course a web based solution too. It is going to definitely take you to the next level.
One of the more common tools that helps you make one is uscreen.tv!
Audio
From radio to podcasting, it is an ever growing space as well. We hitting what the 7th generation of podcasting. In my case polycasting.
The audio medium is also getting more and more higher tier, with acquisitions like the Joe Rogan Experience going exclusive on Spotify.
Podcasting
It is easier than ever to start a show, but harder to stand out.
You can use tools like https://www.matchmaker.fm/ to get onto shows, and grow your audience.
Tod Chambers - Founder of UpRaw Media
Live Voice
Clubhouse has made the point that people like having live conversations, without the need for video. Although Voicehub came first, they failed to market themselves. I do think CH's time will come to an end, and apps like Twitter Spaces or whatever FB is doing will counter the hype around CH.
Do keep in mind the space, and try to get on it in some way.
This is really cool! Instead of being limited by the app, we can do it with anyone! LET ME KNOW if you want to do this with me ;)
— Dustin Miller | POLYINNOVATOR ⚙️ (@polyinnovator) February 17, 2021
How to Make A Clubhouse Style Live Event in https://t.co/8tJbhqFRF3 https://t.co/aQkdSNRo3M via @RiversidedotFM
Micro-Podcasting
The idea of very short form casts, and making clips for people to listen to. Much like my Fireside Micro-PolyCast series.
Private Podcast Feeds
Quite like the paid subscriber wall you would find for written posts on Ghost or Substack, or for videos like on Special.tv or Uscreen. Private Podcast feeds are those hidden behind a paywall.
Currently there isn't a dedicated service like those mentioned above, although some hosts like mine, Podcast.co, are working on making private feeds. That give you control over who gets access, via only that special link.
Patreon or uhmi.io could be interesting methods for doing this as well!
A great video for making Omnichannel Content!
LIVE/Streaming
So I touched on this in the audio/video sections, but there are new platforms coming out that are worth it going live. In general it seems to be a great medium, and even though it is still just audio/video content; The way you act and create the content is much more different.
There is a different level of preparation, a different level of pressure, and overall you are reaching people instantly instead of waiting for them to come across your video. Each platform even notifys people quicker if you're live.
Restream.io
I think this is going to be even more common across the board, but using tools like this to reach multiple platforms at once. It is like the idea of cross posting, but instead you are going live.
The same cast is simultaneous across each place. I'm not sure if the cost is worth to some, as the free version is limited. Although it is a powerful tool, and one of the first to market.
Yourstreamer
This is an alternative to restream that I came across. Seems to have the same functionality for a cheaper price threshold.
Streamyard
Not the same as the other two, as it is more limited, but it also has recording capabilities. It is sort of a mix of use cases, and if you can afford it may be very suitable for you.
Growing with LIVE
The idea of livestreams are to engage with your audience in real time. I even thought about writing a blog post live, perhaps doing video at the same time to see what people think.
For example there was a Nintendo Direct yesterday, pretty big one, which we haven't had for a while. It was a big enough event I thought I could hack the wave. I would live blog all the announcements, and then also stream myself reacting.
There are also people who do their podcast show live as well.
Best tool for Recording Quality + You can stream with it too!
Stories
Honestly when I first put this section together I didn't even realize it was going to be THAT big. I guess that is the same for how stories have exploded too however. Most of the creator community laughed when IG made their stories copy off of Snapchat, but then it totally dominated. Right time, right place sort of thing.
Now it seems that every platform is doing it, and it makes sense. People have a limited time and attention span, and stories are a great way of getting the point across.
As of the time of this post writing, I can honestly say that cross posting the same story across most of these platforms won't hurt you. If it gets you to actually make them too then that is good.
Although I can say with 100% certainty that will not last, and I wish there was a tool to make it easier to do it. For now what I do is make it in Insta, as it is easiest there, put the filter and stuff on it. Then I download it, and then upload it via the native apps for LinkedIn/Snapchat/Twitter.
Sort of cheating but it works.
Note: Here is an interesting tip, you go on spotify, share the song you like, but when you do it locks you into a spotify share so you can't edit it much or add music to it (ironically). So you screengrab or download from insta stories the picture with background. Then reupload it with music in front of it. Then you can take that screen grab and send it to SC and Twitter.
Instagram/FB
Honestly I would consider this the main platform for stories at this point, FB is thrown in there for good measure as they are linked. In fact they're getting more and more linked.
Insta stories are a powerful way of engaging with your audience, no special filter needed, and you can have them go to links if you have a big of enough following. Whereas with normal posts you can't link out.
You can also repurpose your REELS or tiktok into a story as well.
AMP Stories
Following the success with app platforms using the format, Google decided to weigh in. Using their special tool you can make Google AMP stories that go on your website, and when you do it helps you rank higher too. Problem is that it doesn't link up with social platforms, so it is hard to cross post. They only seem to be focusing on Wordpress, so me using Ghost I'm kind of out of luck.
As well as, they don't make it clear the distinction between Google AMP Stories and Google News Stories. To me they seem to be the same, but I guess they are different? This is a Google Duo/Allo/Hangouts situation I think, where they have the same product under different names.
Note: Seems to be a great way to rank higher and get traffic though as a growth hack if you do start creating them.
SnapChat
Let's not forget about the OG, I actually had it way back in 2011, and after a few years of barely using it I deleted my entire account. Mind you they really don't make it easy, but with my personal brand in recent years I thought it prudent to make a new one. The idea of the platform is great, but now that so many others have replaced its feature set it is hard to stand out.
The two things that do are the unique AR filters, as well as the discover system they have is evolving.
YouTube
I was under the impression that beyond YT Shorts, they were also doing stories. Although the app keeps changing, and certain features are being released in various countries. I'm not sure if I just imagined it at this point lol.
The point is though a big platform like this would lead to some interesting big growth. Also promoting your IG feed post in stories is one thing, but promoting a video on YT, in YT stories is another.
There is a lot of potential for creatives there too.
I actually really like LinkedIn stories. I find that they get engaged with well, and as I've said before it is easy enough to share across platforms.
Since it is a more professional network, there are some unspoken rules of course in any content you create. Although it is your content, you can choose whether or not to follow them. It is interesting to think about the level of reach these stories can have though with such a unique platform. Some people are only on that platform, not others considering their career.
Twitter Fleets
One thing to note right away is that Fleets can only be images, and I keep forgetting that. Even as I made this post I created a story that I cross posted, but it happened to be a video so I was only able to share to the other three places.
Fleets are interesting too because Twitter likes quick and easy formats, and people on there are likely to check out what you're Fleeting as they say.
Don't underestimate this feature!!
They recently announced Story Pins, which give a unique level of interactivity to the platform. I'm sure many people will benefit from using it, but it is hard to tell whether or not you could theorectically cross post.
From what I can tell you would need to make unique pieces of content, which is totally fine, but just something to keep in mind. Currently I get about 1k views a month from Pinterest alone, and all I'm doing is cross posting rather than following a particular strategy for the platform.
I may however do a Story Pin campaign.
Storyly
There are some other options for sites made on Wordpress, but this one impressed me. Here is their own description:
Storyly is the only user engagement platform that brings stories to your mobile app. You can integrate into your app easily, create interactive stories for your users and track results.
I haven't personally used it, but it seems interesting as a way to be unique on your own website/app. Giving people a medium of what they already know, but no one else is doing it yet. Plus all you'd really have to do is cross post your stories, they don't have to be different than on IG or SC.
Another resource you may like is: https://storypepper.com/
Blockchain
I think that most platforms we know today are either going to be replaced by blockchain alternatives, or go powered by blockchain themselves. Meaning a decentralized future for all of them, Twitter even talked about going decentralized, and there are alternative platforms for even the likes of YouTube.
I talk more about this in my Future of Social Media post, where I go into the ideas of blockchain and decentralization.
I think it is very wise to future proof your content as much as possible. Me moving to Ghost was actually a way of doing that, as it is a safer platform than Wordpress. Considering the level of power it has, and how new it is, I can safely assume it will be around for a while. Even not I still have backups of my posts.
While on wordpress however I was able to use Steempress, which helped me put my articles on the Steemit blockchain. Was Steemit as the website, but that evovled into Hive.
Another way of keeping track of your posts, and proving it was YOU who wrote them. Is timestamping.
Martijn Blom - Founder Blom & Blom
Ignore Some Platforms for now
I think it is wise to be careful which ones you go onto. I tried pretty much all I could find, from Mastodon to D.Tube, to even Sociall (a FB alternative). Some just weren't worth it, or worse perhaps plagued by overly political point of views.
Gab was really cool of a platform, and one of the most well made ones. However it was filled with politics, and got even worse after the U.S. insurrection. Meaning it is probably wise to stay away from the platform.
However there are the likes of Hive, D.tube, or LBRY, that have massive upside potential. They could even be future versions of our favorite sites now, like YT as I keep mentioning.
haha I really hope it gets replaced at some point.
Hive.blog
Think of this as Reddit and Medium had a baby kind of scenario. Where the app works like Reddit, but the posts can be written or video. This was originally Steemit, but after a centralization issue everyone moved. Stay away from Steemit at this point, but Hive built on the steemit blockchain is one of the best platform experiences I've had in general for a long time.
Plus with things like Steempress, as long as it stays around, allow you to automatically cross post your blogs to there. I think there is WAY more upside to putting in the effort of cross posting to Hive rather than Medium.
D.tube
D.tube is also built on the Steemit blockchain, and so your articles and videos are side by side (at least on Hive's view). With dtube you will find only videos, and it definitely feels like Youtube. Although without a powerful algorithm to cater content to you just yet. It is more about having the freedom of posting, and having control over your own content.
If something is bad, then it is up to the community to block/downvote/report it.
LBRY
Similar to the previous one, but trying to go for their own thing. It seems that between the two YouTube has some serious competition.
Who knows if maybe one day they would decide to combine too. Creating an even bigger platform.
All in all, it doesn't take much to cross post, and future proof your content!
D.live
Even the great PewDiePie has migrated over to this decentralized alternative to Twitch. It seems like a great platform, and when I start streaming again I will be outputting to here as well.
Eventually maybe I'll go exclusive like he did there too. Although that sort of goes aganist this idea of omnichannl! 😉
Sharing Around
The more you can share your article or video, then the greater chances of it going viral or gaining traffic.
The internet is like a web or tree, with the branches sprawling outward, and the more branches you can get yourself on (contextually) then the more influence you'll have. That is the point after all, to become a thought leader in your space, even if you don't realize that is your intention at first.
Mix.com
This is the spiritual successor to Stumbleupon. Many people slept on it, and it was a strong way of going super viral. Mix isn't as powerful it seems as it's former version, made by the same people, but it still has great potential.
All you're doing is making sure you're sharing valuable content, and then just inputting the link.
Zest.is
A lot like Mix actually, but way more focused on Marketing, and some business content. You better believe I'll be sharing this post there.
Triberr
An old way of trying to get your post to grow. You link up with creators in the same niche as you, or tribe, and then as a collective you'd share each other's posts.
It has grown since that time, and there is even social media sharing built in too. Could be useful to some of you.
Quora
At this point I have gotten over 500,000 views on Quora, and I've only made around 300 answers to questions. I had made it my mission to answer a question a day for a couple long sprints. Although their spam policy is inherently flawed, I made a post that had nothing to with me, only providing super valuable information. Although I linked out one too many times, and it got flagged. That made me mad, and I left.
However I digress, the point of the platform is to solve people's problems, or at least get them on the right track. If you can answer their question solidly, then it is wise to leave a link to one of your related posts on the subject. In fact some creators create their content purely based around the questions being asked.
This is a tricky platform, and just like the last one (or really any in this section) you HAVE to make sure you are providing more value to the recipient.
It is more sensitive when it comes to self-promotion, and thus you shouldn't do it much. However if you are able to make a post that is more value to others than yourself, then you can make one. The reason why you would want to, is that there is massive potential for virality on the platform.
If you get to the front page of Reddit, then it is easily 100k views at least to whatever you are putting out.
Growth Hacking
Much of what I talk about is in a way a growth hack, as it is not ordinary at this point in time. Eventually it might be, and so that makes it more of a growth hack strategy at this time. More importantly however there are things you can do to "globally growth hack".
I see content creation as a means to reach a global audience, and if you do it well then it is like a snowball!
Giphy or Stock Photos
One way to growth hack yourself I've been told about in the past year, is to create unique gifs or stock photos, and put them up on the sites.
Giphy being the main one for gifs, and there is a big chance they could go viral.
For stock images, make 25-30 interesting or goofy pictures with your products or people in them, and then send them out to various stock photo sites. You don't, or probably shouldn't charge for them, but they could lead to a massive surge in traffic. Or at the least your face much more widely seen.
All it takes is an afternoon of work.
Automations
Part of the equation of success, is making sure you have the right tools to get things done. Between Notion and Repurpose I actually have a lot of my zones of output covered. Although I'm still looking for a social media tool that would work.
To me this is why I've failed, as I have had the strategy (in part described in the next paragraph), and the execution grit. However without a tool to provide the baseline automations it has failed in doing it frequently.
Automating part of the process!
My Social Ratio
I've been studying how to do social media marketing from way back in 2012, and from what I've learned over the years is that you have to echo out your right hooks. If you want someone to check out your blog post for example you can't just send it out once. I have been at fault of that, but I plan on making more campaigns for every piece of content I've made (especially since I've literally revamped all my blog posts for example).
The ratio goes: Day of, day later (opposite time of day), week later, month later, half a year, and year later. I'd also point out you could add 2 months later too. I even thought a monthly tweet would be interesting.
This echo out idea came from some the best SMM tool's blogs out there. Yet basically NONE of them can do it ironically. The only two that got close were missinglettr and coschedule. Although both are too expensive for their worth.
ML could only do written content, and it failed a lot of the time at the "automated" copy. Never worked with Audio and video (I tried). The one that did "work" was Coschedule, but they increased their cost by 33%. It also still required Zapier to work, which I've had mixed luck with zaps working or not.
I even decided to cut out the middle man, and try Zapier by itself. I made a 20 something step multi-zap, and it quickly broke down haha.
Too many points of failure basically in all three.
I've tried over 90 SMM tools, and none have solved the problem for me. One that I am looking forward to trying out though is https://socialbu.com/
Another worth mentioning is riteforge.com/
The Three Bears
Not too little, and not too much. You have to find that goldielocks zone, and make sure you are not posting too much! Although I would argue it is hard to post too much of good content, just if you are automating most of it then it can get tiresome to your audience.
I've seen twitter profiles for example that are just links to an instagram post 🤮. You have to be more creative than that, and make sure you add contextual copy to your automated posts. Like I just posted this video today on TeleInnovator! You should go check out {{Title}} and here is the link! {{Link here}}. It gives an element of realness, and that is much needed.
The Right Tool
I got so frustrated by the lack of tools out there that would do what I needed them to do that I thought about building my own!! I still might. Here is the idea behind that "OmniContent CMS".
This came to my attention a MASSIVE resource!
Strategy + Automation x Execution = Success
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
In my experience the success you find online comes from the equation you see above. If you want to find a way to maximize your reach or content, then you have to start with the right strategy in mind. The WHY of it, or why will it work.
Then you get to the HOW, and that is the automation and tools you use for the growth endeavor. Say your social media management tool, repurposing for microcontent, or perhaps the content management system you're using!
Here is a great list of tools you can look at https://blog.oneupapp.io/social-media-scheduling-tools/
Then it comes down to the amount of grit and execution YOU can do. The WHAT are you going to do about it bit. When all three are aligned that is what leads you to success.
Shoutout to Repurpose.io!
One of the few affiliate links I try to use, as it is really just a tool made for content creators like us. Makes the life of being omnichannel that much easier!!
Content Creation and Personal Branding for the Modern Age
This post is huge, and that is because there is a lot to said about going global. I have been watching and learning from the best. I found the secrets they use, and the methods of going viral. It is not gauranteed to always work, but you significantly increase your chances of being successful if you follow the words here today.
It is interesting too because just like Gary Vee points out, we are giving you the keys to success on a silver platter. However many of you won't do anything about it. In fact to some it may seem like "too much work", or that it isn't worth your time to be polymathic on your content. Ironically it is those people who are going to eventually fail or stop creating.
It is inevitable that most if not all of these tactics will be become the norm. I've already seen it to some degree, and when it hits the popular mass then it is over for small time people like us.
We have to get ahead of the curve, but not only that DO BETTER than the people in the curve. Even if someone comes after us doing the same thing, we would have first mover advantage.
An Ecosystem of content!
All of these strategies are trying to take advantage of the massive opportunity we have in this modern age.
This is an Example of what my PolyPro Posts Look like
Meaning that the paid subscription gets you long form, information/wisdom dense, and overall just full of value posts like this. Topics may vary, but the quality does not! You can expect awesome detailed posts like this one!
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Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
