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One of the biggest mistakes new creators make
And how you can overcome it
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My first job out of college was as a digital writer and editor at ESPN.
I spent a couple years there, then went to Fox Sports to lead digital content teams.
This was at a time when the iPhone was hitting significant scale and audiences were beginning to move from a desktop environment to a mobile and social media environment.
One of the lessons we learned repeatedly was this:
Quality is completely subjective.
We flew writers and editors around the country creating content we loved … and sometimes almost nobody read it.
Then we’d have someone create a piece of content in the office in 20 minutes, and it’d get millions of views.
It can be frustrating, but that’s the internet.
In “traditional” media — magazines, books, films, etc — the publisher decided which content was “good” and deserved to be read or viewed.
On the internet, your audience decides.
And that leads to one of the biggest mistakes new creators make:
Talking themselves out of ideas that aren’t “good enough.”
How many pieces of content have you never created because you didn’t think they’d be “good enough?”
Probably tons.
I know I have.
But here’s the truth:
We have no idea if a piece of content is “good” until we publish it.
Why?
Because it’s not up to us!
The audience decides.
There are countless viral posts, best-selling books and impactful stories that have never been created because the creator doubted the “quality” of them.
As someone who creates content (for any purpose), this is a huge mistake.
You’re leaving opportunities on the table because of pride, ego and self-doubt.
Does this mean you shouldn’t care about the quality of what you put out?
Of course not.
You should have standards and aim for them every time.
By all means, don’t create content you’re not proud of.
But don’t let pride fool you into thinking you know what’s “good enough.”
Let your audience decide.
So, how SHOULD you evaluate the “quality” of your content?
Again, this is subjective, but here’s how I do it:
Quantitative
I look at a few quantitative metrics on social media. The basics are:
views / impressions
likes / engagements
comments
shares
DMs
If those metrics are healthy, that’s an objective indicator that my audience liked (or at least was interested in) that content.
Qualitative
I also keep a few qualitative criteria in mind:
Did I like it?
Did it share valuable information?
Did I get good feedback on it?
These are subjective measures, but I think they’re an important piece of evaluating content.
This is where you define your standards.
What “bar” is important for you to clear with your content?
Note: it’s easy to get consumed by the idea of “quality” and never stop analyzing your stuff.
Please don’t do that.
Develop your evaluation criteria, spend a few minutes analyzing and then move on to creating your next piece of content.
Action Item
Spend a few minutes developing your method for evaluating “quality.”
Which quantitative metrics will you use?
Which qualitative criteria will you use?
Save your criteria in a place you can reference consistently.
Please DO NOT overthink this.
And remember the most important lesson in this issue:
Quality is completely subjective.
When in doubt, let your audience decide.
Previous Issues
If you missed them, here are a few previous issues of The Daily Creator you may enjoy:
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