This is Day 19 of my 30-day blogging journey.
Want to know the “why”? Check out Day 1.
Piggybacking off of sentiments from yesterday’s post, there’s another element to creativity that matters:
What your unique voice provides.
The health industry can be a loud one.
It’s a space where often the person with the biggest megaphone (platform) makes the most noise and gets the most attention (even if what they’re saying isn’t true).
That makes it difficult to position yourself as an authority if your platform to speak from is smaller and you’re little more than just a tiny fish in a rather large pond.
I was speaking with a fellow coach recently and she’s trying to find her footing in the industry.
Some degree of shyness, impostor syndrome and not feeling comfortable marketing her skills and knowledge is holding her back.
It’s not a lack of knowledge, it’s confidence and knowing how to position herself amongst the noise.
Here’s the thing (and what I tried to impress on her): The audience we, as coaches/health professionals, are trying to reach is HUGE.
And you don’t need a big slice of pie to make it.
You just need a slice.
Which means that competition only matters by how much credit you give it.
For the coaches out there who are afraid to put their information into the world, remember who you’re writing for: NOT other coaches but to your ideal client.
Some coaches prefer to write with lots of peer-reviewed studies, reference points, and scientific jargon.
That’s all fine and good but is that what your client is coming to you for? A breakdown of PubMed studies?
The advice I gave to the coach was to approach her content from a more inviting place:
If I were a potential client and I had a question for you about how much protein I should be eating to help me reach my goals, would you sound like a professor or like a friend?
I’ve always tried to operate like the latter.
What many people don’t know is that plagiarism is rampant in the health field. Coaches will swipe the work of others, remove credit where it’s due and simply slap their names on it posed as original work.
That may not mean much to the general public, but it pisses off a lot of people who put the work in to make original content.
If you were a musician, there’s a good chance you might write a song with the chords G, C, and D but how you play those chords matters a lot. Something has to make those chords not sound like you’re rehashing “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” from Poison.
What your left with is your interpretation of those chords: the speed, the style, the inflection, and your personal mark on the chord sequence.
So, if you’re a coach, take the knowledge you have (which is likely enough to impress and attract your ideal demographic) and explain concepts in the way you think will have the best effect; with care and empathy and YOUR personality
Your words won’t affect all people in the same way.
That’s ok.
Remember: You just need a slice of the pie.
My approach may not appeal to many people and I sleep just fine at night with that truth.
What I also sleep well with is the knowledge that my voice is mine alone; influenced by many and constantly evolving.
(Photo courtesy of Jason Rosewell)
