How I Try and Make Authentic Content

Imagine a scenario for a moment.

You get a brand spankin’ new idea – perhaps the coolest thing you’ve ever thought of doing ever.

(Or, at least the coolest idea you’ve had since the last time you felt this way…)

Your brain hits you with one (or all) of the following –

“I know! I’ll start a blog!”

“I know! I’ll start a podcast!”

“I know! I’ll start a YouTube channel!”

etc.

These thoughts occur because we’ve seen success illustrated in others, and these are currently the most popular channels for such an illustration.

For a moment, we conveniently forget all the work involved in such endeavors. We also forget that notoriety of any significant impact is usually more of a situation of being prepared and in the right place at the right time, than just “starting” something creative.

I don’t want to persuade you not to start regularly creating some sort of online content. In fact, I’d like to persuade you to do just that. There’s certainly lots of noise – but I think that’s a factor that most people only know how to make noise.

It’s kind of like how the vast majority of guys in college “play guitar” – meaning that they can pick up a poor man’s Martin knockoff and strum a few simple, popular tunes. They know how to make noise – but that requires no real creativity, exploration, or thought about what they sound like. They just play a poor man’s John Mayer.

So in recognition of these things:

I think you should be making content, regularly. The benefits for you vastly outweigh the negatives.
There’s a lot of noise, and bad content.

I think it’s appropriate – within my space (this blog or email) – to give you my thoughts on what makes noise versus “good” content.

This is by no means any sort of rule book. I don’t own the internet, or anyone’s voice. I’m just fortunate that a few hundred people choose to listen to me regularly, and someone posted a piece that came across my Twitter feed and frustrated me into writing this.

That’s all.

Let it also be stated – for the record – that I have gained most of these opinions through experience, and therefore failure. Regular readers should read through this and be able to call me a hypocrite multiple times.

Choose Appropriate Headlines

A title, of any content, is incredibly important. It’s the first point of decision with a consumer where they must decide whether to consume or not.

Not everyone reads every single one of my posts.

But it’s really easy to get someone to do so – if you’re a jerk, or super needy.

It’s called “clickbait”.

You can easily take a controversial opinion, a list, or politics, and turn them into views.

My point isn’t not to do that – my point is, there’s a time and a place.

I can say “Business Cards are Completely Worthless”, “Quit Fucking Around”, “The Top 10 Plugins You Should Download Right Now” or “Something Something Donald Trump” and most of you will click it the first time, or the first few times.

But if I do that regularly, it actually becomes offensive. It’s the boy who cried wolf principle. I will eventually turn people away.

Your headline must match your content as well.

The post that got me to write this was titled “It’s Time We Stopped Encouraging Indies” – which reads like “indie game makers shouldn’t be encouraged”. It can be read all sorts of super bad ways, due to the title embracing a negative context through the word “stop”.

The content of the post I actually agreed with in tone, for the most part – which surprised me given the title. The author gave numerous points about how being a successful independent game developer is extremely difficult and we shouldn’t just encourage every person who dreams of making games to go make one. I fully agree with that in a variety of jobs – audio included!

But the headline was designed, in my opinion, to rile people up for clicks. The title reads negatively, the content did not. It didn’t match, and it was fairly clear that the outrageous title wasn’t meant to be tongue-in-cheek or anything of the sort.

This is a fast way to get people to stop paying attention.

What can you do instead?

A lot.

Engage people’s curiosity. Tell them you’re going to teach them something. Write lists and be controversial (occasionally). Make jokes and play off pop culture. Get creative!

But be honest and calculated about it – rather than just lobbing content bombs and hoping anyone pays attention.

Be Present and Regular

Show up on schedule as often as you can.

I don’t need to say much more than that, I hope.

I used to keep a public schedule telling people when to expect my posts. I don’t do that anymore. I can, do, and will, change how much I post whenever I feel like it.

But people know they’re going to get content from me every week.

Yours doesn’t have to be weekly. It doesn’t even have to be monthly. You could only create content at special times of the year.

Just don’t create content “when you feel like it”. The more you make, the more often you make it, the faster your audience builds.

It’s a really, really weird phenomenon about the internet. Quality is very much secondary to quantity in regard to gaining eyeballs.

Making money? Getting a good and dedicated audience? That’s another matter entirely. But if you’re only out to build a list, get more followers, build whatever number that isn’t as important as you think it is – then you need to increase the quantity of your content.

And if you’re irregular and just post whenever and disappear for months or weeks? It’s never going to work.

Have Humility, and Take Criticism

People are going to disagree and have something to say to you. Listen to it, within reason.

I largely don’t care about spelling errors here. I’m not charging you for any of this content, I create a considerable amount of it, and if you choose to view me as wholly incompetent because I can’t spell Porsche – that’s fine by me.

(I had a bunch of good laughs with those of you who pointed that out – by the way. Thank you, and yes, I don’t know anything about cars. No, I’m not planning on fixing the post – I barely have time to write this today.)

But if someone instructs me on a better way to do audio or programming and isn’t a complete jerk about it?

I may not agree – but I’m at least going to listen and have a conversation about it.

I don’t know nearly as much about microphones, preamps, or recording gear as most field recordists. You can be sure they’re going to call me out if I direct people poorly – and that’s great! I need to sit under the learning tree and listen.

I also don’t know nearly as much about designing software systems as most senior (or even non-senior) developers do. You can be sure i’ve been called out a bunch when I’m directing people poorly. It’s awesome – I’ve gotten to learn from some amazing software developers.

But a ton of people simply put out content.

“Listen to this cool sound design I made”

“Check out this thing I’m recording, isn’t it sweet?”

“Check out this really rad thing I did with Reaper”

and if someone worthy of your ears provides criticism – it’s often blown off. Don’t do this.

Not for the sake of the person giving you the criticism – but for yourself.

If someone who you know can teach you, that you feel in your gut has something to say – don’t run, listen.

And if you choose not to? You’re eventually going to be called out anyway. Time is not on your side when it comes to weeding out the skilled and knowledgeable vs the in-the-moment “gurus”.

Be Helpful

Share your opinions, teach, put out jokes – but most of all – be helpful.

If you’re creating content just to show off, it’s a lot of noise.

I get contacted by people interested in working with me, in whatever context, often because I provide both information and entertainment.

In the process, over time, it showcases what I know and what I don’t.

I don’t hide that I’m not a brilliant game audio engine developer. I don’t hide that I’m learning.

I share where I’m at, and teach what I know and what I’m learning – it allows you to discern if I’m worthy of your time or not. Over time I’m sure I gain some of you, and I lose others.

That’s the way this goes.

My business mentor came up with my favorite phrase when it comes to this – be helpful, or be gone.

I think it’s a great thing to live by.

It’s a Long Game

As far as I know, I’m going to write for the rest of my life.

Content creation is an extremely long term game. You don’t usually build a massive following in a few months unless you’re talking about health, wealth, or sex – and specifically that vanity metrics of all of those things.

Game audio programming is none of the three.

I don’t have a massive following.

So while I do believe that creating content, being visible, and helping others is massively helpful for your career

(I’ve been fortunate enough to write content for various audio sites, become an “official artist” for a plugin developer, and this week I’ve been contacted by recruiters for jobs I hope I’m qualified for in a year)

If you start making things expecting to make money, be sponsored, get recognized, or whatever within the space of a few years – you’re kidding yourself.

It doesn’t happen fast.

It’s about showing up every day, especially when you don’t want to and don’t have time.

The best part?

Once you do that, you realize that those amazing moments where you’re recognized are so fleeting. The only thing left to really care about and put your heart into is showing up every day, anyway.

Alright, that’s it.

I hope to hear or see your podcast, blog, YouTube, or whatever else soon. You’re going to learn a lot along the way, I promise. I have.