New Writers: Are You Making This HUGE Mistake With Your Content?
The hidden secret behind every successful tv show
There’s a hidden secret behind every successful tv show.
Earlier this week, I was sitting on the couch enjoying dinner with my fiancée.
We are cooking competition show junkies, and Guy’s Grocery Games has become our obsession.
We had just finished season 1 (apparently there’s over 20 seasons, so we’ll be watching this for a while).
Instead of playing season 2, I skipped to season 11.
About 5 minutes into the episode, I noticed it.
I dropped my chicken-pizza onto the plate, quickly grabbed the remote, and hit pause.
I whipped up my phone and quickly jotted down:
“Create content like TV producers.”
(my fiancée is used to this behavior by now)
Here’s what I saw:
Season 11 was very similar to season one, with one primary distinction:
Season 11 was polished with better jokes, more unique camera angles, themes around the cooking, and higher-quality guests and judges.
The core concept was the same, but the quality was better.
What TV show producers know is that most TV shows fail.
Every TV show starts with no audience.
The producers may have a guess on how the audience will react.
But they don’t know.
So they create a few episodes around the core concept, and release it.
If people like it, watch it, and share it… The producers release more.
If they release it and no one watches it, they move on to their next idea.
When you’re starting out, this is how you should approach content.
When most people create content, they try to create season 11 without having created season 1 (speaking from experience).
They try to make the more polished content possible — before confirming that the audience is interested.
Here’s how to write your Season 1 Content instead:
- Come up with an idea that you believe your target audience will love.
2. Define the core of the idea (what makes it unique or special? Why would people care?)
3. Create 15 pieces of content that highlight this core idea.
This is your Season 1 Content.
If people engage with it, and you enjoy writing it, create more content. You might be onto something.
If not, come up with a new idea and repeat.
If you’re just starting out, let me know what your Season 1 Content is.
If you’re a non-fiction writer who’s struggling to make money, you’re in the right place.
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