Skip to content

Adam’s Daily Post

Join thousands of readers who read my short daily posts on edutainment, product design and running sustainable creator-led business for over 20 years. Blogging daily since 2017.

Featured in Huffington Post and Inc Magazine
Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2291 • March 18 2024

AI made one big change for creators

AI made one big change for creators:

And it’s this:

To be good, just use AI for everything.
To be great, master your craft for a subniche.

‘Settling for Good’ is getting very crowded.
‘Striving for Great’ is quieter than ever.

It’s not about where you are.
It’s about where you’re heading.
Which is it to be?

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2290 • March 17 2024

Master yours

Continuing the AI theme this weekend,

Good news. Everyone is flocking to AI tools.

Why’s it good news?

It creates more opportunity for you.

When AI makes clipping videos faster,
But clips them all in a similar way,
Master your own style of clipping.

When AI makes painting images faster,
But does them all in similar styles,
Master your own style of painting.

When AI makes writing content faster,
But mostly writes in popular styles,
Master your own voice when writing.

When everyone sounds the same,

Because they delegated their voice, personality and style,

All you need to do is master yours.

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2289 • March 16 2024

Decent or great?

AI made one big change to creators:

If you’re decent, you’re done. If you’re great, you’re golden.

But what’s the difference?

What’s decent, and what’s great? How do I know which is me?

Great is:

  • Mastery over your craft
  • Deep knowledge of your subniche
  • Mastery over crafting for that subniche

Not prepared to be that specific?

You’re not prepared to be great.

We don’t have to like it.

But this is how it is now.

So. You get to choose:

Decent or great?

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2288 • March 15 2024

Investing in the right

"Investing in growth."

It sounds good.

But hold on. Put down the credit card.

"Growth."

We need to define this word, before it herniates our business.

Customers don’t care what computer you use, what office you work from, or if you’re "expanding".

They don’t care how many masterminds you’re in, your revenue per employee, or your net worth.

They don’t care how many books you’ve read, articles you’ve written, or comments you’ve left on LinkedIn.

They don’t care about your ROAS, CTR, or ROTI.

Customers care about feeling seen, feeling good, feeling progress, and feeling cared for.

Perhaps your list is different.

That’s fine. The point isn’t to have that list, but to have a list.

Bezos says think about "what's not going to change."

Guy’s got a point.

If you don’t have a list yet,

Here’s mine:

Invest in their narrative

There are two stories. The story you tell yourself, and the story they tell themselves. Yours is great. But they like theirs better. So you should know theirs as well as they do.

Invest in things they’ll love and look forward to

We skip most ads. They get in the way of what we love. So make what they love, not what they skip. Run that as ads. Do you not think that’s precisely what they want? Don’t ask, "What do I want people to hear from me?" Ask, "What kind of experience would my chosen few love today?" and make that your advertising.

Invest in a deplatformed experience worth sharing with others

We bounce on most pages. They don’t live up to the promise made when we clicked. They give us nothing of value, only more promises. Don’t ask, "What can I put on this page that will make people convert?" Instead ask, "What amazing experience can I give people with the full power of the open web at my disposal?" then work out how to make it into a page.

Invest in delightful onboarding

So you made a great introduction to your work. You made a great invitation with your page. Now people need to take their first steps with you. Most businesses leave their 'onboarding'entirely to chance. Don’t ask, "Great they’ve bought, what’s next?" Ask, "They’ve just taken the first step, how can I make the next couple of days absolutely amazing for them?" then make that your onboarding.

Invest in fantastic service

This is normally an afterthought. You’d be surprised of often it is. Normally, when a business makes a sale, they’re just thinking about making the next one. 'Service is just a necessary evil.' It’s not. Fantastic service is one of your best sales tools. Don’t ask, "How can I keep them around while I go sell more stuff?" Instead ask, "How can I blow their minds so much they can’t help but shout from the rooftops?"

Invest in great communication

Problems arise. Customer gets mad. Maybe they request a refund. Maybe they request changes. Maybe the business thinks they’re a brat. Maybe they are. Normally, it was just bad communication. Few problems can’t be resolved with an investment in better communication. Ever had an unhappy customer? There’s your cue.

Invest in growing in your craft

You’re good. Really good. So are others. But your customers chose you. You’re the horse they backed. Now it’s down to you to run well. So between each race, train. For you and for your customers. Become the best version of you that you can be. Make them proud they chose you. Make yourself proud of how far you’ve come.

Seems like a good list to me.

I go into more detail on this topic in this week’s issue of The Productoon Newsletter. Check it out!

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2287 • March 14 2024

The wrong content

You may be creating the wrong content.

Don’t be a car dealership commercial.

Don’t be a superbowl commercial.

Be the superbowl.

That which we’ll eagerly anticipate.

That which we’ll will miss when you’re gone.

It doesn’t happen every day,

That’s fine.

We’ll be waiting.

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2286 • March 13 2024

Investing in success...wrong

We hear a lot about “investing in success” on social.

Most of it? Wrong.

Eleven cohorts,
Posh laptops,
New offices,
Expansion,

Hm. Do customers ask you to invest in those?

Or do they actually want:

- Service (not cheap labour) - Communication (not just your VA) - Enjoyment (’cos life’s hard enough)

Aren’t those better investments?

Aren’t those a better path to what you want?

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2285 • March 12 2024

The point of running a business

The point of running a business?

To make you and others happy.

Not to do what MBA students say.
Not to out-earn your Wall St. pals.
Not to impress your grandparents.
Not to ‘hustle’ into an early grave.
Not to build a prison for yourself.
Not to trade life for a front cover.

Have happy customers.
Have a happy you.

Otherwise, what are you doing?

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2284 • March 11 2024

There are no other strategies

Lousy marketing strategies:

  • Spamming potential buyers
  • Chasing and trapping customers
  • Copying peers, hoping for the best

Great marketing strategies:

  • Delighting and nurturing true fans

There are no other strategies.

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2283 • March 10 2024

Two choices in business

Two choices:

Make great things, keep costs in check, focus on customers.

Make what you hope are great things, spend the funding, focus on investors.

One is glamorous, easy to grow, until it needs to start generating its own funds to stay alive.

One is not glamorous, hard to grow, but stands on its own two feet indefinitely.

We get to choose.

Adam Fairhead Adam Fairhead
Post #2282 • March 09 2024

How they do it

‘How they do it’ is how we structure most of our work affairs.

But ‘how they do it’ is really none of our business:

‘How they do it’ could mean:

  • Spewing best practices for using social media, despite making you cringe
  • Telling you what tools you should use, when you have ones you enjoy already
  • Insisting your business should grow, when you may secretly want it to shrink
  • Comparing vanity metrics, when you know customers literally don’t care
  • Buying the fancy gear and swish offices, when you prefer simplicity
  • Urging you to focus on revenue, when you prefer to focus on happiness

‘How they do it’ doesn’t have to be ‘how you do it’.

You do you.

Subscribe to my newsletter

I create a weekly newsletter for creators who want to improve their product marketing and their mindset. Check it out:

Check out the Productoon newsletter