3 Categories of Content
If you always ask yourself the question…
“What should I post?”
“What video should I make?”
“What topic should I talk about?”
This is for you.
Most educational content falls into three categories:
- How to
- How I
- Mindset shift
They are NOT the same.
“HOW TO” CONTENT
When someone searches for how to do something…
What they are looking for are instructions.
People look for instructions when they want to outsource thinking.
They want steps they can follow without thinking about it.
They expect that those steps will give them a result.
So they just want to follow the steps and get the result.
“How to” is the least valuable category of these three for exactly that reason.
“HOW I” CONTENT
When you tell someone the process you went through…
And what you did in order to get a certain result…
They have to imagine how they would apply to their situation.
This requires them to do more thinking.
They need to model what you did and then do it themselves.
And this means have a general idea of how it works…
But they still need to think about how it will work for them.
“How I” is more valuable than “how to” because they need to think.
If we compare these two categories to drawing…
“How to” is like tracing an image and moving the pencil over existing lines.
“How I” is like looking at an image and recreating it on another sheet of paper.
“MINDSET SHIFT” CONTENT
When you gives someone reasons to think differently…
They have to apply those reasons to their current view of the world.
Before exposure to the content, they have a worldview.
They believe the world works a certain way.
But after they are exposed to the content, they see things differently.
Something about the content clicks in their mind.
It makes them reevaluate their worldview and adjust it.
This is the most powerful and most valuable type of content.
It makes them feel like they now have the answer…
They understand something that explains why things didn’t work before.
And that means they can approach any situation with their new understanding.
Think about it like this…
If you watch a “how to” video about how to build a website…
Then you’re going to follow the exact steps they give you…
And you’re going to end up with a copy of what they made.
If you watch a “how I” video about how to build a website…
Then you’re going to model what they made.
You might be using a different platform or different tools…
And things might work a little differently…
But you’ll have an example of the result you’re trying to reach…
And you can make small changes that work in your situation.
But if you watch a “mindset shift” video about how to build a website…
You can use any tool and apply the information to anything you’re making.
It’s a change in thinking that has wider implications.
And now you know a BETTER way to do it - not just their way.
That’s why it’s much better for me to show you HOW to think…
When I work with clients, most of what we do is around thinking differently.
This enables them to have a winning approach in many different scenarios.
“How to” information is still useful and important…
Sometimes you just need to follow the steps.
“How I” information is important too…
Sometimes you need a clear model of the result you want.
But “mindset shift” information is what gives you an advantage…
Because now you know how to think on your own to solve problems.
To your success,
P.S. I’m going to try to share more of these gems more regularly, but what really motivates me to do it is seeing the questions people ask in the emails they send me. When you send that energy my way, I receive it and give it back. So when I see that happening, I tend to publish more stuff like this.
P.P.S. You can get the $10k Club™ book here.