G’morning, friends.

We’re on the cusp of October and you can literally smell harvest on the horizon in central Indiana.

This will be another light edition of the newsletter but we’ll get back to the grind next month with some original ideas around (1) content tilts in agriculture and (2) the power of consistency in content creation.

In the meantime, if you’ve got any graphic designer or SEO specialists in your circles, I’d appreciate any connections.

Today’s estimated read time: 3.6 minutes

Sip that coffee and scroll…

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One Original Idea: Ag Content Creator Knowledge Drop – Round 2

“What’s been the most valuable thing that happened for you professionally since building your audience?”

That’s the 2nd question I posed to some of my fellow content creators in the industry with a hope of learning what is the value of putting your ideas, thoughts, and insights out into the world for others to consume.

After last week’s great insights from Janette Barnard, Sarah Nolet, and Tim Hammerich, I wanted to drop the next set of answers in a timely fashion.

Here’s what my friends shared on the professional value they’re gaining from their content efforts:

From Shane Thomas of Upstream Ag Insights:

To have to think critically through news, technology, who is going to be impacted, etc, has helped me better understand the industry and glean insight into where it might go. I find that sometimes, my thinking is flawed, or there was something I missed, and there are individuals who kindly share their views, insights, and knowledge, further building my clarity of thought.

From Dan Schultz of AgTech Marketing Insights:

I have loved the conversations. I really don’t think of what I do as building an audience. I think it’s about creating a platform where I can say things I believe, and other people can respond with what they believe. That accelerates learning and has allowed me to develop a unique point of view on the industry.

From Rhishi Pethe of Software is Feeding the World:

It has accelerated my learning process about different problems and challenges faced by food and agriculture systems.

Are we seeing a theme, folks?

Some might tag Shane, Dan, and Rhishi with labels like ‘expert’ or ‘thought leader.’

But all three of them said–in their own words--that they use the outlet as a learning motion, a way to better understand the industry and the systems around it.

So no more excuses that you aren’t smart enough or have enough experience.

Learn in public, build an audience, and watch your professional roots grow.

One last bit: Shane shared another piece of professional value that I too have experienced in the past few years ⬇️

Upstream created access to people who I wouldn’t be able to call colleagues, and better yet, friends. I even have a handful of examples where I had reached out to individuals in the past via LinkedIn and never received an answer, only to have them reach out to me 12, 18, or 24 months later once they read Upstream asking to connect. The power of sharing thoughts and perspectives publicly creates a magnet for like-minded individuals, or for your target customer.

Three Interesting Finds

1. Just start…

Shane Parrish

@ShaneAParrish

One of the biggest drivers of success is the belief that you can figure it out as you go along.
Some obstacles can’t be overcome before you start.
Start small and show up every day.

September 17th 2022

417

Retweets

2,424

Likes

If you don’t follow Shane and all things Farnam Street, you’re missing out.

And while this tweet is obviously applicable to so many parts of life, it also couldn’t ring more true as we think about content creation.

A lot of content marketing is testing, iterating, seeing what sticks, and being willing to watch some stuff flounder.

Your audience, prospects, and customers will guide you if you let them.

It’s ok to not have all the answers at the starting line.

You just have to start.

2. Community 101

Building an audience and building an online community are two very different things — a subject I’ll cover in a coming newsletter.

I devoured Without Their Permission over the July 4th holiday and it got me itching to try and build more ‘community’ into a future content or media venture. This founding story of Reddit isn’t some fantastical tale, but more of simply finding a way to connect like-minded digital nomads on a slew of topics of their choice.

I’ve had a few discussions with folks on what this could look like in agriculture, either for farmers or even in a B2B context further along the value chain. It could be a big marketing win if it is able to be pulled off.

Worth the $9 Amazon buy, IMO.

3. A whole new meaning to paywall.

I often beat the ‘every company is a media company’ drum…

But this week Devin beat me to it 😏

That’s all for today, folks. If you think a friend or colleague could benefit from subscribing, send them here to sign up!

Chat with you in two weeks!

Curious how the Imagine Content & Consulting team could help you build your audience and generate insightful, engaging content for your brand? Get in touch today.