Four years ago I wrote a post called Write Epic Shit.
I stand behind the sentiment today. Nothing will help you build an audience faster than publishing truly epic content.
Epic content is the kind of blog post, (or podcast, video, book, etc.) that makes people think. You have to inspire people. Change lives. Create value. Blow people away with the incredible usefulness of your content.
One or two pieces of epic content can launch a career or a business.
But the epic content mindset can also be a trap.
No one is able to produce epic content every single time. A few seasoned veterans come close, but everyone publishes just passable or even forgettable pieces in between the epic stuff.
The trap comes from setting the bar too high, as if everything you publish must be epic. This happens especially to beginners. “I can’t think of anything epic to write, so why should I bother?”
Too much of this mindset can get you stuck. Once you’re stuck, the risk of giving up entirely grows more and more with each missed publishing deadline.
““There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” — Ernest Hemingway”
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You Don’t Get to Judge
Have you ever decided not to publish something, because you didn’t have anything amazing to say?
If so, this is for you. It’s time to lower the bar.
I want you to grant yourself a pass for now.
No more worrying about epic content. It’s stressing you out and making you feel bad about your abilities as a writer/podcaster/video maker.
Here’s the secret about creating epic shit: you rarely know ahead of time which things will really take off. There are too many variables.
Sometimes the thing you thought would be a huge hit falls flat. Sometimes the thing you thought was a throwaway ends up on the front page of Reddit.
But more importantly, sometimes the thing that you thought was barely worth reading affects someone deeply.
Those are the experiences you want to create.
Epic content is the kind of thing that affects many people deeply all at once.
Content worth reading (but which isn’t epic) can affect a few people deeply.
If a couple of pieces of epic content can launch an entire career or business, a prolific collection of content worth reading published over many months or years can become the most valuable thing you ever do.
And along the way, epic content will come. By publishing a steady drumbeat of content worth reading, you’ll get better and better and publishing things with the power to affect more and more people deeply.
Each thing you publish becomes a lottery ticket, and the odds improve the more you play.
But you have to buy the lottery tickets. You have to hit publish. You can’t let your fear of publishing something bad keep you from publishing at all.
“You have to hit publish. Don’t let your fear of publishing something bad keep you from publishing at all.”
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Think about bloggers like Seth Godin or Fred Wilson, who have published every day for years. Seth and Fred aren’t pumping out epic content every day. Most of the posts are worth reading, but not epic.
But Seth and Fred both have epic bodies of work. The sum total of thousands of articles published on a simple blog has become the most valuable thing either of them have done, and we’re talking about two very accomplished individuals. And plenty of epic content has come along the way.
You don’t get to prejudge your work before anyone else gets to see it. We’re terrible judges of our own creations.
“You don’t get to prejudge your work before anyone else sees it. We’re terrible judges of our own creations.”
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Make a New, Simpler Promise
Here’s my challenge to you today.
Forget about epic content.
Make a promise to yourself that you’ll publish as often and consistently as you can. Set a schedule. Blog, podcast, tweet, make videos, write books. The form doesn’t matter.
Your goal isn’t to publish epic content.
Your goal is simply to show up and publish. Publish the best thing you can that day, but publish even if you don’t think it’s so great.
Aim to affect people, and aim to write something worth reading. But above all, aim to consistently share your work with the world.
Aim for greatness, but not at the expense of shipping.
The combination of consistency and feedback will eventually lead to something truly epic, whether it’s a handful of amazing individual pieces, or a body of work that becomes the most valuable thing you ever do.
This is a simple promise. Promise to put hitting publish ahead of everything else. No more excuses, and no more worrying about not having something amazing to say.
Get it out the door, and get better as you go.
Consistently publishing and deliberate practice will make your work amazing.
Are you in? Say so in the comments below.
Then go publish something today, and share this with someone who needs it.
Learn how to set goals that actually stick!
The Top 10 Mistakes in Online Business
Every week we talk with entrepreneurs. We talk about what’s working and what isn’t. We talk about successes and failures. We spend time with complete newbies, seasoned veterans, and everything in between.
One topic that comes up over and over again with both groups is mistakes made in starting businesses. Newbies love to learn about mistakes so they can avoid them. Veterans love to talk about what they wish they had known when starting out.
These conversations have been fascinating, so we compiled a list of the 10 mistakes we hear most often into a nifty lil' guide. Get the 10 Most Common Mistakes in Starting an Online Business here »
I’m in. And this has come at the perfect time because I was just stressing over what to write this morning.
Go get ’em Bill! Let us know what you come up with.
Really needed to hear this today. Been beating myself up trying to make sure my content is “epic.” But You’re right, there’s no way I will know if it’s epic or not. I’ll just have to publish and see what happens.
I’m completely new to blogging, my site isn’t even live yet, but I’ve been working on it a lot lately, and this has kinda been keeping me from publishing. Thanks so much for this!
You’ll be just fine A.J. Keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Thanks for saying this Corbett. I’ve spent the last two months publishing twice a week on schedule for 52 Permission Slips and already have 50% of the subscribers I do after a full year of pen to ZEN’s erratic (but pretty great) posts. Being a writer writing about writing made me set my bar really high but I’ve learned just what you said: my audience grows (and seems happy) without being burdened with epicosity all the time. It’s possible to connect in smaller ways. I believe in the beautiful art of imperfection yet I so rarely let myself practice it freely. Now I am and look, everything is alright. :-)
“Epicosity” – love that, along with “beautiful art of imperfection.” Thanks Faith.
Wow, I needed this post. My wife and I use the term ‘epic shit’ frequently when debating our posts. It’s always a problem for us to pick the amount of effort. We want epic content, but it is exhausting to always try for it. Good to know our combo of regular with a mix of epic gets the creators approval.
So happy to hear that guys, let me know how the new strategy works out.
I can completely attest to this. Some of my most shared work (think 20,000 + views a single week) was work I was so close to not publishing and thought was complete garbage. And there were times when I thought my article was going to be a hit but no one cared to give it a chance.
There’s absolutely no way to know what will work and what won’t.
Creating epic content comes from believing deeply and truly in what you want to share with this world and to keep on delivering, consistently and sincerely :).
100% yes
Really appreciate this post and what you and the Fizzle team have taught me and others in the online space. Before writing or publishing anything, whether it’s a long, thoughtful post or a quick hit, I always ask myself, “Will my audience find this valuable?” Thanks to you guys for helping guide us through all the noise online.
Corbett, I just love you. But not in a stalkery way. I love your posts, and how they speak to me every.single.time! (Isn’t that your point in this piece?!) There is power in Epic Shit. I remember your post like it was yesterday. I frequently think about it as I’m writing, and link to it often, because I want people to read it, and take it in.
And I so appreciate this post.
It is impossible to be epic all the time. It is also impossible to be epic if you don’t practice. By publishing consistently you get the practice you need, you get input from your audience to help you get really clear about what they want and need. It is only with that information, and practice you can even begin to have what it takes inside YOU to write epic shit.
It’s funny you mentioned moving people… one of my core desired feelings is “deeply moved”. This year I’ve made it my mission to write in a way that deeply moves people. Whether it’s a list post, a story, or a trick to stay calm… I want people to feel moved. It’s a very different kind of writing than when I was trying to write Epic Shit all.the.time. The fun thing though, is the messages I’m getting from readers. Saying thank you, and how much my posts meant to them, helped them, moved them. That’s pretty amazing.
Thanks for your great work Corbett. I truly appreciate you, and my other favorite Fizzle fellas. :)
Awww, thanks SO much Jackie! I’m really happy to hear from you about this, and love the mission of making people feel moved. Good luck!
Another problem is, most people think they have to publish 500+ words article every day on their own blogs or as guest posts. You can “publish” every day by simply leaving thoughtful comments on other people’s blogs, answering questions on Forums etc. That takes away the pressure to publish epic content all the time.
And by writing few words here and there, you exercise your writing muscles and solidify your ideas. You can then re-purpose your small pieces, and all of a sudden, you have epic content.
Absolutely, I completely agree Raymond, there are so many places to write, and it doesn’t always have to be on your own blog.
“Show up and publish”, as ever Corbett you hit the inspiration fire button. That’s what I’m doing on my blog, http://trafficsmartmarketing.com but also, it’s the push and desire to write content that actually gets at what my audience wants.
I found your tip to create reader avatars so helpful in doing this, especially in asking what the 3 of them would want to read, what answers are they looking for, what problems are they getting frustrated with and searching for ways to solve right now?
I’ve also found how useful finding out what’s missing from the advice and strategies already out there. Of studying what’s going on for people right now. This was proven big time for me when most of the comments I got from a guest post I wrote recently: http://firepolemarketing.com/how-to-promote-a-guest-post/ expressed how “timely” the information I gave them in the post was. I watched the current response to content created on the same topic and found the missing link in it and gave it to them.
It’s a lesson I also learnt from you, Corbett – write insanely useful content. Message received, understood and delivered on.
This is just what I needed to here. I’ve been so worried about writing content. I’m currently doing a copywriting course but even now I’m worried about pressing publish. This is a great help. Thanks!
Hi Corbett, Thank you for this. I feel like I have been granted permission! The pressure to write epic content often feels paralyzing. And yet sometimes I know that you have to just ship something, with the idea that even touching one person’s life makes the effort worthwhile.
Go get ’em Monisha!
I’m so in! :-)
When I joined Fizzle a few months ago I was committed to just one thing: finding a genuine way into writing and rebuilding my business. With Fizzle’s help, much to my surprise, I just launched a blog and what I notice is that no matter how small it is and how slowly it grows, I am committed to write regularly. Committed in a good way, like in a important relationship more than like in a job. I’m going to do my best every week. Not epic – just the best I can that week. This feels good! :-)
Your best is all you can do Halina, thanks for sharing this.
Great encouragement guys. Needed to hear it. Back to writing.
Thanks KC!
I am hitting publish more often than not but I can still up my game. Thanks for the reminder.
Corbett, thank you for this post. I’ve read your “Epic Shit” a few times and love it! I guess, I raised my bar too high and got kind of fixated on the idea that the content HAS to be epic. I have to admit I haven’t published anything for the last 3 months (shame on me), although, I keep writing and have about 6 articles that just need some minor editing. But, since I didn’t qualify them as epic, I didn’t publish them. You are right, it is almost impossible to produce epic content all the time, especially for new bloggers, like myself. I totally agree with you, the goal is to show up and publish. It was such a relief to read this post! Yes, of course I am in!
Thanks so much for sharing Anna, I hope this new strategy leads to a breakthrough for you.
I love this quote from your post. ” But more importantly, sometimes the thing that you thought was barely worth reading affects someone deeply. ” It’s true, if anything we publish in any form affects even one person deeply and in a positive way it is worth the effort. This post did that for me. Thank you. I won’t be selfish I will share it others who need to hear it.
For those of us who think your stuff isn’t good enough to publish, I pass along these sage words from Elizabeth Gilbert: “let them decide.” As Corbett says above, we can’t always know how our work will be received, and it is not necessarily our job to evaluate the quality of our work. Our job is to publish and let the readers decide what is good.
Great quote Tim!
Bravo once again Corbett! I was struggling this morning with this exact issue. And when I read the line, “Aim to affect people, and aim to write something worth reading.” it really resonated with my internal debate.
I went back and reviewed the post and asked myself if it had the possibility to affect even one person in a positive way. The answer was yes, so it’s scheduled to be published. I’m so in.
Yes! This is exactly the effect I was hoping for. Good for you Kiffanie – keep me posted on how the strategy works out for you.
I found your article stimulating, Corbett. But I’ve a question:
What’s the point of publishing without a promotional strategy? No one will see it.
Currently I am building a tribe using FB and Twitter. This will be my promotional tool.
As to forming the habit of writing and publishing, I like the ideas of James Clear who encourages to start very small. Write only one sentence per day, but do this (or more) every day. Don’t wait for inspiration. Nothing epic here, just to do it. He mentions that habit formation is crafting a new identity, and to me, that is BIG!
I’d love to hear what you hear what you have to say about these comments!