Infusing Curiosity Into Your Content - Teacher: Emily Aborn

Hello useful content creators and today I have no fancy Intro. In fact, uh, I have a confession. I wasn't able to complete it. I wasn't able to finish it because tonight I had a bit of a lime, what we call a lime in Trinidad and Tobago. You call it hangout other places in the world with some of my friends.

And, uh, it was a Good friend of mine and his family and our kids we had a lime together and it was a great lime, excellent lime, but it was in the nighttime right before this podcast so I wasn't able to do the usual fancy intro for the podcast. did however with my wife and with my friend's family make some excellent homemade pizza.

Those on the audio will not be able to see this but those on the video will be able to see it. This is proof. You see this is the pizza right here. I had my fill so I'm not going to eat this on camera, but that's what we were doing tonight. And so I have no fancy intro. Giving a synopsis of what we're going to talk about.

What we are going to talk about today In the podcast, however, is about sparking curiosity in your content. Emily Aborn is on. She's the one who sent me the really nice postcard after we did the recording and something is in my eye now. This is very messy, but I'm just doing this. Let's just show that, you know, I wasn't going to get everything done perfectly and the show has to go on.

So enjoy the podcast and let's make useful content. 

Hello and welcome to the Useful Content Podcast, and today we have a new teacher in the useful content classroom. Emily Avon. Hi Emily.

Hi Juma. Thanks so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

It is great to have you on. I, I found you on the. Facebook Podcasting Collaboration group, and it was a really good find because when I went into your content, I saw all of what you do and you are really excellent copywriter and content writer. I think you do both, do you? I.

Y Yes. Yes. Interchangeably, yes.

All right, great. And I am, I am enamored by people who write because I don't consider myself an excellent writer.

I do scripts for videos and things of that nature, but I am really, I really give kudos to people who can sit down and create and write content. So could you please share with the people what you do and how you help your clients create useful content?

Sure. Thank you for the opportunity and for the, uh, ment with writing. It's, it's like one of those things that I just can't stop. You know how like an artist, they just have to create same idea. Um, so. I do copy and content, and the reason I kind of like, there's sort of two pieces to that is copy is a lot of that sort of, um, conversion, written for conversion.

So it's like your website, copy, um, sales pages, emails, things like that. So things with the goal of probably trying to get somebody to be a customer or guide them to take the next step. And then content is a lot of the. Blogs and the social media and the emails and the podcasting and things like that.

And so I write it for people. Um, and I also do a lot of like strategy work with people. So people that are, you know, willing and able to write it themselves and do it themselves and put it into motion themselves. We sit down and we do a lot of like the strategy pieces with that. So. A lot of that, a lot of brand messaging, uh, things along those lines really like, I, I really wanna help people like, have a well-rounded approach to their marketing and not just think of it as like the email they send out every week or their website and their website's doing all the work.

So it's just like a big kind of picture approach.

So why? Why both? Why didn't you just focus on content writing or copywriting? Why do both?

Wow. That's a great question. Um, and thank you for your curiosity. I know we're gonna get more into curiosity today. I think that one can inform the other, like the, they go hand in hand, right? We can't just be selling people all of the time and we also can't just have informative information all of the time or, you know, things on our website that are like blogs and stuff like that.

So I also think that like we can. Purpose, both of those into different aspects of our business. And so that's, that's kind of what I mean, is just taking the two hand in hand. And honestly, I didn't wanna just call myself a copywriter and I didn't wanna just call myself a content writer, so I was like, I think I'm like the only person, but I'd just like, I'll put 'em together.

So now, how would you define yourself? When 

you introduce yourself, what do you, what do you say to people?

I actually usually tell people that I'm a writer. I just say I'm a writer. Because often what I find is that the next question people ask me is, what do you write? And so then

I get the opportunity to explain what I write, but I. I usually keep it really, really simple and act. That's actually a good way for us to spark curiosity in other people.

Like you don't have to go into this long, expansive title about what you do. You can just keep it really, really simple. My husband, for example, he's a painter and when people ask him what he does, he just says he's a painter. Uh, and then people often ask the question, what do you paint?

Like, oh, are you an artist, painter, or a house painter? So it's just a good way to get that conversation going with people.

Oh, that's good. That's good. That's a good tip. Before we even get into the mean. Course of the content. Uh, so great. So that's a great introduction to you and to what you do and how you do for your clients. Let's get into the thing that we came to talk about today, uh, which I found was a really excellent I.

Topic, and it sparked my curiosity when you sent it across, which was how to infuse curiosity into your content. And, uh, and I think that, uh, we are gonna probably say the word curious many times over the course of our discussion today. Uh, but tell me, what does that mean, infusing curiosity into your content.

Yeah, so the best way I think I can describe the feeling of it is curiosity is like this force that propels us forward. So I'm not on tick. TikTok, but I have a lot of friends who are on TikTok, and the way that it works is that TikTok basically just keeps them engaged by showing them like another thing they're interested in and another thing they're interested in and another thing they're interested in. And people can basically follow that, that, uh, rabbit hole for a long, long time. Right? So I like to think of curiosity. As that we're not, we're not addicting people to our, our content, but it's that, um, forward motion and like keeping people engaged, keeping people interested in the next thing, um, propelling people forward to learn more or to take action in some way. So that's kind of how I define it, it when, as it relates to our content. And I think that the. Best part of it is that it just keeps, it's like what actually sparks interest in our content, right? It keeps it from being boring, it keeps people interested. Your LinkedIn posts are a great example of sparking curiosity in your content, like you write really. Good LinkedIn posts that just give you just enough, uh, but not too much. And it raises questions and it, it leads to engagement and it doesn't close loops for people. So it keeps them sort of interested in what you're gonna say next. And like I always know you name is one on LinkedIn that I look forward to whatever you've written.

You haven't told me how to think, you haven't told me what to believe, like I'm just interested and engaged in what you're gonna say.

That example wasn't planned ahead of time, but thank you. so, okay, so here's the thing. The thing is that when I think about curiosity, uh, because I am very strongly into video, you often hear about, uh, your hook. Back in the days in advertising, they used to call that your headline or the thing that will cause someone to want to read the article.

And I know over the years there has been some. Shaking up in the industry of content with regard to click bait and these things not being genuine. And so you have, you've seen the change of places of companies like Buzzfeed, where people are moving away from things that may say one thing at the beginning and then turn out to be something else.

How can you spark curiosity without being misleading? Is there a way that you can make sure that that does not happen?

Oh, definitely. So I'm, I'm not talking about clickbait stuff here. In fact, I don't even think you need to be bright and flashy and, uh, you know, sizzly to spark curiosity. And what I mean by that is, let's just say. Everywhere you look is confetti online, all of a sudden, all the confetti starts to look the exact same.

Right? And it's no longer flashy, it's no longer eye catchy. Um, so my best tip on that is like, be yourself. And like you don't need to be any, you don't need to be. Anybody else's level of exuberance. You don't need to be anybody else's personality. You don't need to do any of these other things to contort yourself, to keep people curious and keep people interested.

I think that being yourself and like standing behind that is actually one of the best things for. Keeping people curious. And I will say that like I know that the click beatty and flashy stuff and hooks and all that works for some people and there's also other people that it really, really repels. And so you will find your people like the more you become yourself and and show up as yourself, you will find the people that are engaged with what you are doing, curious with what you're doing and not into. And it's fine if you are clickbait, but that you know you will find where your people sort of fall.

Right, and, and so I, I think that when people hear be yourself, there is a tendency to think that I can just do anything I want.

Or maybe it might, some people it might sound fluffy or like, it doesn't really give them clear direction as to how they should structure the way they create their content. Uh, is there a way in being yourself.

That can be structured or people can replicate and follow to get the most value out of creating the content.

Great question. I'm not an expert in telling people how to be themselves. Um, but what I will say is we all kind of get to choose. Even if my personality is. Over the top and super hyper and super exuberant. Like, do I wanna come in like that with my content? Right? So there are places I do, like on my podcast, I come in hot, like I'm just like coming in like a freight train. But oftentimes with my clients, that's not really gonna be appropriate.

So there are different versions of me that I show up as in different places, right? I'm still all parts of me. I'm still my whole person, but I'm showing up in a slightly different tone, I would say, in different places. Same with how long you want to commit to being in a place, and then also like the intensity that you are in a place so. When I say be yourself it's like figuring out the pieces of your personality that you feel really comfortable sharing the pieces of your personality that are authentic to you. I think what you are referring to is this term like unapologetic, where it's like you can just walk around like saying whatever you want and offending anybody you want and not. Apologizing for being harmful. And I am not talking about that. I'm simply talking about like the pieces of your personality, uh, that are your best parts, I think. And, and how do you highlight those?

All right, great. Wonderful. So now we have a sense of what that means, So let's talk about how to infuse curiosity into your content a little bit more now. Um, and so you believe that. Our content should, in fact, spark interest, and the goal is leaving people wanting more, but at the same time, not leaving them confused.

Uh, how do you strike the balance between leaving someone wanting more and not leaving them confused when it comes to your content?

I think that when it comes to confusing people, one of the quickest ways to do that is to, uh, put a little bit too much. Like, in our industry, we all have certain words that we use and phrases that we use. I actually just did a reel on this, um, where you can over talk to, to, to people, right?

You can use all of this industry jargon and this insider language. People are like, I have literally no idea what you're talking about. Just say it to me like I am, like I don't know what the insides and outsides of your business are. Um, so I think that's a quick way to. To make things really, really confusing is to use a lot of jargon. And a lot of complex language. Um, the other thing I think is too, you know, we all do this where I do it too. I have to go back through and read what I wrote and be like, am I just really confusing? Like, am I just talking in a circle here? So that's another piece of it. It's just making sure that it's like congruent, right?

Like it has a start, has a beginning, it has an end, and it's not just all over the place. So seeing focused is really I think what I'm. What I'm talking about here. Um, I think staying focused helps people not to feel as confused, giving those really clear instructions and clear calls to action like. My husband and I just discovered a podcast last night and he is like, how do I listen?

Like, where is it? And we couldn't find it on any podcast app. He's like, I guess it's not a podcast. Turns out it was on their, it was only on their website, so you had to like actually go

to their website and find the podcast. But that's an easy way you can see where. Confuses people and it switches off that curiosity.

It's like, well, I was curious about that podcast, but I'm not gonna like sit here googling how to find it. You know? So just giving people those really, really clear instructions can help to eliminate some of that confusion.

Uh, so I, what I'm hearing you saying is that yes, you have to give people something that they get attracted to something that interests them, but at the same time, you have to give them like clear instructions or pathway to engage with it. And so you have to, sides of the coin. One side is that you use the language in a way that they understand that is simple enough for them to apprehend what you're trying to say.

Then you guide them into this is how you can access the thing, how you can use the thing, and how it, it is beneficial to you. And I don't know if I'm defining it the right way, but would you say that's like what, what, what it does when you have the balance between curiosity and functionality?

Yeah. And let me, let's give a really tangible example in addition to that one I just gave of the podcast. But like I, I'm thinking of like a lot of people in the coaching industry, I. Um, often what I see in the coaching industry is a page, like a sales page that. Doesn't really say what they're going to be helping with.

Like, it'll be like we help you discover your authentic self or get closer to your true north. Like it's just like a lot of like fluffy sort of language and I'm like, yeah, but what are you really doing? So you can see how that actually causes people to lose a little bit of curiosity too, you don't wanna be like a curious buyer.

Like, I'm not gonna give you $6,000 if I don't know what I'm going to get. You know? So. Giving people like enough information so that they can be like, Ooh, I'm curious to see where we could go with this. But not making the language so like, um, fluffy and confusing that it doesn't actually tell them what you're doing.

Yeah. Yeah. So you have to make an effort to say, actually say anything.

You can't just be like, well, I just help people. And I think, you know, it's interesting. I think part of that is like, having discovered who you are serving and being able to define that so that when you speak to them, you know, the kind of language you have to use in order to engage them.

Would that be part of it too?

Oh my gosh. The, the first thing I was, I, I always start with in how do we create a spark of curiosity is who am I even talking to? Like if I don't know who I'm talking to, there's not really a way I can level with them, right? I can't understand what their struggles are, what their challenges are, what language they speak.

So that is the first, first place to start. Yes, 100%.

Could you go deeper into that and explain why that's important and how you actually do that for your clients?

Um, well, I go a lot into this with my clients. I like to know like, okay, where does your ideal client like to shop? What, uh, kind of card is your ideal client? Like, where, what, what does a day in the life look like of your ideal client? Because the more I believe that the more like specific we can be in the language we use when we're talking to our ideal clients. The more it actually ends up landing with a lot more people. So I'll use, um, I don't know if you, if you would have this experience, but we have a, uh, granny Smith apple here in, in the United States,

And It's like a very, it's a very, very tart apple. And everybody knows like, it's like the kind that makes your cheeks pucker up when you just think about it. So oftentimes for this example, I'll say like, okay, imagine yourself eating an apple. And people are like, okay, like everybody's got a different version of whatever apple that is in their head. Like everybody's thinking of a different kind of apple. But then if I say now, now imagine yourself eating a just slightly two tart Granny Smith apple.

I mean, I can feel. My cheeks like tightening up, you know, and the, the salivation salivary glands. So that's the point in like being specific, it's a more, it's a, it's a deeper experience for people basically.

And, and I like that. And I think the example that's coming to my mind is, um, I. It's, uh, our own fruit here. Well, you know, of mangoes obviously, and we have many, many varieties of, of mangoes here. But if you were to say like, uh, uh, Julie Mango, which is one of the more popular mangoes here, and it's kind of, uh, it's a kind of a grafted mango, so everybody knows it's gonna be sweet.

They could think of how nice it would be. But if you say something like, uh, like a mango rose or a mango veer. That is a different type of mango. You can't just take that and eat it most people wouldn't do that. So it is in the same category, like your apple's in the same category, but there's a different experience based upon what this, the characteristics of this particular thing.

And as a result, you'll have to write different copy to apply to those people. Is, is that a good example?

Exactly, exactly. And, and I, I work with like a remarkably large number of interior designers and it am amazes me every single time how they all have a little bit of a different ideal client. Like one person's idea of luxury might be driving a Porsche, whereas another person's idea of luxury is driving like the Volvo that they've had for, you know, 30 years.

The word luxury on the surface isn't enough. Like we have to go a level deeper and say, well, what does luxury mean to you? What does sophistication mean to you? So that's kinda what I mean about like knowing your ideal clients so deeply that you even know what these word associations mean for them, because they don't always mean the same thing for every single person.

Yeah, that's true. So before we came on here, earlier today, I had a, interview with, a client of a client of ours. Uh, 'cause we are doing this, we are doing this content strategy for them. And normally we have this, uh, this questionnaire we would send. But what I've noticed is that. We can send a questionnaire, but what we do is that we book a call with them just like how I'm talking to you now, and we sit down and we go through the questionnaire.

Together and, I would ask them the question, but then they would respond and then I would ask another follow up question about the same question. And then you realize that it expands into this world of detail about them and why did they choose this service and was how it's working for them and what they would do without it, and different things.

And you get such deep detail through the conversations that you have with, with the, the clients. And so is it a good thing or how. Important is it to have conversations with your own clients in order to find out what they prefer and what they like and what actually their problems are so that you can create this content that, uh, sparks curiosity.

Yeah, I think it's really important. I love that you do that. Um, and I, I do the same thing and I think that it helps. What it helps is when you're, I like to think of like if you're writing or doing a podcast. Just think about it like you're talking to one person, like in your mind, just have like one person in your mind, like you, one of your ideal clients in your mind. Um, and I think when you do that, it helps people feel really, really seen. Like I can't tell you how many people I will be talking to one person in an email and that is somehow the email that I get like. Tons of replies too. Like, this spoke right to me, like you were inside my head. I'm like, well, I was in someone's head.

But apparently, you know, we all had that collective experience. So I can't, I can't, um, say enough how important it is to be really specific. And those little tiny specific examples just help people to feel seen and they help people to feel that they can identify with what you're, what you're sharing.

Lovely. Lovely, lovely. Alright, so let's talk a bit about what you have to avoid when creating this curiosity with your content. And I know you probably have like a list of things that people should avoid. Start from anywhere you want. Tell us what you should. Dodge, when you are creating curiosity in your content.

So one of them we talked about already, and that is, um, avoiding that complex language and that jargon. But I, I actually don't think we could really say that enough. Like people don't want to know all of the details about. What you are doing behind the scenes. It's like nobody wants to know how I'm doing my SEO research and like the spreadsheet I use, like nobody cares. They just want to know that I'm gonna increase traffic to their website. So, or, and maybe I even say it simpler than that, I will get more leads to your website. I will get more business to your website, more eyeballs on your website. So just avoiding that insider industry language whenever you catch yourself doing it. Ask yourself like, okay, is there a way I could just make this way simpler and make like my, you know what, I want my nephew, I want my 7-year-old nephew to understand what I am saying when I, when I say something. Um, number two is to not lead the witness. And this is what I was saying, you do really well earlier. So leading the witness is sort of like when I tell somebody what I think that they should think. When I close a loop, right? I don't leave it open to like, well, what do you think about this? Or How, how do you experience this? Or Can you relate? Can you identify? What are your thoughts on this? Like, I wanna keep those loops nice and open because that's the way to create conversation. Think of the difference between like a social media post. You see where somebody's like unpopular opinion and they just lay it out there and then they period like and full stop, right? Like maybe it even says full stop and you're like. Okay, and then you move on. But if somebody says their unpopular opinion doesn't close the loop for you, so you're like, Hmm, maybe I don't agree with this opinion.

Maybe I can contribute my thoughts. Or maybe there's another way to look at this. It lets me then as a, as a reader, be curious and like do a little self-exploration. And then also it opens it up to engagement. So. We can do this like in any version of our content. I always, I don't like to like on my podcast, it's not prescriptive and I think that's actually the word I wanna use, not being prescriptive.

So we're not like telling people what to think, how to do things, exactly what they, you know what to believe, where leaving it open. Like, what is your experience of this? What do you think about this? Do you think you could apply this? Here are some different ways you might be able to apply it depending on who you are.

It's interesting. I think that you don't really automatically. Think like that, you have to train yourself to think like that or to communicate like that, where you invite someone into something that they, they can be a contributor to. So it's almost you, you invite a conversation as opposed to like telling people, like talking at them 

what's some of the best ways you found that you can. Allow that to happen, to get people to come into the conversation, what's so many ways you can spark, the curiosity of the invite people into the conversation.

Okay, here's, here's where I think it really has to start. I think it has to start inside out. I think that we have to know that we do not know everything and we have to approach conversations with a curious. Mindset, right? Like, this conversation's a great example. I don't wanna come on your podcast and just be like, here's what everybody should do.

I want you and I to have a conversation back and forth with you, giving me your thoughts on curiosity. Me giving you my thoughts on curiosity. I want your listener and your, your viewer to be like, Hmm, I might actually have some additional thoughts in that area. You know, like, I want it to be this. Like, I don't, I don't know everything.

I'm not like. The expert or the guru or the, you know, the one sitting on top of a mountaintop. And I think that's where it starts. It starts inside knowing that we don't have all the answers, even for our clients. We don't have all the answers, so. That's where I think it begins, like set the tone internally and then when you are going externally and sharing things, I really think inviting people in to explore for themselves or saying this might be a good solution for you if you know not just like this is for everybody and knowing that as well.

So those are just some like little tiny things. Um, and I'd love to hear if you have more thoughts on that too.

Well, you made me think what a good ways to invite people in. Like what is kinda language that you use to invite people in and to allow them to be a part as opposed to, um, them feeling like they have to stand on the outside and look at this content. What, what have, in your experience, how has that been inviting people in?

Well, like, I'll use my email as an example. Um, and then we can get into like some other like really tangible things. But for my email I always will say like, I really wanna hear from you. So hit reply if you know, or I'll ask them a question and then say like, hit reply and tell me your answer. You can do the same thing in your social media.

You can, you know, that's why we say like, comment below if, or shoot me a DM if. Um, and then on my podcast, I always like to say like, if you have opposing thoughts or don't agree or have additional thoughts, like, I definitely wanna hear from you. Here's the information, how to connect with me and find me and email me and all of that stuff.

Um, or write me a review and tell me. I mean, I don't wanna hear a, you don't agree with me on my reviews, but, so I think it's that, it's that kind of stuff, you know, and you can do it on your website too. Um, I had a. Contractor I just worked with and instead of saying Contact us, they said say hello. And I was like, oh, I love that.

It just kinda like brings people in, right? It's not just that contact us button or book. Now it said say hello, and I was like, that's a really good way to invite people into a conversation with you.

I like that. I actually like, personally, this is me personally now, I like appropriate disagreements. I like that 'cause it helps you bolster perspective. It either adjusts your perspective or it strengthens your perspective. And so when people come with differing things in different points of view, it really is, is very useful.

So I, I tend to invite those things. Good stuff.

because I think it's because you are a curious person, and like you said, we don't, or like we were talking about, we don't know all the answers, right? So

cha challenge us. Give me a better answer.

Yeah, yeah. I, I love that idea. People are sometimes afraid of being challenged, and having their ideas about how things are supposed to be done, challenged. And let's just talk strictly from a business perspective now, not necessarily your will philosophy, but it's like how, how can you take this thing that someone has said that may be different, a different perspective?

And then I'll say, okay, let me see if I can apply some of these things. Let me experiment. Let me try it out and see if this might be able to work, as opposed to outright seeing it as something negative because it's a disagreement. And I think the more curious you are, the faster you actually will learn over time.

Hmm, I agree.

Alright, so let's, let's talk about how to sprinkle your personality into some of these, pieces of content in order to create what you call the lean in effect. Uh, what is exactly is the lean in effect.

That's sort of like that person that you, okay, like the person you discover on Instagram that you're like. Hmm. I don't know quite what they're up to yet, but I like where they're going. Maybe it's their sense of humor or just something that they share. Like I just started follow I, it looks like I have straight hair, but that's because I straighten my hair.

I just started following this girl that teaches people how to like use wavy hair and not make it look awful. Because the big joke with wavy hair people is like, you wake up either looking like. You are possessed overnight or, or, you straighten it. So anyway, it's things like this that, that make you relatable and got, get people to lean in, but. I think that there are different ways to go about showing your personality. So obviously we wanna be like, conversational, right? Like, I think that the more conversational you can be, the more you're just naturally gonna let your personality shine through. Like, when we try to be super buttoned up and, and write very formally, and it, it, it starts to sound a little bit like.

Chat, GPT kind of is everybody, right? So the more conversational you can be, the more of your own unique phrases and lingo. And if you, um, say gunna, instead of going to like, you can, you can actually write like that. I know it sounds scary, but we actually can do things like that in our writing. You, you have a little creative license. Um. And then I also just think kind of like a level of honesty. Honesty about what you know and honesty about what you don't know. Um, and, and I don't wanna use the word vulnerable because I think that word is overused and sort of misused a little bit, but really just, I, let's go back to honesty. Like just being honest about what you know and what you don't know. But that's sort of like the big, that's like the big part of personality. But let's talk about like the really tangible. Pieces of personality. I think you'll like this, and I think that a lot of your listeners and viewers will like this. So this is called The Magic List. Now, I did not come up with this, um, an author.

I first discovered it from an author who I, I read a couple of her books. Her name is Julie Eason, and she challenges you to sit down and create your magic list. What you do is you sit down and you write down 60 adjectives. Positive adjectives about yourself. So 60 adjectives that are about your personality.

Positive things when you are done, and it's hard. I will say this, like it's easy to get to like 15, and then once you hit 20, you're like, okay, I need to stop. I don't have any more adjectives. But she's like, keep going. You have to keep going until you get to 60. When you're done, you have 60. Pieces of your personality and really probably nobody has that exact same list as you. If, if you find a person that has that exact same list with you, you two need to be like BFFs. But, um, probably no one else has the exact same 60 adjectives and definitely not in the same order that you have them in. Okay. So that's sort of like your magic list. Like that's the best parts of your personality, and those are all pieces of your personality that you can be showing through what you're sharing. Um, the other thing I like to, this is what I do for my clients when they're like, well, I don't wanna put my personal life on online or on social media. And I'm like, you don't have to. Like, nobody's asking you to like film your dirty laundry pile, you know? Um. Pick five things about your personal life.

Like a lot of people don't wanna share their kids, and I definitely understand that. I don't think I would want to either. But pick five things in your personal life that you do feel comfortable sharing. Maybe it's your dog. Maybe it's that you love books, maybe it's a type of music you like. Maybe it's your favorite cafe, or what kind of coffee you drink. So just like pick five things in your personal life that you feel comfortable sharing, and then you can, I mean, I really encourage people to like. It doesn't have to be some brilliant promotional post about your business. Like sometimes just you painting on your kitchen table on a Sunday afternoon is a good social media post.

It's a part of your personality.

Right. So I know that you have a framework that speaks to this a little deeper. I know we didn't come to talk about that today, but I know you do have this framework. Um, let me see if I can remember what it is. It talks about soil, soil, water, um, sunshine, and then there's something else. It talks about the personal, the educational.

The ex, the professional, and then there's something else. Yeah.

You, you are good. Yeah. So it's, um, so we'll, uh, let me explain to people what it is. So I use like a garden analogy. It just keeps it really, really simple. Like you don't have to do this perfectly, one every four posts. It keeps you on track with not sharing too much. Um, of just like random stuff that has nothing to do with your business and it also keeps you from not sharing overly promotional so you're not always selling and then everything in between.

Like I, I can't even tell you how many times I've gone to look at somebody's content and I'm like, I have no idea what they do. 'cause all they do is share about their dog, or I have, all I get is sold to from them. So this is a simple framework to just kind of like keep you on track with that. So the first one is soil. That's like the foundation of what we do. At the beginning of this, before we, before we hit record, I asked you who your listeners are. Like that's a piece of foundational information that we all have in our business that we can talk to. Um, the second one is water, and that's like the educational stuff.

So that's when we're giving tips and education and we've obviously sprinkled those throughout this whole entire episode. The third one is sunshine, and that is the. Personality piece, like some people like, like positive quotes or, you know, um, inspiring things that they're doing in their life. So it could look like a whole number of different things, or it could just be a totally fun. Think of it as like your, your sort of like throwaway category, but it's not throwaway because it's what's making you relatable and interesting and human. Um, and then your promotional, which is the wind. And I just like to think of it as like we're guiding people to take action. 

Um, so the, the wind is really that promotional piece, which is my calls to action, my do this if you wanna work with me.

Those kinds of things.

That was good. And I found that the whole idea of these four components that come together, uh, the reason it, it made me. Very interested is because, uh, there's, uh, we do a similar thing, um, with, with how we structure content. And I know one of the big questions people would have to ask is like, how much of each, right?

And that's like a question you probably, you probably get all the time. Um, I want to suggest something maybe. Um, I, I think so I, when I look at your content, I see, uh, on different platforms, you do different things. Like on Instagram you do have a lot of, um, more, uh, personal stuff, right? And you share that.

And, and of course over the years, the debate has been personal versus private. You keep the private stuff out of the public eye, but the personal stuff, depending on what you want to share, you could share. And then on LinkedIn it might be slightly different. You might. Yeah, depending on the clients you want to get, you would sprinkle some personality things in there to cause the lean in effect, right?

Uh, but you keep it more of a different percentage. So is it that on different platforms and depending on the type of, uh, customers you have or clients you have on a platform, you would change the degree to which each of these components, how your content is composed to speak specifically to them.

I think that they have been saying, and I, you would probably know this better than me. I'm, I'm very bad at LinkedIn, I'll say that. Um, but they do say that you should be able to apply this to all of the platforms because of the way you know that you're LinkedIn I think, wants a little bit more of that personality as well, so. I don't think that you should probably differentiate. You may differentiate a little bit how you share, you know, just given the actual format of content that some platforms let you do versus others, but supposedly it's supposed to translate across all of the platforms.

Okay, great. Well, that's good advice too. Yeah. I mean, I, and I guess you could experiment as well and find out what works. Yeah, 

Yeah, I, I, you know what, this is a good challenge for me because I only show up to LinkedIn when I have a podcast episode to share and I need to remember these other type people are probably like all she ever does is talk about her podcast. And it's true. I am, I am the cobbler's sun shoes right now, so.

Yeah. I, I think it's so, it's, it's good. I mean, I mean, I, depending on your life and how you, your clients and where you're located, there's so many different elements to determine. I. How you show up and how you share content is not one size fits all by any means. Yeah. Um, there's some principles that are true, but then there's stuff that you have to discover for yourself.

Great. So Emily, are there any last things you want to share with our listeners and with the people about how you can infuse curiosity into your content? Any last notes that you want people to take away?

Okay. Last thing, and I think this is a really good one to leave everybody with 'cause it's like a question we can just keep in our minds all the time. If you want to create content that sparks more curiosity, all you have to, what you have to begin with is this question. Would I follow me? Like if I was on the other side, would I be interested in this content? That's really it. And, and if your answer is yes, somebody else will be too,

If the answer is no. Oh.

then you gotta go back to the drawing board.

Uh, that's, that's a good question to ask. Um, hopefully people are truthful to themselves and they, they, they really say like, yeah, I, I would enjoy this or I won't. And, and, and for example, you, you have two podcasts, right? And I know you started, she built this, uh, back in 2019. You have a couple hundred episodes of that.

you have really done your homework. I'm very proud of you.

Oh, uh, thank you. Thank you. And, um, and I would say that if you, oh, what was the question I was gonna ask? Uh, what did we just talk about just now? We spoke about.

Oh, would I follow me?

Right. Right, right, right. And so and so, so you are an experienced podcaster and, um, somebody I had on the podcast sometime ago talking about podcasting, spoke about the need for you to go back and listen to your own episodes, and I suspect that you have done that over the years. Yes.

Uh, yes, and I, they used to be cringe worthy. Like I would, this is how I was like, oh, I need to stop following like a. Script for my questions because I would listen back to myself and I just would just ask a question after a question, after a question after a question, and I'd be like, my, my answer in between like, you're so good 'cause you, we engage back and forth.

My answer in between would be like. I love that. And then I would just ask my next question. And so it was, it's truly that it is going back, listening to yourself, reading your own stuff. Um, I had a guest on my show, mignon Fogarty, and she said every year she goes through her content and she, she does like a, an audit, like, is this interesting?

Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's, that's the way to go. And I, and I think that audit is so helpful. In fact, depending on how often you release your podcast, you should in fact do a weekly audit. You should just listen to it. I listen to my podcast when I re release it every week. I just listen to it and see. I say, oh my God, I did terribly there.

Me too. And sometimes I need to go back and be like, fact check. Last week I told you this, but I didn't mean this. Or I said this phrase totally wrong.

Yeah. Yeah. And, and, and that is, that is one of the ways that you could really. Make your content better and build more curiosity as well. So that's good stuff. Well, thank you so much, Emily, for coming onto the podcast and sharing such useful insights into how to infuse curiosity into your content. I know so many people may want to get in contact with you and find you online, so could you tell people where they can find you on this worldwide webinar on social media platforms?

Sure. And, and I just wanna say a big thank you for having me. This was great. Um, the easiest way to find me, and then you can connect to all of the social media things, whatever your, whatever your. Flavor is, uh, is emily aborn.com, and my last name is kind of like Acorn with a b, so emily aborn.com.

Excellent. Excellent. So thanks again for coming on. Thanks people for tuning in to the Useful Content Podcast, useful content classroom. Dismissed

and we are clear.

I love it. I love your sign off. That is fun.

Very 

know? You know you're still recording, right?

Oh, oh, yes, I am. I'm gonna, I'm gonna stop that. Now I'm gonna say that I thought you're doing reels now. I thought you didn't want to do reels.

I started doing reels and I'm having fun and I told my, I said, I hate these. I will never do these, and I actually am enjoying myself. So

That's interesting. Try new things, right? 

never say never.

All right. Lemme just stop here.