DAY 10/101: Stop Creating for everyone

Free gift at the end

I would own a yacht in Dubai if I had a dollar for every time I’ve asked someone who their target audience is and they said: “Everyone!”

And every single time, my response is the same:

IT CANNOT BE EVERYONE!

Now don’t get me wrong, your content can be valuable or interesting to the majority of people, but it shouldn’t feel like it was created for everyone.

Every time you’ve watched a successful creator and felt like “Wow, this person is saying exactly what I need to hear,” I need you to know that’s not an accident at all. It’s very intentional.

Your favourite creator became your fave before you even watched their content. The deal was done when they were still writing the script. They had you in mind — or at least someone with your specific needs — and they spoke to that person.

They’re able to do this because they understand something fundamental: One of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying so hard not to exclude anyone ‘cause you end up connecting with no one.

Here’s something I’ve noticed about life:

Almost everything we consider valuable derives part of its value from the fact that it’s not available to everyone.

The world’s most prestigious universities are admired not only for who they admit, but for who they reject. The most sought-after jobs are desirable because not everyone gets hired.

The reason communities work well isn’t just because of who’s in it but especially because of who’s not. For example, a women-only club feels safe, not just because it’s for women, but because men are not allowed.

Exclusion is not always a bad thing. In a lot of ways, it’s part of what gives something its identity.

The same principle applies to your content.

The clearer you are about who it’s for, the more deeply it resonates with the people it was meant to serve.

Take me for example: My primary audience is creators, but can non-creators benefit from my content? Absolutely. Will I chase everyone else away? No.

But I know who I’m speaking to. That’s why the message is clear. If I were speaking to everyone, it would be all over the place, which helps no one in particular. It would just make me look confused.

So the next time you’re creating a piece of content, don’t be thinking: “Will everyone like this?”

It’s not for everyone. Instead ask:

“Who is this for?”

Imagine that person is sitting across the table from you. What do they need to hear? Speak to that person. Let it be like everyone else is listening to a conversation intentionally curated for that one person.

Content that tries to reach everyone usually resonates with no one.

This is also why virality isn’t always a good thing. Some of the most viral posts on the internet have broad, mass appeal. They attract millions of people.

But many of them were never your people.

They’ll never buy from you.

They’ll never attend your event.

They’ll never join your community.

They feel no special connection to you beyond the post.

Attention is great, but relevant attention is what’s valuable long-term. The best thing you can do if you want to reach everyone is to speak to one person. Create for one.

And this would require you to study the person, right?

Now, that raises an important question. If I’m not creating for everyone… then how do I know who exactly to create for?

That’s what we’ll figure out in the next lesson.

But if you can’t wait, I’ve created a worksheet with questions to guide you through figuring this out yourself. Click here to get it for free.

This is Creator 101, and I’ll see you tomorrow.