Are you building a lighthouse or are you trying to fire off a lot of flaming arrows? Sometimes when you’re seeking attention, you’re shooting arrows all over the place and hoping that somebody notices. Earning attention says I’m building a lighthouse that helps people navigate by what I stand for.

If you didn’t work here, would you tell other people about this? This is a high bar, as it should be.

It’s just one dimension. It’s just quality. Nobody consumes anything in any quantity that is not of quality. If you ask a marketer who has created a piece of content, Would you read this yourself? Would you sit down on a Thursday night and watch this? Would you tell other people about this?—the answer’s probably no. These are almost verbatim the

these are the questions I ask of clients and that you should ask yourself of your company

Stealing attention with shortcuts, growth hacks, clickbait, and sensationalism. People might click, but they won’t come back. 2 Creating selfish content that serves your own interests—talking about yourself, your products and services, or your company. People won’t even click on this strategy.

making something that’s going to blow the minds of your audience and that they’re really going to love is a lot more powerful than making a thing that people kind of like.

2020 book Rethink the Business of Creativity, Ian Grais, Tom Shepansky, and Chris Staples shared:

Attention Coach Ann Handley,

Brand love, brand lift, and brand positioning Net promoter score (NPS) jackpot Total editorial ownership Guaranteed brand safety Customer loyalty Content that perfectly reflects your voice, values, and brand Content designed specifically for (and only for) the people you want to reach An owned audience that wants to hear from you regularly