Scroll down for detailed episode notes and quick access timings
In this episode you’ll learn:
- How to find your audience and widen your net whilst narrowing your focus
- How to market and sell your work in a way that is aligned with who you are
- How to overcome challenges with consistency as a creative person in chaos
You have created a thing.
Now you need to find the people who want your thing:
Your product. Your service. Your piece of creative output.
In this very special episode, episode 300, celebrating 7 years of the Inspirational Creatives podcast, we invite founding guest, author and entrepreneur, from episode 3, Pam Slim to talk to us about how to unlock untapped markets and find customers right in front of you.
We discuss her new book, The Widest Net, and the possibilities of opening up your opportunities by finding a new audience who want your thing.
Your audience has evolved…and you may have done so recently, too; but has what you have to offer?
Click here to listen to the full interviewItems mentioned in this episode (quick access):
Introducing The Widest Net
[01:04] Rob introduces Pam back to the show (Pam was originally a guest on episode 3!)
[02:34] Pam shares her mission with her new book and Main Street Learning labs
[05:55] Why The Widest Net and why now…
[07:18] Pam dispels the myth that you can only be creative if you are an entrepreneur.
[08:47] Pam’s deep exploration helping creatives to find people who want to buy their work.
[09:34] Revealing a method that is relational to the transactional nature of business culture.
Pam’s Writing Method
[10:20] Pam describes her writing approach having started out as a blogger over 15 years ago.
[11:43] Dealing with rejection from publishers not understanding her big idea.
[13:45] The writing process: holding space for clients’ uncertainty, doubt and creative angst.
[14:02] One day when Pam got in flow for a couple of hours (and that was it!)
[14:57] Talking about why you need to write the book if you have a book in you.
[15:46] Why feeling good before you write is not necessarily the right approach…to write.
[16:20] Creative joy.
[18:09] Exploring the mystery.
The Widest Net method
[19:49] Pam describes, briefly, the Widest Net method.
[20:59] Empire culture.
[21:50] Building an eco-system around our customers.
[23:41] Creating a ‘beacon’.
[24:20] Pam talks about the ‘accordion’ principle.
[25:05] Tiny Marketing Actions (TMAs).
[26:28] Pam mentions Susan Baier from Audience Audit.
[27:38] What’s missing when it comes to finding our ideal customer.
[29:00] Opening up audience possibilities.
[30:24] Feedback loops and offers.
[31:10] Simplifying. Working with folks with a different kind of problem.
[32:34] Helping people achieve what it is they are looking to achieve.
[33:13] Thinking strategically and critically.
[34:05] Keeping up with your ever evolving audience.
[35:45] Widen your net yet narrowing your focus.
[37:33] Reflecting, every quarter, on our strategic positioning.
[38:17] Highly complementary services and working with other.
Tiny Marketing Actions
[40:50] Marketing and selling your work in a way that is aligned with who you are.
[42:09] Skip Miller: one of Pam’s early clients.
[45:23] Helping people with the buying process.
[48:05] Seeding and Tiny Marketing Actions (TMAs) in more detail.
[48:20] “Watering holes.”
[48:50] Books – Atomic Habits by James Clear and Tiny Actions by B. J. Fogg.
[50:05] Carly Cunningham. Consistent actions over a long period of time.
[51:38] The importance of consistency and consistent communications.
[53:00] Challenges of consistency as a creative person in chaos.
[53:34] Shame spirals.
[54:54] Pam describes producing her newsletter.
[57:15] Collaborating with the competition.
[58:24] Pam mentions collaborating with Charlie Gilkey.
[59:15] Forcing differentiation and refining your messaging.
[62:15] Growing with your peers and body of work.
[63:30] Pam shares what she is grateful for today.
[66:00] Where you can find out more about Pam and her new book, The Widest Net.
[67:00] What’s next for Pam…
Links and Resources:
- Pamela Slim (website)
- The Widest Net
- The Widest Net (book on Amazon UK)
- The Widest Net (book on Amazon US)
If you enjoyed this podcast, you’ll also like:
- ICP003 – Pamela Slim (original interview in 2014)
- ICP023 Charlie Gilkey on Delivering Epic Experiences with Creative Giants (Part One)
- ICP025 Charlie Gilkey on Delivering Epic Experiences with Creative Giants (Part Two)