At it’s simplest, being a great content creator is all about collecting and connecting dots.

Whether you’re a podcaster, blogger, Youtuber, etc, your role is to provide fresh insight and knowledge related to your topic.

But where does that insight come from? What makes for “insight” in the first place?

I think about insight as connecting two previously unconnected ideas for your audience in a way that is instantly clear. It’s about turning on lightbulbs for them by giving them a new way of thinking about a problem or topic that brings clarity and understanding.

Delivering insight, like wisdom, however, feels like a lofty goal to commit to delivering on. It feels like something for other people, you know, the real experts to come up with.

It doesn’t have to be though.

First Collect, then Connect

The simple formula for developing more insights is to collect more dots–data points, information, experiences–and to look for patterns and similarities between them.

It’s often as easy as simply stopping and think about them and the connections will take care of themselves.

The best part is that this is a trainable skill. Once you develop the habit, your brain will take over the collecting and connecting process on autopilot. Pour more inputs in and your brain will do the work of churning insight out that you can then pass on to your audience.

Once established, it becomes a generative cycle. The more dots you’re able to connect the more interesting the world becomes, which leads to looking out for and noticing more interesting things in the world, which then leads to more interesting connections.

There’s a reason the very best content creators stand out above the rest of the pack in any niche. They’re the ones doing the generative work of connecting–rather than regurgitating–ideas.

There’s nothing special about them. They’re not some special kind of talent or genius. They’ve simply built the habit of collecting dots and connecting them.

Now, It’s Your Turn

Start small. Create a note app on your phone and start by writing down five interesting things you notice today. They don’t have to be meaningful or important, just interesting.

For each of these, think about what makes it interesting to you. Is it interesting to other people as well? Why?

That’s it. Simply build this practice into your life and watch the dots start to collect and then connect.

You have insight worth sharing. All you need to do is cultivate it.

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Want to hear more about building an audience around work that matters? I think you might enjoy these reads.

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