Good evening gang! You've been thinking about this piece.
You know what you want to write about. You've known for a while. You even know what you'd say if someone asked you about it in person. But actually sitting down to make THE thing. The one that's supposed to anchor everything else. That's a different animal.
John Mulaney Snl GIF by Saturday Night Live
It starts to feel important. Which makes it feel big. Which makes it easy to find other things to do instead.
Well.
Let me let you off the hook before I say anything else: your first pillar piece isn't a masterwork. It's not the most important thing you'll ever create. It doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to exist.
Here's what actually helps: your first pillar piece is the best explanation you've ever given of a topic you know cold. That's it.
Think about the last time someone asked you something you could answer in your sleep. You didn't pause. You just explained it, the way you always do, in your own words. That answer is your first pillar piece. Your job this week is to get it out of your head and into whatever format fits your channel.
Blog post. LinkedIn article. Carousel. Short video. It doesn't matter. What matters is that it goes deep on one idea instead of skimming the surface. One topic. Your best thinking on it. Published.
Look. This piece doesn't anchor your content because it's the best thing on the internet. It anchors your content because you're going to use it over and over again.
You're going to repost it when someone new finds you six months from now. You're going to remix it into a carousel, a newsletter, a short video. You're going to repurpose the best lines as standalone social posts on a slow week. You're going to restate the core idea a year from now for the people who weren't there the first time.
One piece. Written once. Used forever.
That's why it matters. Not because it's perfect. Because it's yours, and it compounds.
A Quick Sidebar Though...
Don't overthink this and DEFINITELY don't spend so much time planning that it never gets done. Just focus on being clear and thorough.
This week's Quest:
Pick your format, sit down, and explain your first pillar topic like you're talking to your best client. Don't stop to edit. Don't second-guess the angle. Just get the explanation out. You can clean it up before you hit publish.
The hardest part is starting. But you already know what to say.
If you need help figuring out what that post is or how to get it onto the page (or screen) reply and tell me where you're at. I read every one.
And as always: If any of this sounds intimidating for any reason, why not join the Side Quest Solutions Facebook group and lets have a conversation about it! See you Wednesday, Steve
Join the Quest Club!
Ask anything. Get a real answer within 24 hours. No fluff, no waiting, no going it alone.
