Are You Serving the Masses or Specializing?

Different audiences have different tastes.

A Roman Feast by Roberto Bompiani (public domain - J. Paul Getty Museum)

In an episode of Poirot, when asked if there was anything of English cuisine he liked, Hercule Poirot responded tartly:

“The English do not have a cuisine, my friend. They have only the food.”

It’s the perfect analogy for how my own writing has changed. From food to cuisine.

The Buffet Is Closed

“Geniuses differ from ordinary men less in the character of their attention than in the nature of the objects upon which it is successively bestowed.” — William James

I was having a couple of separate conversations with colleagues this week and they both remarked on the same thing: “You’ve really changed your writing,” they both said.

They were both referring to my newsletter, of course. The name, the topics, and even the style have undergone a transformation. And it’s been intentional.

And after thinking about it, going beyond the obvious (name change, switch from link-heavy to essay-driven, more thoughtful than fly-by), I came to this realization:

I used to write for marketers.
Now I write for people.

I’m not trying to be glib; I’m just stating a fact. My writing changed because my outlook changed.

It’s really a function of knowing your audience, thinking like them, and focusing on your end goal, rather than the process.

In short, it’s about getting out of your bubble.

Do you subscribe to Timeless & Timely yet? If not, let’s change that:

Thanks, and I’ll see you on the Internet.