Audio on the From Expertise to Authority podcast at https://pod.link/1865211396
Video at https://www.youtube.com/@mattydalrymple
My recent conversation with Gala Russ about creator patronage from both sides of the equation has resulted in a ripple effect that I didn’t anticipate but that I’m grateful to have been prompted to undertake: a rethinking of my plans for my From Expertise to Authority platform.
In the post that resulted from that conversation, “I Like What You’re Doing — Here’s Some Money,” I mentioned my discomfort with patron offerings that depended on my withholding some content from free followers in order to reward paying followers. That certainly applied to the From Expertise to Authority Substack, where the first and the most recent posts were public and the intermediate ones were paid.
One of the reasons I had taken this approach is that I planned eventually to assemble the posts into a book, with the goal of using it as a calling card for speaking and consulting engagements on how professionals can build their professional presence for a sideline or second act.
But executing on this free-versus-paid plan was a headache, because only the free installments posted as episodes on the podcast platforms. In addition, because some of my posts were conversations with guests, I needed to remember never to make those paid, because I didn’t want my guests to have to pay to listen to their own episode.
As I was juggling this process, I was also learning more about Substack and what I (and others) seemed to enjoy most—posts that felt spontaneous and conversational. This was the tone of “I Like What You’re Doing — Here’s Some Money ,” but my other posts were more formal. Because they were planned as eventual book chapters, I applied the same editorial rigor as I would to a book.
But was a book really what I needed as a calling card to land speaking and consulting engagements? Might not a more informal approach, especially when paired with a growing YouTube presence, give event organizers and potential consultees a better sense of me personally and pave the way even more effectively to those opportunities?
Stepping away from the goal of an eventual book also had the benefit that I wouldn’t be locked into a concept the way I would be once I committed it to book form. If I decided that a process that had originally looked like three steps was actually four, then I could adjust with a post on that topic, not a second edition.
So I switched my FETA content to free, refunded my paid subscribers (thank you for your support!), and took “write a FETA book” off my to do list. And with that decision, I feel I can bring a more exploratory, interactive, and, frankly, fun mindset to this content!
And once I rethought my Substack approach, I rethought my YouTube approach as well. At Matty Dalrymple on YouTube, I had been posting video either of me interviewing others who had made the move from expertise to authority and of me, solo, reading my articles, and while the videos of the interviews will continue, I’m going to post just audio on YouTube to save the hassle of actually putting on makeup and, more importantly, the additional editing that the video required.
And, of course, audio will continue to go out through the From Expertise to Authority podcast.
But back to Substack ...
If you’re a Substack content consumer, what type of content do you like best—more polished or more informal?
If you’re a Substack content creator, how has your approach to your content morphed during your time here?
Let me know in the comments.
And if you got value from this content and thought, “I wish I could buy Matty a cup of coffee,” you can do that at https://buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple!
Matty Dalrymple guides professionals in building their presence through her consulting services and her workshop “From Expertise to Authority: Building Your Professional Presence for a Sideline or Second Act.” Learn more at https://www.theindyauthor.com/authority.
