Ep 9. Saying the same thing without sounding like a broken record

Episode 9: Saying the Same Thing Without Sounding Like a broken record

[00:00:00] 

In this episode, we’re diving into something that trips up so many people once they’ve finally nailed their core message, and that’s how to keep sharing it without feeling like you’re repeating yourself over and over again.

I’m gonna show you why repeating yourself is actually what makes your message memorable and how you can keep saying the same thing in ways that feel fresh and authentic instead of a broken record that no one wants to listen to.

If you’re new here – Hello and welcome to Quiet Confidence. I’m Anita Popat, and this podcast is for introverted entrepreneurs who want to stand out without the pressure to shout.

And today we’re gonna explore how we can say the same thing loads of different times without your audience. And also you getting bored of it.

Because I know once you’ve done the work to land on something that feels really true for you, once you’ve found that North Star message, there comes a moment when you start wondering, okay, what do I do with all of this?

Do I just keep saying the same thing over and over again won’t people get really bored of me?

And honestly, am I gonna bore myself to death doing this? Because I don’t wanna keep saying the same thing over and over again.

Trust me, I get it, but there’s two things here.

The first thing is that you are the only person that sees all of your content.

So if you think about algorithms and people coming on at different times of the day. And just the sheer volume of content that all of those, social platforms and the search engines have to sieve through.

The likelihood that your audience are gonna actually see your conten will vary depending on what’s going on with algorithms and things.

The second thing is that repeating yourself doesn’t make your content boring. It actually makes it really memorable.

Today I wanna show you exactly how to say your message more than once with real depth, instead of that dull repetition that’s not really gonna connect with anyone and will make your audience switch off.

So let’s get into why you need to repeat yourself.

You’ve probably heard numbers floating around the marketing scene that people need to see your message somewhere between seven and 20 times before it really sticks to them.

When I went to Atomicon, one of the talks mentioned it’s now 28 times. So someone needs to see you 28 times before they actually decide to work with you. That’s a big amount right?!

So we’ve got to factor that in, but I also wanna go deeper than just the data, because [00:02:00] repetition isn’t about the frequency of the amount of times you show up.

It’s also about staying top of mind. It’s about making your audience feel safe and feel familiar with you, so they actually know what you stand for when they see your name pop up on their feed and they look forward to it.

When you’re doing this right, the repetition doesn’t come from just recycling your old content or pumping out the same content over and over again.

It comes from getting really clear on that core belief that drives everything you do, and then finding different ways to express that same belief.

And trust me, when you find that message that you truly believe in, you’re not gonna get bored of it.

And you’ll find loads of different ways to say it, which means that every time you post a piece of content, you’re not only reinforcing the values that drive everything that you do, but you’re also connecting with your audience in different ways.

This is especially important for us introverts who tend to overthink everything. And maybe you second guess every piece of content which holds you back from saying the same thing over and over again because you’re worried that people are gonna think that you’re being repetitive. 

Let’s be honest, as introverts, we often want to perfect each piece of content before we share it, which means that you probably end up sitting on your message rather than sharing it.

And trust me, I know this because the amount of clients I’ve worked with who’ve had so many pieces of content in their drafts folder.

And when I say, okay, you’re ready to post now, let’s just post it. They’re just like, no, I just need to tweak this thing, or I just need to tweak that

Side note. It’s good enough – post the thing.

You don’t need loads of new ideas every week. You just need a few content themes that you can explore with real depth and nuance, and own your unique perspective on them.

And if you do feel like you’re repeating yourself in your content and you’re starting to sound like a broken record, it’s probably because you’re just talking about what you do over and over again without really showing why it matters or connecting it to something that your audience are gonna really relate to.

So let’s say my core message is something like, marketing should protect your energy, not drain it.

Now I can share this message in loads of different ways. So I could tell a story about the weeks that I decided to unplug from social media and ended up getting more client inquiries than I’d gotten in like months.

Or I could reflect on how the old version of me would’ve just pushed through and kind of burnt out instead of listening to what [00:04:00] my energy was telling me.

Or I could share a breakthrough that my client had where they move from posting every single day to sending one powerful email a week, and that increasing their revenue instead of actually decreasing it.

Do you see how even though the specific words and the format might be completely different, the heartbeat of what I’m saying would still be exactly the same?

I’m not repeating the same line over and over again, but I’m deepening the conversation around the thing that matters most to me.

You might be thinking, okay, but what if my quiet voice gets lost in all of the noise out there?

What I’d say to you is that’s exactly the reason why repetition works for introverts.

It’s not about being the loudest person in the room. It’s about being the most consistent, so that your steady, thoughtful voice becomes something that people can really rely on.

Just think of a frequency that’s gonna work for you and commit to it.

Why this matters in terms of repeating yourself is that people don’t just need to hear your message loads of times.

They need to hear it in completely different ways depending on where they are in their own journey.

For example, someone who’s just discovering you for the first time might need something really simple like an intro into here’s what I believe in and why I believe it.

Whereas someone who’s followed you for a while but is still on the fence about working with you might need a story or a case study or some kind of lived in example, that shows them what’s possible for them.

And then there’s that person who’s almost ready to take action, but they’re still hesitating.

They might need to see that gentle nudge that says, Hey, you’re not too late. This is still available for you.

So when you repeat your message through all of these different lenses, you are meeting people exactly where they’re at without having to chase them or having to convince them of anything.

Your message becomes this steady rhythm they can tune into , instead of just being another piece of content that they scroll past without really absorbing it.

And it’s not just about where people are in their journey, it’s also about how they like to take in information. So some people are visual learners who need to see your message as an infographic or a carousel that breaks things down step by step.

Others are what’s called auditory learners. So they connect best when they hear you telling a story on a podcast or on a video where they can hear the emotion in your voice.

[00:06:00] And some people are kinesthetic learners, which means that they need to experience your message through an interactive post or a hands-on exercise that gets them to do something or actively engages them in some way.

So when you share the same core message as a written post one day, a video in the next, and maybe an interactive story poll, the day after, you’re not being repetitive.

You are actually serving different types of learners and that helps your message reach more people in the way they naturally like to consume information

Let me make this practical now. How can you take one core message and share it in completely different ways that feel fresh and authentic?

Let’s say your message is something like, you don’t have to hustle your way to success.

Here’s five different ways that you can share the same thing…

Number one could be a personal story. Maybe you can share the time that you worked yourself into complete burnout and realize that there had to be a better way.

Number two could be a client story. So you could share a story about a client who was constantly pushing and finally gave herself permission to slow down and ended up doubling her revenue. 

Number three, you could bust the myth that working harder always equals better results.

Four, could be a gentle reminder for someone who’s been pushing themselves too hard lately. Something like, Hey, if you’ve been running on empty, this is your permission slip to take a breath and slow down.

And number five could be a reflection on how your own thinking about productivity and success has completely evolved over the years and maybe incorporating some advice into how your audience can do the same.

None of these feel repetitive because they’re coming from different emotional places and they’re serving different needs that your audience might have depending on where they are in their journey.

And I think it’s important to say that this approach also protects your energy as an introvert because you’re not constantly having to come up with brand new ideas from scratch.

You’re working with what you already know on a deeper level. And this is actually where us introverts have a huge advantage.

Exploring one message from multiple angles feels much more natural then trying to constantly generate loads of surface level content

 And I think that’s one thing that as introverts are naturally really good at, but we rarely give ourselves permission to honor is our sense to really [00:08:00] feel into the nuance and pause and really think about things – like we naturally want to explore ideas thoroughly instead of staying on the surface. 

If you’d like some help with sharing your message in different ways. I’ve created something called the Content Mixtape, which includes some micro trainings on the customer journey and your content goals, and also my famous P Square framework.

It helps you share the same message over and over again without feeling like you’re repeating yourself. And it helps you plan your content under four Ps so that you’re not constantly selling or not selling.

You’ll create a good mix of content to help you build that know like and trust.

I’ve also included 90 days worth of prompts in there , because in the marketing world, what you’re getting in now is usually the result of the work you did 90 days ago.

It’s essentially there to help you find natural ways to tell the same thing over and over again without getting bored of yourself.

I’m gonna wrap this up by saying, if you’ve landed on a message that feels really good and really true for you, please don’t go looking for completely new one just because you’re worried about being repetitive.

Go deeper with the one that you’ve already got.

Say it through a story that illustrates it perfectly.

Say it through a mistake you made when you ignored your own advice.

Say it through a moment when you almost forgot what you believed in and had to find your way back.

Because the goal here isn’t to become some kind of content machine that’s always churning out something different and new.

The goal is to be a clear voice that people recognize and trust.

And that kind of clarity doesn’t come from always saying something brand new that no one’s ever heard before.

It comes from saying the same thing over and over again until it actually lives in someone else’s head and starts to shift how they start to see their own situation.

If what I’ve talked about today is really resonating with you and you feel really inspired to create some content, I’d love for you to check out the Content Mixtape. 

And it’s honestly perfect if you’ve already done that deep work on your message, and now you just wanna keep showing up with the quiet confidence instead of second guessing 

Until then, I want you to say the thing, say it again, and then say it one more time.

Because the people who need to hear what you’ve gotta say aren’t bored with your message.

They might be getting ready to finally act on it.

So keep using your quiet [00:10:00] confidence to share that message so that you can make that loud impact that you want to make on the world.

See you next time.