Super Generalist or Super Niche

I’m going to tell you something that you absolutely must consider in the coming months. Trust me, this will completely change your game. But before that, here’s a little background…

We start with social media.

Social media has changed a lot in recent years, because of (or because of) the “TikToktification”. Social platforms have a major impact on our daily lives. They influence how we perceive things around us and change our buying and decision-making behaviours.

What is this phenomenon of “tiktoktification”?

I call it that because since the advent of TikTok, all platforms have been forced to adapt to keep up.

TikTok has created such a good alogrithm that has managed to get it to where it is now. And this alogrithm is based on people’s reactions and succeeding in getting people to channel a lot of their attention towards TikTok.

And attention is very important.

Nowadays people’s attention (as I mentioned in other materials) is one of the most important assets you can have, and capturing attention is one of the main skills of the new economy that has formed around these social networks.

Why is mindfulness so important? Because without attention you are zero. Null. You can have any phenomenal product or service: if you don’t have people’s attention, you’re RIP. And others with mediocre or below-par products/services or offers enjoy substantial earnings because they understand this attention game very well.

But to understand the game you must first know it. And only after you understand it, you have a chance to compete to win.

Fortunately, there is not just 1 trophy, and the prizes are multiple.

We see how people have radically changed their lives after going viral because of this attention game.

For example, if in 2021 Leah Halton had $0 to her name, in 2024 she reached a fortune of over $5M dollars.

How?

He created the most popular video on TikTok with over 50,000,000 likes. This level of virality completely changed his life. Big brands contacted her and from there started profitable partnerships. All because of attention.

“- Ok Andrei, and what should I consider? Tell me once, leave me with these stories, that I am not Leah Halton”.

True. You’re not Leah Halton, and you don’t have to be.

We’re getting there too.

You see… there are different opinions on the internet. Of all kinds. Everyone gives their opinion. Some do it from their own experience, others from what they have learned from others, and so on. There is a lot of noise, as I said in the last letter.

Some recommend you to niche because that way you will manage to make money and you will manage to stay relevant and differentiate yourself in the market.

But so far I’ve never seen anyone tell you to be a generalist, and that’s where I come in.

If you want to play this game long-term (maybe even your whole life), then you need to be a generalist. And if you want quick gains, you want to “jump from flower to flower” like a bee, then stay niche. It’s simple.

With how much and quickly the world we live in is changing, probably nothing that is relevant now will be in 5 years.

(Just imagine how much has changed in the last 5 years: the emergence of TikTok; the pandemic; ChatGPT; new AI technologies freely available to the general public; auto-captioning apps; automations in a few clicks… and so on).

There are a lot of things even in marketing that were very relevant in the past and are no longer relevant today. And it’s normal to be like that. The world is changing. Things evolve. New technologies, new tools appear. People are slowly changing their behavior. Adaptation intervenes.

And you will probably get bored at some point.

That’s the truth.

When you’re very niche on the content you create, at some point stagnation or (worse), decline inevitably sets in.

You can’t stay relevant forever. We see this with all great artists, entrepreneurs or celebrities. Each reached a peak. Some have reprofiled. Others continued to produce but could not stay in the top indefinitely. Because others intervene with greater thirst and take their face.

And if you choose to publish content only on a certain topic, you will get bored at some point.

And you know what will happen?

You will change what you do. You will publish a different type of content.

And you know what will happen then?

You will lose a large part of your followers or you will lose notoriety/authority. And you will have to build again. And that’s tiring.

Why is this happening?

Well, it’s kind of normal. It’s like you worked for 10 years to become the best lawyer (or among the best) and then you decided to be a musician.

Your entire audience knew you as a lawyer. They were calling you for it. They were watching you with interest for that. And now, as a musician, a lot of them no longer resonate with what you do. And you have to build your reputation and authority from scratch.

And that’s a problem for you.

That’s why I think being a generalist is better, because (although maybe the growth is slower) you end up getting more attention and staying relevant.

But not super generalist. You don’t have to be a generalist in the sense that you parrot your opinion on everything and think you’re good at everything and an expert in everything. That’s not good either.

I mean focus a lot on the things that you know you are passionate about and that you do and talk about every day with great affection.

Think of things you can freely talk about with a friend of yours at any time of the day or night. Something you are passionate about.

It can be about food.

It can be about math.

It can be about business.

It can be about productivity.

It can be anything you like to talk about.

The moment you choose several such discussion areas, they become your content pillars.

Then all you have to do is pass on to the world what you have experienced from your own experience based on these pillars.

Basically you pass everything through your filter, through your own perception of the world. Make a summary. Structure the information better. You dress it in a clearer way. Then you deliver it over the internet.

And look, that’s how you’ll manage to stay relevant for years to come, and at the same time you’ll manage to do it day in and day out.

Because it’s damn hard to do the same things every day without losing your passion for them.

As humans we are multifunctional. We have interests in various fields. We love to watch talented and experienced people teach us and give us their wisdom and life experience. We love stories. We find ourselves in what others live. And we like to learn things from vast areas because life is not just about one thing.

Life is a collection of experiences. And those experiences are worth sharing with others.

Of course we don’t have to go to that extreme where everyone knows everything about us.

Not.

You decide which parts you want to pass on.

You decide what you want others to know from you and about you and what you don’t.

You decide how you want to be perceived in the world.

And I think this “philosophy” will help you in the long run. Maybe now it seems normal to publish content only about your field. And it sure makes a lot of sense to do that. But will it be the same in a few years?

Keep in mind that we are evolving.

We reach other levels.

If in the past I was a simple volunteer in a marketing department, now I am on another level.

Keep in mind that right now maybe you’re super niche and only doing Facebook ads and that’s all you talk about. But what if Facebook ads are no longer relevant in the next 5 years?

What are you going to do then?

Are you going to start creating artificial intelligence consulting in marketing?

People will say you’re an impostor.

Super niche is not good either. And not super generalist either.

BUT BEWARE

Everything I have written so far should be taken and adapted to your own context. Notice that I’m strictly referring to the area of ​​online content creation (because it’s only through content that you can get people’s attention). I didn’t mean what you sell, or what business model you have or would like to have. That’s what you know best, and it’s another topic for discussion, maybe even more extensive.

I believe that you can talk about different topics that interest you, as long as you do it with passion and it is for someone’s benefit.

You can stay niche in your area of ​​expertise if you want. Just keep in mind that there will always be better ones to take your face. And the only way you can truly differentiate yourself and be truly authentic is to become a “genuine generalist.”

True generalist = person who passionately speaks/does things in multiple areas of expertise.

You will see that you are appreciated differently when you are a very good professional in your field, but at the same time you also have a healthy lifestyle. You are also good at investing in the stock market. You are also an excellent speaker. And so on.

For example, it is normal for a fitness trainer to look good and eat very healthy. But when you see an entrepreneur that looks good, has style, has culture, has results… otherwise you change your opinion about him, right? 🙂

I leave the conclusion up to you. You choose what you want next.

Stay strong!

Andrei Isip