10 Content Creation Lessons Learned in 2022

2022 was the most remarkable year of my life (and honestly, no year comes remotely close). I dove head-first into content creation. On December 31st, 2021, I sent out my first tweet as the NFT God brand. Since then, I've gained 82,345 followers, 14,365 newsletter subscribers, and 155 new members of the 1% Club (launched 3 weeks ago). Starting to focus on content seriously was the single most life-changing decision I've ever made. I'm so grateful for you guys and the community that has formed around this concept of getting 1% Better every damn day. I am wrapping the new year up with the 10 lessons I learned this year from creating content for 365 days straight. I hope you all can take just 1 lesson from all this to improve your own content. If you guys have learned anything, feel free to comment below or reply to my email. Let's get into it!

1. Stick to Your Brand

Every tweet I put out in 2022 that underperformed had 1 thing in common: they were off-brand. I built my brand in 2022 to be the cross-section of self-improvement, investing, and technology. Whenever I put out content that went against that brand, people just didn't understand. In real life, I like to consider myself a mildly funny human being. So in October, I attempted to make a harmless joke:

Big bust. I typically get at least 600 likes per tweet, and this one got 239. People didn't expect this kind of content out of me. Another joke I made was to a troll that was in my replies. They said something about my content stinking. I replied with a harmless 5th-grade school yard 'yo mama' joke. I instantly got replies thinking I was hacked. Lesson learned: develop a strong brand and then stick to it.

2. Balance is Everything

Mental health is critical if you want to be a content creator. You are your most creative when you are not stressed. Whenever I was feeling stressed or burnt out, my tweets and newsletters just plain stunk. After refocusing on my mental health and balance, my content hit a new level of quality.

Quick tips for balance:

1. Schedule your tweets in advanced

2. Eliminate doom scrolling

3. Journal and meditate

4. Don't cram. Work on your content a little at a time

3. Twitter is the Highest Leverage Social Media Platform Ever

I've dabbled with all of the social media platforms (and plan to dive head first into Youtube and TikTok in 2023), and by far the highest leverage platform is Twitter. Twitter will always be my primary platform. There's no other platform where you can write out a thought in 15 seconds, press send, then get 2 million impressions in an hour. Just not possible anywhere else. Develop your brand on Twitter, then slowly expand to other platforms.

4. Always be Learning

Content is constantly transforming. What works today might not work tomorrow. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to pay attention to what others are doing and always push the ball forward. At the beginning of the year, I studied writing, and now I'm learning video editing. The only way you'll maintain a growth mindset is to never settle. Always look for a new way to build your skillsets.

5. Video is Up Next

Every platform is heading towards video. TikTok changed the game. Elon has actively said video will be a big focus of Twitter in 2022. Also, Youtube Shorts and Tik Tok have by far the most viral algorithms in the game. People are gaining massive audiences overnight. If short-form video isn't in your content strategy in 2023, you're falling behind.

6. Have Friends that will Call You Out on Your BS

I have a buddy I send all my new ideas and content before I post. I trust this friend more than anybody for one reason: he's willing to tell me when I'm screwing up and when my content just plain sucks. There's nothing more valuable than having a friend in your corner who will call you out when you're making a mistake. Relentlessly chase people like this.

7. Data will Make You a Way Better Content Creator

A big reason for my success in 2022 was my data tracking. I actively keep a spreadsheet of literally all my tweets. Every night I review this spreadsheet and look for trends. I look for tweets and categories that work. Then I go back and reconfigure these tweets to improve them. Then I'll send the new and improved tweets over the next few weeks. This process actively makes my content better. I recommend you adopt this same process.

8. Better Inputs Equals Better Outputs

You need to be reading more than you're writing. Every day I make sure to read high-quality non-fiction for at least an hour. This helps me draw inspiration for my own content. I wouldn't have half the ideas for my tweets and newsletters if I weren't constantly consuming high-signal content. Make sure you're constantly improving your inputs with books, educational videos, and tweets from people you inspire to create emulate.

9. The Goal of Your Content is to Build a Community

Your goal isn't to shout into the void. It's to build a community of like-minded people. I didn't plan on it, but in 2022 a community naturally formed around my content. The same faces kept showing up in my replies and DMs. And just like that, the 1% Club was born. By creating content with your community in mind, you have a persona you're naturally targeting when you create. This objectively makes your content more personal and high quality. Create with your reader in mind, and every part of your process will level up.

10. Your Network is Actually Your Net Worth

In 2022 I've made countless friends through my writing. Seriously, all of you have been incredible. The connections I've made have been life-changing. By interacting with people, I've found excellent partners to manage my community, edit my videos, bounce ideas off of, and start side projects like LFGrow. Prioritize networking and building relationships as much as you prioritize your content. They're equally important.

2022 has been a blast but in 2023 everything changes. Grateful for every one of you. Sending nothing but love to you, your friends, and family. Happy New Years, everyone.