KNOWN backs four of Tom's lessons and argues with two. Under each of his lessons, what the book says about it, and on which pages.
Schaefer says brand tipping can take years and gives leading indicators of awareness, inquiries and money to track before big results arrive. pp. 163, 164 and 170. In the book: Four measures of momentum, What to adjust when nothing moves, Deciding whether to quit.
Schaefer says your brand is about how others experience you and that influencer and audience growth comes from serving others first. pp. 30, 80 and 121. In the book: The four steps to become known, Eight space strategies, Hygiene, hub and hero content, Four phases of passive audience connection, Active audience building.
Schaefer builds the voice from what you already do well, through the Only I exercise, strengths and a tone that is a natural extension of your personality. pp. 42, 43 and 68. In the book: Seven exercises to find your sustainable interest, Eight space strategies, Hygiene, hub and hero content.
Schaefer says nearly everyone who became known had a purpose beyond selling, and that purpose keeps a brand going for years. pp. 38, 152 and 172. In the book: Place and space, Four measures of momentum, What to adjust when nothing moves, Deciding whether to quit.
Schaefer says to pick one form of rich content such as a blog, podcast or video series and stay with it for at least a year rather than start with short form testing. pp. 86, 88 and 115. In the book: Choosing your rich content, The RITE test, Three rules of effective content, Responding to negative comments, Four phases of passive audience connection, Active audience building.
Schaefer treats one piece of rich content a week as a reasonable start and warns that being everywhere is unsustainable for one person. pp. 88, 115 and 175. In the book: Choosing your rich content, The RITE test, Three rules of effective content, Responding to negative comments, Four phases of passive audience connection, Active audience building.
Schaefer argues that online the only real source of power is being known, and that anyone can get there by following four steps in order. Find your place, a sustainable interest you can love for years and that helps others. Find your space, an uncontested niche big enough to matter, using a Google saturation test and eight strategies for crowded fields. Fill that space with one form of rich content, published consistently for years, and build an actionable audience, since follower counts mean little without an emotional connection. He insists on a plan over passion, on patience over hustle, and on measuring momentum through awareness, inquiries, money and personal goals so you know when to persist, pivot or stop.
The Content Operators launch
The book gives a four step method and a first cohort audience plan (place, space, content, actionable audience) that the launch of a creator education brand can be built on.
Schaefer says to dominate a content type with hub content, commit to a steady cadence for years, and that Rand Fishkin's whiteboard series took two to three years to gain traction (pp. 70 to 71, 175).
His whole method is to pick a place and space, publish rich content consistently and build an actionable audience until inquiries arrive, as with the retail vice president who hired him after reading his blog for three years (pp. 111, 164).
He says to add your own story, test ideas on a blog before committing, and let the market decide by watching which posts get comments and shares (pp. 57, 99, 130).
The linear process the whole book follows.
From chapter: CHAPTER 1 Can Anybody Become Known?, pp. 16–33
The intersection that gives the best shot at becoming known.
From chapter: CHAPTER 2 Step One: Your Place, pp. 34–40
Seven prompts to uncover what you want to be known for.
From chapter: CHAPTER 3 Finding Your Sustainable Interest, pp. 41–57
A Google search test for how crowded your space is.
From chapter: CHAPTER 4 Step Two: Determining Your Space, pp. 58–63
Eight ways to find an open space even without a first-mover advantage.
From chapter: CHAPTER 5 Eight Space Strategies, pp. 64–83
The three content types YouTube research found in strong channel brands.
From chapter: CHAPTER 5 Eight Space Strategies, pp. 64–83
How to pick the one content form to commit to.
From chapter: CHAPTER 6 Step Three: Finding Your Fuel, pp. 84–105
A check for consistently good content.
From chapter: CHAPTER 6 Step Three: Finding Your Fuel, pp. 84–105
Rules that hold for any rich content type.
From chapter: CHAPTER 6 Step Three: Finding Your Fuel, pp. 84–105
A four step way to defuse criticism.
From chapter: CHAPTER 6 Step Three: Finding Your Fuel, pp. 84–105
How people move from discovering you to advocating for you.
From chapter: CHAPTER 7 Step Four: Creating an Actionable Audience, pp. 106–124
Three ways to build the connection actively.
From chapter: CHAPTER 7 Step Four: Creating an Actionable Audience, pp. 106–124
Schaefer's process for finishing a book.
From chapter: CHAPTER 8 Taking Your Brand to the Next Level, pp. 125–142
Tamsen Webster's five sentences that give a talk its structure.
From chapter: CHAPTER 8 Taking Your Brand to the Next Level, pp. 125–142
Steps to build speaking momentum.
From chapter: CHAPTER 8 Taking Your Brand to the Next Level, pp. 125–142
Ways to tell whether you are trending up when thought leadership is soft.
From chapter: CHAPTER 10 Pivots and Grit, pp. 155–172
If you love the work and see no momentum after a year, check each element.
From chapter: CHAPTER 10 Pivots and Grit, pp. 155–172
Four steps at a true roadblock.
From chapter: CHAPTER 10 Pivots and Grit, pp. 155–172
A way to compare keyword opportunity by country.
From chapter: APPENDIX II Determining content density in regions of the world, pp. 193–194
Tom works with creators and founders one to one, from a single session to a fractional role. Work with Tom
