Don’t Underestimate How Much You Know (That Others Don’t)

It can help form the pathway to serving others.

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I had my wings clipped the other day.

It happened after I shared a post on social media. I suggested it’s a good idea to have a clear pathway to audience retention in mind when building a following.

And by that, I mean having your own newsletter.

For the record, I think that’s a pretty fair suggestion. Followers are watchers — subscribers are fans.

But one guy took issue with the newsletter idea, stating: “There’s no money there. Except for subscriptions, which is small beer.”

I disagreed (naturally, because he was wrong) and explained how the most successful online creators have built everything on a newsletter foundation.

He asked for examples. I gave him a bunch.

He asked why he’d never heard of them. I replied with a shrug emoji, because I don’t know.

In fairness to him, he wasn’t rude in the way he responded to my initial post. He was just too quick to brush aside my suggestion. He didn’t know what I did, so he thought what I was saying was pure poppycock.

(Look at that — I finally had the chance to use the word poppycock in a sentence. There it is again!)

As much as being publicly disagreed-with (when I’m right) really creams my corn, it gave me some pause for thought. And once I’d reflected on it for a bit, I realised something I should have already known:

I have a tendency to underestimate what I know and overestimate what others know.

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The Estimation Conundrum

It sounds too straightforward, and maybe even arrogant. But trust me, I’m the last person in the world to think too much of myself. I’m a serial self-underestimator (not a word, is it?), and that’s a problem.

I know more about a collection of particular subjects than the Average Joe, but only because I obsess over them every day.

Content writing. Platform building. Brand development.

You know, fun stuff like that.

Most people would find those topics super boring and irrelevant, so why would they invest time and energy learning more about them?

I don’t care about cricket, or local politics, or which wine pairs best with a slow-braised lamb shank, so I don’t make any effort to consume any more knowledge about those subjects. I have precious little space to spare in my cranium as it is.

I often underestimate what I know, so I feel like an imposter. And that feeling harms how authoritative my voice can be in my writing, which can reduce its usefulness.

I need to nip that in the bud. I know a lot about certain things because I study them constantly. That’s ok. In fact, it’s good.

On the flip side, I overestimate what other people know about the same subjects, whether that’s the monetisation of newsletters, writing in a way that leaves a lasting impression, or growing an audience base to nurture a blossoming business.

Overestimation, at worst, can lead to unfortunate exchanges on social media. At best, it bumps me off course when I’m creating content, and I end up writing for myself now rather than the person I was a few years ago. And that’s the person I’m trying to help.

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The Estimation Solution

If you have a good, solid understanding of a subject, don’t underestimate yourself.

Lean into it. Create content around it. Give those behind you a helping hand up the ladder.

And don’t overestimate what others know. They’re just not where you are, and that’s almost certainly not their fault.

Share your knowledge with kindness. If they accept that, all good; if not, no worries.

If you’re not sure where exactly you stand in the knowledge food chain, try this quick exercise:

• Write down all the topics you feel you could talk about so enthusiastically you barely draw breath (don’t get me started on Liverpool FC’s best midfield setup, we’ll be here for days)

• Highlight the topics you think others should know more about, the kind that would add more value to their lives

• Bullet-point everything you know about each one

• Can you turn those points into articles, or long-form social media posts? Or even YouTube videos?

You’ll come away from that process with a better understanding of what you know. And, hopefully, some sort of pathway to creating content around it that helps others.

That’s the heart and soul of the creator economy.

What’s your knowledge comfort zone? What topic fills you with confidence when you discuss it with others?

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Solo Success Stories Edition #2: The Triumph and Tribulation of “Making It”

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