{"id":233268,"date":"2023-02-06T12:35:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T17:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/?p=233268"},"modified":"2023-08-08T17:40:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T21:40:26","slug":"the-3-moats-every-successful-creator-builds-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/the-3-moats-every-successful-creator-builds-first\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Moats Every Successful Creator Builds First"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p>Think of every course or digital product you\u2019ve taken to level up as a creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why did you buy it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, the information was probably good. And if it was live, you probably met some cool people and benefited from some built-in accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But these are benefits you got <em>after<\/em> you bought it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m asking why you bought it in the <em>first place<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I recently signed up for Thinking in Stories by Lawrence Yeo. There are dozens of writing courses claiming to help you level up your writing (I\u2019ve taken several of them, and some actually deliver).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But of all the courses out there, what drew me to this one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The simple answer? Moats.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A friend asked me why I bought Lawrence\u2019s course and, without realizing it, I explained each of the three moats he\u2019d built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The same three moats every successful creator builds first.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These moats are also why I\u2019ve bought every course or product over the past few years, not just Lawrence\u2019s, but I\u2019ll use the DM exchange with my friend as a running example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read on to find out what these moats are and how you can build them, too\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Affinity<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-233270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The first moat is affinity, aka, how much does your content resonate with people and how strong of a connection do they feel to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a harsh truth about creating content: <strong>Someone else has already said everything you want to say.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Truly new content is exceedingly rare. Think of your favorite book. The overall plot is probably the same as thousands of other books:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>The underdog overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to win at the last minute.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The rebel cell takes down the corrupt government.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>True love conquers all.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>See? I just described 99% of books and movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the reason your favorite story is your favorite is because of the characters. You see yourself in them. You connect with their struggles or worldview. They feel like a long-lost friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which makes you feel an <em>affinity<\/em> toward them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Affinity is a moat because even if the essence of your content is the same as a thousand other creators\u2014your story, quirks, and worldview set you and your content apart from everyone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>People don\u2019t follow you because of your content. They follow you because of your character.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And they buy for the same reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Affinity is one of the best creator moats you can build because it takes you out of the comparison game and turns you into a category of one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reputation<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-233271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-2-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-2.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In psychology, we have a saying: <strong>Past behavior predicts future behavior.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this context, it means if you\u2019ve done good work before and provided tons of value, people assume this new thing you\u2019re putting out is also solid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You can\u2019t hack your reputation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, you can hire a ghostwriter to create some bomb-ass posts or something, or pay for retweets, but this isn\u2019t the same as building a reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reputation is the compounding of word-of-mouth over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reputation takes forever to build and no time to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reputation is hard-fucking-won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every tweet. Every article. Every DM. Every product. Every podcast interview. Adds\u2014or subtracts\u2014from your reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve built up some pretty solid social capital with people. But I guarantee you if I started shilling some bullshit crypto scam, put out a horrible course that was an obvious money grab, or started spouting weird uber-right-wing conspiracy nonsense, I\u2019d not only lose every ounce of that capital I\u2019ve built up over the last few years\u2014I\u2019d have to work 100x harder to earn back a fraction of that trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other than <a href=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/why-most-content-creators-go-broke-and-give-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">going broke and giving up<\/a>, a ruined reputation is the main reason creators don\u2019t make it. And 9 times out of ten, they ruin their own reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One simple strategy to keep your reputation is to make sure every piece of content you put out passes what Jay Clouse calls the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jayclouse\/status\/1616564928759955457\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Regret Test<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-3-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-233273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-3-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-3-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-3-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-3.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reputation and regret are inversely correlated.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You increase your reputation by reducing your audience\u2019s regret, and you <em>decrease <\/em>your reputation every time your audience regrets interacting with your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Create accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Positioning<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-233272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/affinity-and-positioning-as-moat.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the things I teach in World-Class Coaching when it comes to doing sales calls is: People don&#8217;t care about the 100 things you can do. They care about the 1 thing you can do <em>for them<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lawrence could easily teach a more comprehensive writing course, but this course is specifically on storytelling. I\u2019m comfortable with my writing abilities overall. I\u2019ve been writing online for over two years between free and paid newsletters, my own website, and Psychology Today. And I\u2019ve taken incredible writing courses on broader topics (like Write of Passage). But I specifically want to become a better storyteller since I\u2019m writing a book this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Positioning comes down to being two things: different and specific.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Different from what everyone else is doing, and specific to what your ideal audience is looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve built affinity, you\u2019ve probably already nailed the \u201cdifferent\u201d part of this equation, so all that\u2019s left is to get specific on what you offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you try to be everything to everyone, you end up being nothing to no one.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What strategic advantages, unique insights, deep philosophies, lived experiences, or contrarian takes can you leverage to position your <em><strong>thing<\/strong><\/em> apart from what everyone else is doing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wrap Up<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>You could learn all the hacks and develop complex systems to crank out content and courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But without creator moats like affinity, reputation, and positioning, you\u2019ll always be a replaceable commodity racing to the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to separate yourself from the crowd and build an audience of people who truly love what you do, double down on building these moats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can you think of anything you\u2019ve bought, read, watched, or listened to lately that wasn\u2019t influenced by at least one of these moats?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lawrence built them, as has every other successful creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So can you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-black-background-color has-black-color is-style-wide\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to separate yourself from the crowd and build an audience of people who truly love what you do? Build these moats first&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":233275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ub_ctt_via":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,57],"tags":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Newsletter-Thumbnails-2023-7.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Corey","author_link":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/author\/corey\/"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Newsletter-Thumbnails-2023-7.png",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Newsletter-Thumbnails-2023-7-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Newsletter-Thumbnails-2023-7-300x169.png",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Newsletter-Thumbnails-2023-7-768x432.png",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Newsletter-Thumbnails-2023-7-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Newsletter-Thumbnails-2023-7.png",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Newsletter-Thumbnails-2023-7.png",1280,720,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Corey","author_link":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/author\/corey\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Want to separate yourself from the crowd and build an audience of people who truly love what you do? Build these moats first...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233268"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233268"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234619,"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233268\/revisions\/234619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}