I know that a lot of my readers look up to me as someone who has "made it." You may look at some of my audience metrics and think I've got the attention game figured out. But others (myself included) have a different vantage point.
I've been in the content game for nearly ten years now. I was writing (a version of) this newsletter in January 2017—two years before Codie Sanchez started her newsletter on Substack, 9 months before Steven Bartlett recorded the first episode of Diary of a CEO, and almost a full decade before anyone was talking about "yapping."
I can name the handful of times I've (accidentally) had something go anywhere close to viral. I made this Reel in five minutes while playing with my toddler (and the comments are a cesspool). And despite having what I believe to be a clear grasp on how to play the attention game at a higher level, I just can't get myself to do it.
I'm trying to make peace with that.
I've come to believe there are two types of creators:
- Attention maximizers
- Trust maximizers
Attention maximizers optimize for views and follower growth.
You are likely an attention maximizer if:
- You play a game of speed and volume—jumping on trends quickly and posting frequently
- You obsess over data around "what's working" on a platform right now
- You are heavier on social media or YouTube than email or podcasting
- You think a lot about hooks
- You're a master at stopping the scroll
- You predominantly monetize through sponsorship
- The products you sell are low-priced and low-(or no)-touch
- Your audience feels fickle or highly variable
Trust maximizers optimize for audience relationships and personal curiosity.
You are likely a trust maximizer if:
- You play a game of depth and consistency—going deeper into areas of personal curiosity rather than surfing the wave of what's hot
- You not only recognize a majority of the names and faces of your audience in your comments, but you know something about them too
- The idea of finding videos and hooks that "worked" feels creatively oppressive
- You feel like posting a high volume of content doesn't afford you the space to go as deep into subjects as you'd like
- You predominantly monetize with your own products
- The products you sell are higher-priced and higher-touch
- Your audience feels highly defined and specific
If you haven't guessed, I'm a trust maximizer (and a little biased in that direction). But neither is better or worse; they're just different games.
Attention maximizers reap the rewards of fame and notoriety—magazine covers, listicles, private rooms, and big-time sponsorships. Trust maximizers tend to have more casual, private lives—predictable cash flow, deeper relationships with a smaller audience, and a life just outside the spotlight.
The problems come when one creator judges their performance by the other creator's game (this is the trap I often fall into).
Why is that person's account growing so quickly?
This content isn't even useful!
Trust maximizers rarely get the same number of views as attention maximizers. They'd love to grow their audience, but they focus on how their content serves their existing audience more than on adding more viewers to the pile. Trust maximizers have an easier time selling, quickly say "no" to things that don't interest them, but wonder why attention maximizers can grow their audiences so quickly (or why they're never invited to the fancy private rooms).
Attention maximizers don't have the same depth of relationship with their viewers as trust maximizers. Their audience feels much more scattered, and they'll have a harder time monetizing directly. They'll grow quickly and have a large audience, but may envy trust maximizers for not having to answer to third-party sponsors. They have a harder time slowing down, saying no to brand deals, or taking time off.
Attention maximizers often attract a crowd while trust maximizers build an audience.
Scrolling Instagram and pausing to watch a video isn't so different from stopping your walk in Vegas to watch a street performer. Did you catch the performer's name? Did you ever see them again?
And then there's your favorite band—you may make entire travel plans to a remote destination just to see them.
A crowd is reactive, stopping to see a spectacle. An audience is proactive and makes plans to see their favorite artist.
You may be thinking this is a false dichotomy. Surely there are trust maximizers getting tons of views or attention maximizers who are highly trusted? Yes, there are always exceptions to the rule. And while it seems like each side could benefit by being more like the other, it's not as practical as you'd think.
Attention maximizers, by definition, must cater to a broad audience. Attention is one of the most competitive games on the planet, and they've mastered it. They're more likely to make content consumed as entertainment, and because their audience is scattered, it's harder to find a product or service that fits their audience as a whole. Attention maximizers are encouraged to make the biggest promises possible because it attracts more attention. They speak in absolutes because brevity is both easier to consume and creates an emotional response. For more thoughtful, discerning viewers, this type of content often rings as incomplete, ignorant, or misleading.
Trust maximizers are playing a longer, slower game with a smaller target audience. Trust is earned when a promise is kept, and trust maximizers are masters at keeping promises. They're more likely to make content that's educational or transformational. They make fewer and more realistic promises. They're more likely to hedge their language or dive into the nuance, because they don't want to lie, omit, or mislead. This doesn't make for sexy titles and thumbnails or snappy soundbites, so casual viewers pass right by.
Both attention maximizers and trust maximizers can succeed. But it's best to identify the side you fall on and commit to your strengths rather than try to elevate your weaknesses. A trust maximizer leaning into alarming video packaging will feel like they're having an identity crisis. An attention-maximizer using more measured language will feel boring.
In the first version of this essay, I spoke in more absolutes. I removed myself from the story, because I wanted it to be more readable for people who don't know me. I was trying to add on some attention-winning best practices, but also couldn't fully commit. The essay was both thin and harder to buy into because I was contradicting my own point!
Trouble comes when you try to straddle the middle. That middle area feels muddy. Not quite sharp enough to maximize attention, not quite deep enough to maximize trust. That muddiness creates indifference in the consumer, and in content, indifference is death.
