As more creators compete for attention, cutting through the noise becomes more difficult. Once you've built an audience, you have the trust for people to engage with just about anything you put out – but most creators aren't there yet.
For most of us, audience growth is unlocked by a clear premise.
Most educators describe the importance of choosing a niche, but a premise is a better frame.
Let's talk about how you design one.
What's a premise?
While "niche" suggests a unique audience, "premise" suggests a unique perspective.
Imagine someone asking you, "Have you read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott?"
If you haven't, your first question will be, "What's it about?"
We ask that "what's it about" question a lot. That's our way of asking for a short description of the [thing] – that's a premise. We use the premise to determine whether the thing is interesting or relevant to us.
A great premise can be communicated quickly. The easier it is to describe, the more likely someone will be interested in it.
Traditional media and publishing really have this down:
- Survivor: 20 contestants live together on an island and vote each other off one-by-one
- The Office: A documentary-style comedy about day-to-day life in an office
- Seinfeld: A show about nothing
Best-selling books typically have their premise right in the title/subtitle:
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
- The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness
- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
Movies communicate their premise in the trailer. I haven't seen this movie yet, but the premise is INCREDIBLE:
This same logic is behind the fastest-growing creators in the creator economy:
- Ryan Holiday: Stoicism in the modern world
- Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability
- Ramit Sethi: Money for couples
- MrBeast: Huge stunts on YouTube
- Tori Dunlap: Financial feminism
- Dan Runcie: The intersection of business and hip hop
- Andrew Huberman: Science-based tools for everyday life
- Miss Excel: Teaching Excel while dancing
- Song Exploder: Musicians breaking their songs down piece by piece
- Creator Science: Creator growth through experimentation
If YOU can't quickly describe the premise of your business, your audience definitely can't either.
What makes a great premise?
Your premise should be memorable. Typically, that means the shorter, the better.
...but a short description isn't enough.
Imagine you ask someone, "What do you do?" and their response is, "I help people lose weight."
That's short! And it's clear. But...it isn't unique.
Countless people would claim to have the SAME premise, which is a difficult battle to win.
A great premise is a combination of legible, compelling, and differentiated.
Legible
A legible premise is easy to understand (and easy to explain to someone else). "I help people lose weight" is extremely legible. On the other hand, "I help people become the best versions of themselves" is much less legible.
If you struggle to answer the "What do you do?" question, you struggle with legibility. If your answer to that question is met with silence or blank stares, you struggle with legibility.
Compelling
A compelling premise makes your target audience's eyes light up. As soon as they hear it, they want to know more.
"I help people lose weight without changing their diet" is a compelling premise. As an ice cream lover, it combines two of my desires – I want to hear more!
If you can't get people excited about your work, you struggle to be compelling.
Differentiated
A differentiated premise feels fresh and new. Differentiation is what turns a compelling premise into a must-have. Not only do we want it, but we have no other way to get it.
Diet fads are often defined by their differentiation: no carbs, no animal protein, etc. Competitive markets require differentiation; otherwise, we'll often choose based on price or convenience.
If you can't get people to take action or lose them to competitors, you're not differentiated enough.
Conclusion
If your growth is slow or you're feeling stagnant, you fall short in one of these three categories. Based on peoples' reaction, you can diagnose which one:
If people don't seem to grasp or can't describe what you do, you need to make your premise more legible.
If people understand what you do but they don't seem to care, you need to make your premise more compelling.
And if people get it, say they want it, but ultimately don't take action, you need to make your premise more differentiated.
When you finally nail your premise, you'll become associated with a word or idea. And if you become associated with a word or idea, growth becomes inevitable.