The pursuit of perfection paralyzes content creation. The polished, multi-take style of traditional media is obsolete on social platforms. Authenticity drives engagement. Don't re-shoot for a minor mistake; correct it in the video and post it. The more human and raw you are, the better your content will perform.
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Don't wait for perfection. Hone short-form video skills by creating a random account and posting content daily, even if it's terrible. This consistent practice, despite poor performance or bad comments, is the key to developing a high-value content creation skillset.
The speaker is abandoning a high-effort interview podcast for a low-production daily show. He believes the rawness and authenticity, including background noise, create a more intimate and sustainable connection with listeners, which is often lost in overly polished formats.
AI video tools like Sora optimize for high production value, but popular internet content often succeeds due to its message and authenticity, not its polish. The assumption that better visuals create better engagement is a risky product bet, as it iterates on an axis that users may not value.
The middle ground of social content is disappearing. To succeed, creators must either produce hyper-professional, cinematic-quality work or embrace completely raw, authentic, unedited content. Attempting to compete with gimmicky, mid-level edits is a losing strategy as it fails to stand out.
Audiences connect with genuine, imperfect people, not polished professionals. Overcome the fear of looking awkward or making mistakes, as this authenticity is what viewers seek and will ultimately lead to a stronger connection and following.
Instead of trying to produce polished content as an expert, founders should simply document their daily journey—challenges, learnings, and even product development decisions. This approach lowers the barrier to creation, feels more authentic to the audience, and invites them to contribute.
The more time spent scripting, refining, and editing a post, the less authentic it becomes and the worse it typically performs. Higher-performing content often results from reducing the time between the initial idea and hitting 'publish.'
Data shows raw, authentic 'lo-fi' content significantly outperforms polished material. LinkedIn posts see 144% more engagement, Instagram gets 220% more, and email click-throughs rise 88%. This strategy works for all industries, including 'boring' B2B, because authentic human connection wins.
Overly polished video content in B2B can signal "advertisement" to users, causing them to disengage. Lower-fidelity, more authentic content often performs better because it feels more organic and native to social media feeds, focusing on the message rather than slick production.
In an era of highly produced brand content, raw, unpolished videos can feel more authentic and are more likely to stop the scroll. This "imperfect" quality is a strategic advantage, not a weakness, as it stands out against overly polished feeds.