Honestly, I have a pretty short message I want to share with you today.

But first, I just want to paint a picture of what my day looked like today… It started out so productively. 

I planned out ALL of this content for my monthly membership The Game Changer Collective, I planned a bunch of exciting things I’m going to do with my Simply Business group mentorship program, and then I sat down to plan my content…and…I just felt fed up.

And, THAT is what I want to talk to you about today.

So, if you did like this episode be sure to screenshot and share on Instagram and of course tag me @erinmayhenry @gamechangers.

ARE YOU CREATING FROM AN INTUITIVE OR ANALYTICAL PLACE?

Here’s the thing, I actually uploaded a YouTube video to my channel this morning about using Instagram Stories and to say that it was tanking would basically be an understatement.

So, I was sitting there and looking at my analytics, trying to amp myself up to plan some videos, and I started to get really down.

I started to really dive deep into the numbers on my YouTube channel and they did just, you know, make me feel down. 

I started looking through my analytics and then I started trying to plan my content from that space.

I started trying to plan from a place of “let’s analyze this stuff and fix the problem”. And, you know what, to be honest, I was just fed up.

I freaking love YouTube, but it’s a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs as a creator. For a couple of months, my channel was doing incredibly well and now it seems I just can’t get it right. That’s exactly how it feels, anyway.

So I sat down and decided I needed to dig into the problem, not from the analytical place I normally would, but from a more intuitive perspective.

I pulled out my tarot cards, I pulled out my journal, and I tried as much as I could to connect inwards and ask my intuition (or whatever you want to call it), what is going on here?

THE NUMBERS CAN ALSO BE DETRIMENTAL

While numbers can be incredibly helpful, they can also be extremely detrimental.

I get so confused around this myself. You hear on one hand that you should create from a place of intuition and passion, and then, on the other hand, people are telling me to analyze the data?

Here’s the thing, I think both have a purpose.

I love the data and sometimes it can be incredibly helpful in my business, but then there are times where they seem to do nothing more than frustrate me.

So, when I say it’s both, it’s because I’ve discovered it’s more of a process, rather than a straight-up split. 

When it comes to creating and when it comes to growing it needs to be from a place of passion, of intuition, of connection, of energy first, and then the data comes second. 

Like I said, I am on a rollercoaster of a ride with YouTube, and I think the down cycles often happen because I’m coming too much from the strategy, without coming from the energy first.

I really do look a lot of people’s YouTube channels and I really do feel, particularly in my space, that the ones that blow up are the ones that seemingly got delivered a piece of inspiration.

Now, the confusing thing is, there are a lot of channels that create purely from a space of SEO and statistics, and still have amazing success. But, if that isn’t working for you, the piece that is probably missing is the intuition side of things. 

MAKE SPACE FOR INSPIRATION

I really look back on my own channel and the videos that have done really really well seem like the ones that were born out of last-minute bursts of inspiration. 

Now, here’s the kicker, when it comes to content, I have a YouTube channel and a podcast. My audience tells me that they prefer consuming content on my YouTube channel, but my podcast gets double to triple the number of downloads that my YouTube channel gets. Why is that?

And I honestly think that one of the reasons for this is that I’ve been so in my head around creating and, like I said, planning and analyzing the data for YouTube. Whereas with my podcast I often simply sit down and share what is on my mind and heart or have a conversation.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the data is SO important. When I do a launch, I want to know my conversion rate, I want to know how I duplicate my results, but I think that’s all step 2. I really do. 

I think if you are creating purely from the place of your analytics, you are going to get yourself into trouble.

Where it needs to start is you learning and experiencing things you can’t wait to share, and then you can dive into the SEO.

Start by creating the content from a place of inspiration and connection and then make it a little more shiny with a keyword strong title and a killer thumbnail. 

YOU NEED BOTH

What I’m trying to say is that there are really two sides to this coin.

Do I create from a purely artistic perspective and hope to get the views?

Or, do I create from a space of “What’s popular right now?” and risk feeling unconnected from and unhappy with creating my content?

The answer: You need both.

And what I’m coming to understand is that it’s not 50% passion and 50% strategy.

I think it’s, first comes passion, then comes strategy.

What I need to do is create space every single day to listen, learn more, and create more opportunities to be inspired.
The research is going to come either way, but creating from a space of reading, learning, experiencing is going to leave you feeling incredibly inspired to share. 

And don’t forget to experiment, love the process, and then package it in a perfect little analytics box that is going to please the algorithm and appeal to your audience.

Basically, just create the art and deliver it with the strategy. 

Create the art from a place of passion and then use the strategy to figure out the best way to get it out into the world. That’s when you focus on the numbers.

If you haven’t already, be sure to join us in the Game Changer community on Facebook or on Instagram – @erinmayhenry.

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