Close The Gap

It’s not your fault. You just have good taste.

As I’m winding down this series, I’ve begun to think about the challenges in creating a body of work. Being a beginner is hard. When we set out to create something new, we often don’t like what we produce at first.

There’s a famous quote from Ira Glass about “The Gap.” (There’s a great 2-minute short film on Vimeo if you want to go search it out.) Essentially:

• We want to start making something good because we have good taste.
• When we start out, we’re not that good at making that thing because we’re beginners.
• We’re frustrated because there is a gap between what we’re creating and what we know is good.
• This is where a lot of people get discouraged and quit.
• But what’s important is to push on and create a body of work.
• Create a deadline for yourself to create X number of posts per week.
• Because the only way you’re going to close that gap (for your work to catch up with your ambitions) is to work through it.
• It’s going to take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile.
• But you need to fight your way through that.

In social media, you have to create a volume of posts before you can figure out what works. Even when I start working with a client in a market in which I have a ton of experience, I can still be thrown a loop by what their particular audience gravitates towards. 

The key is to keep on posting. Keep on experimenting and eventually, you will become an expert in what your people like and be able to deliver that to them.

Close that gap.