“A creation needs not only subjectivity, but also objectivity.” ~ Stephen Chow
Let’s talk about the stats and outcomes from yesterday’s My Dick Pic email. While the absurdity of the subject line doubled the normal open rate, 26 people unsubscribed. That’s a whole 26 people who I needn’t be concerned I’m going to offend in future emails!
Sam C. shared, “Not a big fan of the dick pic joke” while Matt N. stated, “Dick pic was too low” and both unsubscribed. Fantastic! I’m not bashing Sam or Matt in any way, they’re just not interested in my content and that’s totally cool. I appreciate their feedback and candor.
To find your minority (e.g. Madi T. and I had some productive laughs on a call today), you’ve got to be willing to express your personality—or that of your brand—and scare off those who aren’t in line with who you are and what you stand for.
I’m certainly not suggesting you mention “dick pic” and curse every fucking second, that’s my brand. What I am suggesting is that you explore what it means to be you.
Atop the foundation of exploration is the ideology of objectivity.
As an example, John Olivier commented on Donald Trump’s impression of Marco Rubio saying it was, “objectively funny.” While he disagreed with his politics, personality, and most of what makes him human… he still appreciated the joke being made. Seeing things objectively means not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice.
Why is this important? Well, if I was to tell you the secrets for ranking highly profitable keywords at the top of Google… I’d likely reference the time I consulted with a chain of sex stores and how they got back to the first page for keywords like ‘dildo’ and ‘vibrator’.
To tell you how to develop a community, I might talk about the time I made a proposal for a brothel in Costa Rica that was looking to expand their presence online.
If you take offense and are unable to remain objective — you’ll miss out.
Some of the best lessons I’ve learned have come from the unlikeliest of places. When you practice objectivity you expand your perspectives and enhance your view of the world.
Your homework is simple, find someone you disagree with and try to see their perspective.