Why you Shouldn't Trust the "How to Make it Work" Guides from the Industry Gurus

The majority of these "How to Make it Work" guides fail to consider what doesn't work.

This is a mistake.

I recently attended several marketing courses.

To make it easy for us newbies, they all had a list of what to do to make a good post that would get us lots of likes.

I was eager to get my hands on this list.

Then I noticed that each point on the list was backed up with an example of a successful post.

This made me pause.

Did they only look at the successful posts?

Or were they just showing us the successful posts?

The second option makes total sense: no one is comfortable with publicising their work that got them less than stellar results - although I'm at a stage where their less than stellar results would feel pretty good to me.

The first option would make the whole grocery list less worthwhile.

Let's see why.

When You're Assessing What Works, You Absolutely Have to Consider What Doesn’t

If you don't distinguish between what works and what doesn't, this list will be full of tips that simply don't work.

Tips that are completely ineffective.

Some list users will be successful using it, while others will not see the desired results.

This grocery list should work for everyone.

I'll give you an example.

Let me tell you about Lisa - imaginary person.

She's looking for a job. She realises that when she styles her hair and wears a red blazer, her current interviewer always invites her for a next step.

Wrong "How To" list

She tells all her friends: "Wearing a red blazer and styling my hair guarantees a successful interview!"

So, when it's time to look for another job, her friends give it a try.

It goes without saying that everyone is different, so there is no way anyone can do exactly what Lisa does. They'll get it 80% like Lisa and 20% with their own touch.

Friend # 1, Laura messes up her hair styling. There is a strong wind that day. She arrives at the onsite interview with her hair all over the place.

Friend # 2, Daria – another random name – wears an orange blazer.

Friend # 1, the girl with the messy hair, gets invited to the next round of interviews.

Friend # 2 and her orange blazer don't.

Friends' results

Why?

Upon reflection, Lisa realizes that she styles her hair every day, regardless of whether she has successful interviews or not. This is a neutral tip because it applies to both successful interview days and to not successful ones.

Correct "How To" list

This is not a tip that will lead to success!

The girlfriend that nailed the successful tip, the red blazer, was successful.

The girlfriend that nailed the neutral tip, styling her hair, had a coin toss probability to succeed.

There's no way that's worth the effort to follow the provided grocery list.

If tip lists get done with only following the successful posts, people that use them will end up like friend # 2, with a coin toss probability of success.

I wish you luck!

Here is what to do instead:

Step # 1: Find out What the Successful Posts Have in Common

We must identify the common factors that contribute to the success of these posts.

For example, Lisa would list the hair and the blazer.

Step # 2: Identify What Works for the Non-Successful Posts

This is the crucial step that most people miss, and therefore the whole exercise is flawed.

We must compare the previous list with a list of things that don't work. We must put one together.

Lisa should have realised that she got her hair styled everyday.

Step # 3: Your "How To" is born. Identify the Key Differences Between Successful and Non-Successful Posts

Create a list of tips that are present in the successful posts but absent from the non-successful posts.

Lisa should have noticed that the hairstyled tip was on both lists, so the only tip she can give for a successful interview is to wear a red dress.

This is accuracy.

Ultimately, It will be a Very Short List

That depends.

The successful tips are going to be few and far between.

Every product requires a set of basic steps to be taken before it can even be considered a success. You can add tips to make a minimum viable product.

It is essential to differentiate between these tips and the successful ones. This will ensure that people using your grocery list know what kind of attention to give to each.

You can do this!

I believe in you!