Positioning and Uniqueness are Key

Everywhere you look these days there is something written or spoken about morning routines and how they set the tone for the entire day. I agree, and you probably do too, that how we begin our day can have a significant impact on the kind of results, productivity, and general sense of well being we experience. While this isn’t a new message by any means, it is a trend that I see everywhere:

There are lots of books about it, such as:

There are opt-in self-help pages and articles about it:

Oh, and a lot of morning routines are combined into one place on 21-Day Hero’s Morning Routines: The Definitive Guide to Your Best Morning Ritual page.

All of those links came from one quick search that took only moments. Needless to say, there is much more out there on this topic.

So what does this mean?

Much like fashion, there are trends when it comes to news and topical stories in media that you can tap into for more publicity for your book. But, as we can see with morning routines, if your book taps into a very popular topic, it can get very crowded. So what does this mean?

Is the market so saturated that there is no more room for you?
Do you have to position yourself differently in order to stand out?

The answer to these questions is a little more than a simple “yes” or “no.”

But before I go on, keep in mind that a trend can apply to anything. I am using the topic of morning routines because it’s huge and it’s been with us for a while now, but you could easily replace it with any topic.

Using our example of morning routines, there is no question that it is a very, very crowded space. However, with the right positioning and uniqueness, there may be room for you. What you don’t want to do is produce more of the “same ol same ol” because it won’t fly.

It’s an interesting situation: You want to show there is a trend so that you seem relevant, but at the same time, you don’t want to be the outlier on the wrong side of the bell curve because you’re going to be too late — unless you’re really unique.

In my work, I find this is one of the hardest things for authors to embrace. Most feel that their work already is unique, so it can be painful to realize that maybe it isn’t… yet. However, the beauty of really dissecting this is that you can come up with something that has a new spin on it and is therefore truly worthy of attention.

Finding your unique angle

First, you have to look at what your competition, or “niche mates” as I like to call them, are doing. Really look at how they describe their work, who they’re appealing to, what they’re stressing, and eliminate those things from your own description. You are looking to say something different from what everyone else is saying. Some call it the Blue Ocean Strategy.

How are you different?
How are you unique?
What can you offer others that no one is doing?

Yes, the topic may be the same, but you’re talking about it with an entirely new perspective. We call this positioning, and never before has this been as important as it is in today’s crowded market.

Not only is there great information out there, we are also in the middle of what I like to call the Amateur Invasion. (My friend Laura first used the phrase and I quickly adopted it.) As self-publishing has been getting easier, there are newbies out there who haven’t taken the time to hone their message and become unique, (read: boring), and they’re clogging up the inboxes of media everywhere.

You have to find a way to stand out. Anyone can stand up in this day and age, but the trick is, how are you going to stand out? (That is a sound bite, by the way.) Never has it been this crowded with so much coming at us every hour of every day. How do we decide what to pay attention to? How do you decide? And how do you think media decides? What makes you stop and look? Name that. If it makes you stop, you may be able to use it in your own positioning to grab your target market’s attention.

Back to morning routines

I have been an early riser ever since I figured out I do my best creative thinking and writing when I first get up in the morning. Of course, early means different things to different people. I read one woman’s tweet who said she got up at 2:30 a.m. to go to the gym first thing of the day. I also read that Dolly Parton starts here day at 3:00 a.m.

That’s too early for me.

However, I’ve had my share of folks telling me I’m crazy for getting up at 4:00 a.m. But because I do a lot of work with media on the East coast, being at my desk very early after doing my own morning routine means my outreach gets to them right around the time they arrive at work. This puts my messages near the top of the “stacks,” whether I’m approaching them using email or Signal or social media or whatever. (Signal is a private messenger app I find a lot of media are using.)

Morning routines are definitely a current trend, and while it seems like the topic has been beaten to death, some folks are just now discovering them. It may seem like everyone is writing about your topic too, and they probably are, but there are people discovering it for the first time every day. And remember: No one can say it like you do, and if you do your research, you will find a unique perspective so that your voice will stand out.

If you need any help with this, you know where to find me.

To your success!
Joanne

P.S. My pal, Emily Fletcher, has posted a video of her morning routine and, what do you know: She has a book! (No kidding, Joanne.) It’s called Stress Less, Accomplish More.

#morningroutines

#trends

#bookpublicity

#Bookmarketing