Stop Complaining About Everyone's Attention Span

And How to Change Your Approach

The problem isn’t that “everyone has a short attention span”.

The problem is that there is so much out there to watch/listen to/read, that it is not WORTH IT to consume media you aren’t enthusiastic about.

Think of your short form videos and tweets as the samples that prompt more of a time investment.

It’s not everyone who sees your 15 second reel that is going to find your longer form video/products and become a higher value prospect.

It’s a percentage.

If you tweak the content, you can make it more or less of a filter.

Some businesses have wide-spanning “low investment” content, and few mega fans.

Think of the % of people who see a Coca Cola ad, vs the people who have actually opted into the brand’s newsletter.

On the other end, influencers have built the dynamics to optimize for as many “invested” followers as possible.

The more niche and high intent the content is, the fewer but BETTER people you will have consuming it.

If your conversion action is heavy like this, the people who complete it are veritable “super fans”.

If your “second ask” (long form content, newsletter products, etc.) is EASY, you’ll get more people, and they will be less like “Superfans”.

It’s all very intuitive. We have interests closer to our hearts, and topics we are less into.

This dynamic can be used by people on either side of that spectrum, to segment, test, and learn about the makeup and enthusiasm of an audience.