Don’t aimlessly create; define your Surprising Transformative Promise.

Imagine your dream brand stumbles upon one of your videos or hears a clip from your podcast.

Will they be able to instantly envision partnering with you?

If you have even a shred of doubt, that’s a problem.

A parenting influencer once asked me, “Why am I not getting any sponsorships from food brands?”

I looked at her page, and there wasn’t a single post featuring food.

The page was filled with her travels, family pictures, and selfies.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but brands ask a singular question when evaluating a prospective partner: will this person’s audience be influenced by them when they recommend our brand/product/service?

My advice to that parenting influencer? Start posting quick and easy weeknight meal ideas.

She got a sponsorship from a food brand soon after.

Now imagine that brands are so busy they don’t have time to watch one of your videos or listen to a clip from your podcasts.

Blue sky thinking, I know; everyone finds time for your podcast.

But let’s imagine a crazy world where not everyone does.

Instead, when they stumble upon your social media profile bio or the “About” section of your website, you have less than 30 seconds to illustrate that your audience is filled to the brim with their ideal customers.

How are you going to do it?

By defining your Surprising Transformative Promise or S.T.P.

• Surprising = Unique

• Transformative = Outcome-focused

• Promise = It’s not about you

Olivia, a fashion creator, originally had a social media bio that read:

“The cutest everyday style & the best sales ♥ Petite outfits”

After coaching her through the S.T.P. process, she decided a better bio would be:

• Surprising = Focused on petite clothing

• Transformative = You’ll look and feel your best

• Promise = Helping you (her follower)

Take a pause and reflect on your “identity” (without getting too existential).

Why do people follow you, your work, or your business?

What do they get out of it?

If you don’t know, ask them.

When my friend Jay Clouse wondered why people followed him, he posted, “What words or ideas do you associate with me or my work?” and got many deep responses.

If you’re still struggling to figure out your S.T.P., here’s an easy trick to unblock you.

Add “to” or “so that” to articulate the transformation.

For example, when I did this exercise for my own business, Creator Wizard, I came up with:

“Helping you find and negotiate your dream sponsorships so that you stop leaving thousands on the table.”

The transformation I’m promising is quite clear, right?

Think back to Olivia’s new S.T.P.: “Helping you find petite outfits to look and feel your best.”

When a fashion brand that specializes in petite clothing reads that, they’ll instantly think, “Everyone in her audience has the problem our product solves.”

There’s one more hidden benefit to designing a rock-solid S.T.P:

Your audience will grow.

Remember, people don’t care about you. Well, OK, maybe that’s not 100% true. Your family cares about you. Your friends care about you. And your pets probably do too (cats are like 50/50).

But your audience - the people who the brand wants to reach - they don’t really care about you.

They care about how you make them feel and what you can help them achieve.

If you’re still skeptical, what if I told you Olivia’s audience grew 54% larger within just a few months after designing her S.T.P.?