Diagnosing Why an Idea is Failing

Diagnosing Why an Idea is Failing (It’s more fun than it sounds, but just barely).

There’s a commonality in the pitfalls that can derail us from bringing a project to an audience. It happens when starting a business, creating a project or telling a story. They often don’t work for the same reasons. Knowing where we are off the train track when bringing something to market can focus us.

I’m currently still focused on this first one:


We Couldn’t Find Our Audience
The idea was clever, and it had a lot going for it. However, it didn’t answer two questions.

Who is this for?
What is it for?

It feels like this should be so easy. However, when we’re creating an idea, the biggest effort comes from getting it out of our heads and into the world. An idea that makes sense to our worldview may not translate beyond our inner-circle.

I think a lot of people are hoping that the answers will magically come to them. I’ll be honest—I’ve been hoping for years to have an epiphany, but nothing magical has happened. I couldn’t even get an elf to come to leave me free shoes.

The only way I’ve gotten closer to this answer is by shipping this newsletter every week and talking to people about the work I’m doing.

I owe a lot to my inner-circle (you, the reader) for helping me on this journey. However, I know that without answering these questions—I’m only running in circles.

Who is it for? What is it for? Who is it for? What is for?


We Didn’t Engage with Our Audience
Once we know who our audience is, we have to figure out how to stand out. We can’t just be another resume on top of a stack of similarly qualified candidates with a project.

Without a hook, you can’t catch a fish. And people who fish know that you still have to reel in the fish once the bait works.

If you’ve realized that you want to be a writer for the New Yorker, then you have to get into the “New Yorker machine”. Your job is to figure out how to engage with the editors at the New Yorker. I know some editors, and I know that sending them a cold email without any substance will land into the stack of “maybe I’ll get to this” emails.

Instead, to engage the New Yorker, you’ll probably need to start publishing in other places. You’ll need to prove that your work can hold up with a “New Yorker type audience”. You have to work your way up. It will likely require networking and finding a unique perspective that also matches the New Yorker’s style.

Remember to fish: What’s your bait? What’s your hook? How will you reel in your audience?


Mismanagement
One of the greater pains in the sporting world is watching a wide receiver leap into the air, put two hands on the football, and then bobble the ball until it falls to the ground—INCOMPLETE. It’s defeating to know that you were inches away from witnessing magic, and instead, it’s just another missed play for no yards. We don’t award half-credit for the throw being on target if it isn’t caught.

This is how I feel watching so many great ideas dropped during the execution phase. It’s usually the wrong people bringing the project into the world. Perhaps the personalities clash. Maybe the people in charge don’t actually know what they’re doing. Maybe they can’t deal with adversity.

In the end, it doesn’t matter. The football hits the ground.


Our Story Didn’t Matter to Enough People
It’s not good enough.

This isn’t a personal attack. It’s just an invitation to try again. We can only get better by doing the work.

Maybe the work is good, but you’ve come to an end of its runway. It’s not working. It’s time to move on.

In the Heights was a beloved Broadway Musical. Lin Manuel Miranda likely could have continued to focus his energy on making it better and more popular after its Broadway run. However, Lin Manuel did the best thing possible for In the Heights. He created Hamilton.

Now In the Heights is a Disney movie. 

 That doesn’t happen without him moving onto the next project.

At some point, we have to let go of the edge of the pool and swim another lap—even if we thought the last lap was good.