Creating impactful insurance-focused content

In a recent exchange with an industry colleague regarding some content they were developing for internal training purposes, I encouraged them to keep good notes. I wanted to hear about the hypothesis, the experiments, and the adjustments, not just the polished narrative once the dirty work was completed.

Too often what we hear about as professionals is the finished product. Whether we are scared to share or have been stymied into silence by success, we should encourage and seek out stories that help us see the process that led to the outcome. Let’s look at some of the ways aspiring professionals can turn their experiences into impactful content for articles, books and podcasts.

Turning your experiences into content

Growing up in Moses Lake, a small town in Eastern Washington, I had no concept of the broader insurance claims industry. Nor did I imagine that one of my peers, a few years ahead of me in high school, would create a program for helping contractors customize their estimating price lists in an industry conditioned for accepting outside data as the default. When I took the Enlightened Restoration Solutions course with Ben Justesen, he made a comment about another topic that has stuck with me.

Justesen shared segments of his company’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Someone in the course asked for a copy and he replied, “Even if I sent it to you, it wouldn’t help.” What makes their SOPs powerful is that they did the work as a team to develop them. They have buy-in because they had input. This moment echoes what I think is true of helpful content, it’s a sharing of one’s unique experiences, both what has and has not worked along the way.

If you want to create content that will make an impact, start here and then share something that has been impactful for you.

Turning your experiences into articles

Submitting articles to trade magazines can be an excellent medium for testing ideas on the open market. I advised the colleague I mentioned earlier to submit their ideas as articles as it would: 1) elevate their credence within their organization to be able to point to them as published concepts, 2) open them to feedback from industry peers that may help improve their process, and 3) it could help professionals outside of their organization.

A simple format for creating impactful content

• What is a recent issue you have been working on?
• What were some of the means and methods your team used that didn’t help the situation?
• What were some of the means and methods that your team used that helped you gain some traction?
• What outside input or resources were helpful to you and how did you apply them?

All of these questions can help you turn your hard-earned experience into valuable insights to share with others in the industry.

Turning your experiences into a podcast

There are many quality podcasts and content producers within the insurance ecosystem. While there is some overlap, what primarily makes them different from each other is the personality, approach and experiences of the hosts.

I’ve shared on multiple podcasts the story of how and why The DYOJO Podcast got started. The first incarnations were videos filmed in my garage and built around concepts from my articles. The second was an attempt to offset some of the misinformation circling around events that peaked in mid-2020. Those first episodes were under the title “Three Questions with a Pro.” Edward Cross, The Restoration Lawyer, provided me with a stellar opening video, and some of those elements are still in the show. Gerret Stier of the GMS podcast graciously shared how he uploaded his audio-only show.

Turning your experiences into books

My first book almost didn’t happen. I had analysis paralysis until two things happened. The first was a conversation with Rachel Stewart. Her amazing book, Unqualified Success, took a unique approach to the topic of bridging the gap from where you are to where you want to be. I’m so happy that it originated from within the insurance claims tribe. I was sharing some of my frustrations of trying to find what unique ideas I possibly had that would be share-worthy, and Rachel told me (paraphrasing), “There are no new ideas, only unique ways of applying them.”

This conversation echoed what I believed but somehow was unable to infuse into my own situation. The second item was an email from an editor recapping the most popular articles of that year from her publication. My “10 Commandments of Xactimate Estimating” article was on the list and confirmed that I had some content my peers found relevant to their daily operations.

What’s holding you back?

Putting yourself and your ideas into the public arena can be daunting. What if no one reads, watches or listens? Honestly, there is no harm in trying. Refer back to the simple format that I shared earlier. If you had an issue and sourced means of gaining ground on a problem, then you have something impactful to share.

Please don’t take it for granted that everyone knows what you know. Your experiences in identifying and applying principles to your situations are powerful. There are many issues, many voices, and many audiences. You can’t get better at creating content if you don’t start. I hope this article pays it forward by encouraging those professionals who have been sitting on an idea or a story to hit send and let it out.

Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is a contractor, author and host of The DYOJO Podcast. Contact him at iz@thedyojo.com.

Related:

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