The Quiet Quotient
Techniques, commentary, and strategies to keep you current and curious about the craft of writing and the production of digital content. An audio companion podcast, to many of my LinkedIn posts and blogs.
Episodes
For decades, we’ve been told that Generalist is just a polite word for someone who can’t commit. We’re told to find a niche, dig a hole, and stay there. But in a world that changes every fifteen minutes, being a specialist is a dangerous gamble. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
We often spend years mastering the "hard" parts of our jobs. We take courses on software, learn how to manage complex budgets, or practice the technical trade secrets of our industry. But there is one skill that acts as a volume knob for everything else we do: the ability to communicate. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
Writing is rock and roll. Not the stadium kind with fireworks. The kind played in a damp basement where someone’s amp buzzes, the drummer is late, and everyone pretends this might still work. That’s the first myth about writing. That it is calm. That it is polite. That it happens in quiet cafés with tasteful notebooks. Writing is louder than that. Writing is plugging in and hoping the noise becomes something recognizable. Connect w...
Writing used to feel like a place you went to think.
Now it often feels like a place you go to perform.
We open a blank document and immediately start asking the wrong questions: Is this strong enough? Will this land? Is this post-worthy? The thinking comes later, if it comes at all. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
I don’t trust writing that sounds too sure of itself. I trust the voice that slows down. The one that leaves room for doubt. The one that admits where it guessed, where it learned the hard way, and where it is still figuring things out. The writing that sticks does not arrive polished and finished. It shows just enough imperfection to remind you there is a person on the other side of the screen. Not a brand voice. Not a framework. ...
Trust shows up in the margins. In the sentences that admit uncertainty, the ones that reveal process instead of polished results. In the parts where the writer stops trying to impress and starts trying to be human. It forms when the writer says this is what worked for me. This part surprised me. Here’s what I still don’t have figured out. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
Good articles do more than explain something. They help the reader move. Not in big, dramatic ways. Not with sweeping reinventions or bold declarations. Just enough movement to feel steadier than they did a few minutes earlier. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
Before you publish, it helps to pause and ask one quiet question. If this were sent to me privately by someone I respect, would I keep reading? Not would I like it. Not would I agree with it. Just would I stay with it. That question changes how you write. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
When something is small, they let it stay small. They do not inflate it to justify the post. That kind of restraint reads as confidence. It tells the reader you are not trying to impress them or hold them hostage until the end. You are simply sharing something you believe is worth their time. In a place that rewards volume, speed, and certainty, restraint feels almost countercultural.
In improv, a good scene doesn’t happen because someone has the wittiest line. It happens because the performers listen, respond, and commit to the truth of the moment. You can write the perfect joke on paper, but if it lands without connection, it falls flat.
The same is true for writing. You can craft an SEO-perfect post, a flawless blog, or a polished LinkedIn article, but if it doesn’t feel human, it won’t stick. Readers don’t r...
Trust shows up in the margins. In the sentences that admit uncertainty, the ones that reveal process instead of polished results. In the parts where the writer stops trying to impress and starts trying to be human. It forms when the writer says this is what worked for me. This part surprised me. Here’s what I still don’t have figured out. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
Good content isn’t a luxury for big companies. It’s a signal.
It tells people you understand their problem, respect their time, and take your work seriously.
You don’t need enterprise budgets. You need clear messaging, a consistent voice, and content that earns attention instead of asking for it. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
When you stop trying to do all the writing yourself, you get time back. Not just time on your calendar, but mental space. Writing takes energy. It pulls you out of leadership mode and into execution mode. A ghostwriter takes that weight off so you can stay focused on decisions only you can make. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
Quality content isn’t just about what you say—it’s about how you guide the reader through it. Structure is the invisible framework that turns good ideas into effective communication. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
High-quality content doesn’t begin with search volume, trending topics, or clever headlines. It begins with intent. Before a single word is written, the strongest pieces of content answer one quiet but critical question: Why does this need to exist? Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
Content writing has a job to do. It’s strategic, intentional, and created to solve a problem, answer a question, or guide someone toward a decision. Think of website pages, landing pages, email sequences, product descriptions, or SEO content that doesn’t scream it’s SEO content. Content writing is measured. It has KPIs and analytics. It’s the space where your creativity and your marketing brain negotiate who gets the driver’s seat....
Stop trying to sound like other authors and writers. Do this insead. Conect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
There’s a romantic idea of the writer at work: hours ahead of them, a warm drink nearby, perfect silence, and a brain unburdened by everyday responsibilities. But most writers don’t live that life. They write in the cracks. The in-between places. The moments between appointments, obligations, and real-world demands. The reality is simple: if you want to write consistently, you have to learn to write in small spaces of time. Connect...
Every writer remembers the first time their work came back drenched in red ink. It feels like your soul is being graded. There are notes in the margins correcting your word choice, questioning your judgment, and highlighting logic that—apparently—was only clear to you. You go through the stages of grief, usually in order: shock, anger, defensiveness, bargaining, resignation… and eventually acceptance. Connect with me: https://www.j...
Reading outside your genre also helps you better understand the audience you serve. You see what other readers respond to. You notice what other writers are doing brilliantlym, or falling flat at. You discover approaches you wouldn’t have uncovered if you stayed in your comfort zone. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/
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