The Quiet Quotient

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

January 9, 2026 1 min

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/

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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/

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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/

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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.

But it is often the difference between writing ...

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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...

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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/

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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/

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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/

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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/

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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/

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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....

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Stop trying to sound like other authors and writers. Do this insead. Conect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/

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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...

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November 30, 2025 2 mins

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...

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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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The difficulty rarely comes from a lack of ideas. The blockage usually shows up because the next sentence suddenly feels important. It needs to be good. It needs to match the tone and strength of what came before it. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/

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November 24, 2025 2 mins

Writing is a personal act, but it is also shaped by the space around us. Some writers need quiet at home, where the only sounds are their thoughts and the soft click of a keyboard. Others thrive in public places, drawing energy from the buzz of a café or the movement in a library. Each environment affects creativity in its own way. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/

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Life phases shape the voice too. A writer in their twenties writes with speed. A writer in their thirties writes with understanding. A writer experiencing a major life change, moving, parenting, grief, new work, writes with a tone that didn’t exist before. Rereading journals or old drafts from each season reveals these shifts in real time. Early pages filled with ambition turn into middle pages filled with clarity, which turn into ...

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Writing with a full tank of energy feels rare these days. Life moves fast, sleep comes in broken pieces, and your mind feels pulled in five directions before breakfast. You sit down to write, and the words feel heavier than they used to. The flow you relied on turns into a slow drip. Fatigue changes the rhythm of everything, including creativity. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/

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November 17, 2025 2 mins

Writing a rough first draft is permission to be human. Many writers freeze because they edit while they create, holding themselves to the level of the final version before they’ve even started. Expecting perfection at that stage crushes momentum. Creation needs room to stumble. Connect with me: https://www.jimhansenmedia.com/

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