Letter #66: Disney’s top 3 lessons in content production

Plus, a discount code for a writing master course.

Hiii-ee!

How’s it going? I’ve been basking in the warmth of Disney movies that were my childhood highlight (any Monsters Inc fans around 👋) — all thanks to The Ride of A Lifetime, the book that Disney’s CEO, Robert Iger, penned.

Besides the memories it brings, the book is also choke-full of lessons for building and leading teams. Aaaand there is a fistful of content creation lessons too.

So here I am, with the top 3 for you to brighten your week:

1. Pursue perfection but not perfectionism

Confused much? Lemme clarify: instill a quality-first mindset that rejects mediocrity at all costs.

To do so (all of this is interlinked like a tad bit complicated food web):

➡  Create an environment where people refuse to accept mediocrity — provide resources/document your processes to nurture quality lovers.

➡  Work with and surround yourself with teammates/clients/freelancers who obsess over creating awesome content (hint: these are people who sweat over the tiny details because “great is often a collection of very small things.”)

➡  Set editorial standards backed with examples — work on polishing everything to make sure everyone meets those standards.

➡  Lead with example. That is: create content yourself that draws wows.

2. Always explore the ‘how’ behind the brilliance

When Robert was making the case to his board of directors for acquiring Pixar, he was still new and the deal was nearly impossible to make.

But to make a persuasive case, Robert started by examining what the Pixar team was doing differently that made them leaders in animation.

Put simply:

Dig into the ‘how’ to understand the ‘why.’

Is a content team producing beyond-incredible content? Do folks in your network say it’s actually fun to work with freelancers? Ask them how — learn their processes.

It’s the same for improving your writing/content. Learn from the pros. Dissect their work, processes, way of thinking — even copy their writing by hand to find your unique angle and voice (technically called ‘copy work’).

In fact, this reminds me I’ve a coupon code for a course on copy work that teaches you how to refine your craft. It’s called Become a Master Writer and it’s from a friend, Elisa Doucette, who I respect and love for her awesomeness and work.

I’m taking this course myself. And if you want to join, reply to this email and I’ll share my code for $100 off with you 😁

3. Be at the forefront of technological change

This lesson hit straight home given lots of us have been concerned about AI taking over our jobs.

But think of it: Disney survived in the face of rising streaming platforms like Netflix. Kodak and Nokia didn’t (in their respective fields).

Know why? Because they didn’t embrace change. The story that Robert shares about them deliberately taking short-term financial hits for long-term profitability and survival really is inspiring — you should read it. It erases fears of AI takeover.

The simplest question to ask yourself here according to Robert:

“How can we deploy technology as a powerful new tool for growth instead of falling victim to its disruption and destruction?”

In the AI-content context, work out how you can incorporate these tools in your workflow with the aim of improving — even refining your processes.

That’s all for today, folks.

If you’re interested in the course, hit reply and I’ll share my discount code with you.

For now, I’ll leave you with this bonus nugget from Disney’s CEO:

“Don’t be in the business of playing it safe. Be in the business of creating possibilities for greatness.”

Byee-e,

Masooma