Quality Versus Quantity in Contributions

Posting more but seeing worse results? You might be making the #1 mistake I see on LinkedIn Here's the hard truth: More content ≠ Better results Pumping out more mediocre content actually hurts your brand. Why? High-quality content ↳ Builds trust & attracts ideal clients Low-quality content ↳ Erodes trust & repels ideal clients Quantity just accelerates the process in either direction. Here’s how I’ve learned to balance quantity + quality for the best results: - Focus on creating content that your audience will love (quality) - Track engagement until you're getting traction consistently - Gradually increase quantity without sacrificing quality Most people do the opposite. They blast out average content hoping something sticks. When in reality? All they're doing is training their audience to scroll past their posts. So if you’ve been spinning your wheels and feeling stuck Remember: Quality first, quantity second.

Stop Chasing Quantity—Here’s Why Quality Wins Every Time! Are you tired of pouring time and energy into work that feels like it’s going nowhere? Or maybe you’re seeing results, but they’re not the kind that truly matter? Here’s the truth: Quantity can only take you so far. Quality is where the real impact happens. A small team I worked with was cranking out dozens of reports each week, but no one was using them. They shifted focus to create just five deeply-researched reports that provided actionable insights. Guess what? Stakeholders loved them. Decisions were faster, outcomes improved, and the team reclaimed countless hours. Why does this matter? Because whether you’re leading a project, creating content, or running a business, fewer, better things can bring you real, lasting results. 3 Quick Wins to Shift from Quantity to Quality: 1. Set Clear Priorities: Define what success really looks like for your team or goals. 2. Measure Impact: Focus on outcomes, not output. 3. Iterate and Improve: Always ask, “How can we make this better?” Ready to stop spinning your wheels and start creating real value? Hit Follow or subscribe for weekly insights that help you lead smarter, not harder. Now it’s your turn! Share in the comments: What’s one thing you can do better today by focusing on quality over quantity? #LeadershipTips #WorkSmarter #QualityMatters #LeadershipDevelopment #CoachingSuccess #QualityLeadership #PeopleDevelopment

You’ve been lied to. There is no tradeoff between quantity and quality. Quality is a function of quantity. Enter Dean Simonton, a psychologist specializing in researching creativity. He’s published over 550 publications focusing on the subject and is a prominent leader in the fields in studying the field of genius. One of Simonton’s key findings is that the periods when people produced their best work were also when they produced the most work. His theory that “quantity breeds quality” means that the more creative outputs a person produces, the higher the likelihood of generating truly impactful or groundbreaking work. But some key perspectives inform this theory: → The evolutionary analogy: as the most successful organisms succeed and thrive, so do creative variations. → Chance always plays a role: luck plays a large but indeterminate role in the success of ideas. The more swings you take, the larger your surface area of luck. → Effort: you can’t just produce piles of mindless slop. Effort must be placed on attaining quality while maintaining steady output. Producing creative excellence isn’t magic. It’s based on having many ideas, embracing luck, and committing to the effort.

Last week, one of our investors reminded me of something crucial: 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲. This applies to both leaders and companies. From June through August, I fell into the trap of constantly checking tasks off my to-do list. I was obsessed with hitting the new user metric for Reveri and building a "repeatable growth machine" (whatever that means, honestly). And where did that lead me? Exactly where I started—except with a more frustrated team. Then, my son was born, and I had to step away. That pause forced me to rethink our strategy and where we were actually heading. Since then, I’ve cut the noise, focused on fewer, more meaningful conversations, and made better decisions. Three conversations and one key decision last week had more impact than a million checks on my to-do list (hence the WhatsApp message below). 𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: • Focus on Impact, Not Volume A packed to-do list doesn’t equal progress. Instead of asking, “What can I get done today?” ask, “What will actually move me forward?” • Be Ruthless with Priorities We all have the same 24 hours. The difference isn’t time, it’s focus. Choose one or two tasks that will have the biggest impact. The rest? It’s noise. • Connect Your Tasks to the Bigger Vision If today’s tasks don’t connect to your long-term goals, they’re just busy work. • Quality > Quantity Progress comes from focusing on the quality of your work, not the quantity. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀? 

🛑 Quality beats Quantity for website content. This indexation trend from a website shows how impressions were flat or down despite the submitted and indexed pages shooting up a massive 350%. A new product launch injected tens of thousands of low-quality, thin content into the website. Rankings dropped, and traffic took a hit, even impacting unrelated pages. Why did this happen? 👉 The product team designed new programmatic SEO content and shipped without an expert SEO review or point of view. 👉 The domain had a strong track record for high-quality content in the past. 👉 Google gave the content a shot and indexed it. 👉 Other Google search ranking systems noticed the thin content and must have adjusted the domain's quality ratings down. 👉 Google's search ranking systems that decide keyword rankings adjusted rankings domain-wide based on a lower domain quality rating. 👉 Users who landed on the new low-quality programmatic content bounced back to Google's SERPs, sending additional negative signals catastrophic to rankings. The lesson? Content quality is not negotiable. Bad SEO hygiene, such as duplicate title tags, poor internal linking, etc., is not just an 'SEO concern' but a user experience nightmare in this case. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of scale—launching thousands of pages at once, hoping to capture a wide audience. But if those pages aren't crafted with care and quality, they could do more harm than good. Programmatic SEO can be powerful when done right, with unique value, deep insights, and a true understanding of user needs. Rushing it without an SEO perspective and the right quality control can backfire, harming not only the new pages but also the existing ones that previously performed well. Remember: scaling content isn't just about quantity—it's about scaling the right content, thoughtfully and strategically. #seotips #programmaticseo #scalingseo

As an entrepreneur, I've always been focused on getting things done. For years, quality took a backseat to sheer productivity. But as I've gotten older, and especially after diving into Cal Newport's books, my perspective has shifted slowly. I've revisited his books multiple times to rewire my brain. Here are three key takeaways from Newport's "Slow Productivity" that are transforming my approach to work: >> Prioritize Deep Work: Newport emphasizes the value of concentrating on meaningful, challenging work rather than shallow, repetitive tasks. By dedicating time to deep work, we can produce high-quality results and feel more fulfilled. He shares how Carl Jung built a woodland retreat to focus intensely on his work without distractions. This has been a challenge for me; I now try to focus on one main task daily, dedicating my time to that important work. >> Do Less, But Better : Instead of juggling multiple tasks, Newport suggests focusing on fewer tasks and executing them excellently. This approach not only improves work quality but also reduces stress and burnout. He cites software craftsman Bob Martin, who prioritizes code quality over quantity, resulting in more sustainable and maintainable software. It's incredibly tough to do less, but now my daily to-do list is limited to just 5 items. >> Guard Your Focused Work Time: Newport recommends setting aside uninterrupted blocks of time for focused work. By minimizing distractions during these periods, we can maintain deep concentration and make significant progress. He often references his own habit of having dedicated writing blocks to efficiently produce his books. I'm still working on fully implementing this, but I keep trying. Adopting these principles can revolutionize our work approach, leading to more meaningful and lasting achievements. #SlowProductivity #DeepWork #QualityOverQuantity #FocusedWork #MindfulProductivity

I ask early stage startup b2b marketers "what's working" a lot. I'm hearing the same answer over and over: LinkedIn Organic. (one early stage marketer I spoke to saw a 50%+ increase in pipe in 1Q) Makes sense. Your prospects hang out on LI, they like, trust, and buy from people not brands, and LI wants to distribute your content to them. And now there's a new set of tooling emerging that finally lets us close the loop. There are many ways to bake a cake, but here's the playbook I'm seeing emerge. I call it the LinkedIn Growth Machine and it's made up of three distinct building blocks. Narrative & Content - Traction - Conversations 1/ NARRATIVE & CONTENT QUALITY This piece of the puzzle is the most important, and the hardest to get right. Most marketers I talk to make 2 big mistakes. 1. No/bad narrative. A good narrative needs to be unique, relevant, and problem-centric. -Unique: it's something you don't hear others say, that only you can say. -Relevant: that your prospects care about. -Problem-centric: that is actually related to the problem you solve. Miss one of these pieces, and you won't win. 2. Bad content production. Saying something worth saying is step 1. But step 2 is saying it in 100 different, compelling ways-- production. The algorithm rewards engagement with more reach. You only get engagement by creating QUALITY content. (strong, crisp copywriting, images & visuals, real work). Too many CEOs hire a $1k/mo ghostwriter, or intern, or put it on the head of mktg's plate and the content never rises above LI's engagement threshold, and never gets real reach. Yes, Quantity -> Quality, but only if the initial quality bar is high enough to begin with. Otherwise you'll always lose out to better-produced content. 2/ TRACTION Once you create great content, you can do 3 things to guarantee distribution to the people you care about (instead of just posting and praying): 1. Targeted connection requests. 100/wk, automated, to prospects at target accounts. Responders are more likely to see your content. 2. Thought Leader Ads. Put ad spend behind certified bangers to guarantee distribution. 3. External traffic. Pump your best performing content by linking back to it from other channels (email, notifications, etc). 3/ CONVERSATIONS This LI content, if it works will drive prospects to show interest. Don't pitch-slap... but a little helping hand can help them slide down the funnel. 1. LI Engagers --> targeted DM 2. Website Visitors --> targeted DM & Email *there's lots of tech to do this (RB2B - Adam Robinson, you should repost this haha, Warmly, maximus greenwald you should repost this too. Clay, Instantly.ai, Smartlead, Expandi.io etc... ) won't be hard to find your own to make it work. These playbooks emerge and disappear quickly. But right now this is an opportunity. If you want to get proprietary access to playbooks like this that are working for other demand marketers right now, check out Demand Collective!

There's an ongoing debate that often perplexes many in the world of author media coverage: quality versus quantity. However, let's talk about how it's possible to strike a balance and achieve both in your publicity endeavors. The key to this balance lies in redefining what we consider 'quality' media placements. Typically, when authors imagine quality, visions of a review in The New York Times, a segment on Good Morning America, or an interview on The Tim Ferriss Show might come to mind. While these are undoubtedly prestigious and impactful, they often represent 'quality' largely due to their vast reach and audience size. But here's something to think about: Are these large platforms reaching your 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 audience? The people who are most likely to connect with your book, your message? Take, for example, an executive who's authored a book on leadership. For them, 'quality' could be an in-depth article in Chief Executive Magazine or an interview on a top leadership podcast. The audience here might be smaller than the mainstream giants, but it's far more targeted. These listeners and readers are the ones genuinely interested in leadership; they are less likely to flip the channel or skip the page because your content speaks directly to their interests and needs. So, by expanding our understanding of what constitutes quality, we simultaneously broaden the scope of potential opportunities. It's about finding those niche platforms where your voice will not just be heard but will resonate. It's reaching those who are looking for exactly what you have to offer. The beauty of this approach is that it doesn't just focus on the number of eyes or ears tuning in; it's about reaching the right ones. And when you do that, you’re not just gaining coverage; you're building a community of engaged, interested, and loyal readers. At Smith Publicity, Inc., we aim to help authors navigate this balance, ensuring that every media placement, big or small, serves the dual purpose of amplifying your reach while also connecting you with your ideal audience. This way, you're not just making noise; you're sparking conversations and building relationships. The best of both worlds. 😉 Interested in discovering the perfect balance between quality and quantity for your book's publicity? Send me a DM to find out more. #Media #Marketing #Author

Busyness is easy. Delivering meaningful impact takes focus. I’ve learned from great leaders who prioritize impact over activity. New managers often mistake busyness for effectiveness, leading to burnout and minimal progress. Busyness without results stalls growth. 10 Steps to Deliver Quality Output: 1️. Prioritize What Drives Results ↳ Focus on high-value tasks that align with goals. 2️. Accurately Track the Results ↳ Track outcomes over hours worked. 3️. Delegate Effectively ↳ Trust your team with routine tasks. 4️. Optimize Team Workflows ↳ Streamline processes to improve efficiency. 5️. Eliminate Low-Value Tasks ↳ Cut activities that don’t contribute to key results. 6️. Balance Speed with Precision ↳ Deliver fast without sacrificing quality. 7️. Focus on Data-Driven Decisions ↳ Use metrics to guide priorities and actions. 8️. Reassess Priorities Regularly ↳ Adjust focus as goals shift or challenges arise. 9️. Hold Post-Project Reviews ↳ Analyze outcomes to learn and improve. 10. Plan with Clear Timelines ↳ Set deadlines to maintain focus and momentum. Leadership is defined by delivering meaningful impact. In the end, quality leaves a far greater legacy than quantity. #BuildingLeaders #Manufacturing 👉 What’s a focus area for your team’s growth? Tell me below!

Over the past few months, I have been experimenting with LinkedIn's *Community* Top Voice program to understand it better and reflect on my own experience as a member/creator. Here's how the program operates: 🔵 Members contribute short-form insights to collaborative articles within specific skill categories. 🔵 LinkedIn assesses contributions based on quality, engagement, and quantity. 🔵 "Noteworthy" contributions (within the top 5%) earn a Community Top Voice badge for that skill, subject to reevaluation every 60 days. I understood the criteria, met them, earned a badge and lost it too and here's how I feel about the program: 🔵 The program strongly over-indexed on quantity over quality, as merely churning out a sentence or two every few weeks (at the bare minimum) seemed sufficient to maintain visibility and earn the badge. 🔵I appreciate that the program encourages more members to write. Still, it fosters a deceptive, false perception of thought leadership and credibility, blurring the line between genuinely noteworthy contributors and those merely gaming the system. This distinction is further blurred by the fact that the only difference between this badge and the original blue badge, which is much harder to earn, is simply the colour. I received messages from contributors asking for engagement with their contributions, and I observed several instances of copied or plagiarized content in the contributions I read. 🔵The platform doesn't necessarily uphold the highest standard for originality and uniqueness (how they define "quality") when AI primarily composes articles. 🔵I noticed that many collaborative articles feature only a handful of contributions, each receiving an average of 4-5 likes, which is sufficient to be deemed "noteworthy." I wonder if they're seeing the adoption they expected. 🔵 LinkedIn defines quality contributions as comments containing (but not limited to) personal examples, unique perspectives, and professional opinions. I found myself questioning the method by which they gauge quality across the multitude of collaborative articles on the platform. 🔵 I rarely stumble upon collaborative articles in my newsfeed; instead, it's mostly filled with ads, business posts, or member updates/LinkedIn lives. Despite my contributions, I didn't find the format aligned with my preferred way of learning or reading. Overall, the experience left me questioning the actual merit of the recognition system. How do you feel about it as a member reading these articles and/or creator contributing to them?