Imagine you come to the website of a thought leader in the realm of writing successful novels that feature marginalized main characters. And imagine that publishing such a novel is a goal of yours.

The first thing you notice on their website is a bold statement in the header that speaks to a key approach or opinion they have in their industry that no other coaches or experts in their industry have.

After you read the statement, you’re like:

Hint: When building out an Idea-First Platform, this is the “Key Approach Statement” that’s a part of your Idea-First Home Page.

Then, the next thing you notice is a collection of three or four resources that all seem to have a deep philosophy or framework behind them.

So, instead of something generic like “Download this novel writing checklist!”, you might come across resources like these:

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​First is an essay titled: The Transformative Power of Writing Your First Novel (With Marginalized Main Characters)—And How It Can Help You Create the World You Want to Live In

Maybe at this point, you’re like:

Next up is a 20-minute training on: The 4 Cornerstones That Will Help You Become the Architect of That Beautiful Story in Your Head (the one with diverse, real, powerful characters, not just same-same types of people or tons of lazy, terrible stereotypes)

And you might think:

And finally, there is a 5-day email course called: The Complex Character Building Blueprint

Which invites you to learn a system for developing believable and powerful backstories, worldviews, and sets of motivations for your characters, as well as develop their personality and traits based on the Enneagram.

So, now you might be like:

Hint: When building out an Idea-First Platform, these pieces are a few of the “Spark Pieces” you can create.

The first one mentioned above is a core tenet essay.

A core tenet is a deeply held belief around an inequity or underlying reason for a problem, or, it’s a clear idea of how the world should be for a particular community. A core tenet essay is a text, audio, and/or video essay that communicates one or more of your foundational beliefs/philosophies so potently and clearly that your best fit clients can’t help but be moved by it and feel the essay was created just for them.

The second “Spark Piece” mentioned above is a “shapeshifting training.”

Which is a framework-centered experience that transforms how your audience perceives their challenges and possibilities. So, it shifts the shape of the issue/opportunity in their minds; but, this piece is also a shapeshifter because it can take on many forms: a video training, a private podcast, a PDF white paper, etc.

Unlike generic trainings that merely inform, yours restructures mental models in a way that helps people understand why their previous attempts at XYZ were so hard or incomplete.

The third asset mentioned above is a blueprint or challenge email course.

This is a multi-day guided expedition into a blueprint you’ve developed to help people build ABC (or a challenge you want them to complete on their way to XYZ). This email course is not just a poorly disguised sales pitch, it provides activities so compelling, revealing, and applicable to your community that they hunt through their inboxes to find any emails/installments they missed.

P.S. This email course (as well as the essay and training) guide people into your prerequisite product—explained next.

As you scroll further on their site, you come across one or two introductory products or services.

When I say introductory I don't mean they need to be beginner or basic, it just means that they will serve as a good introduction into your methodologies and the ecosystem/universe you're building out.

Now again, we're imagining that publishing a novel is a goal of yours. So, when you come to this offer, you might think:

You know how there's an MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) with its own set of rules, stories, and characters? There's also a YourNameHere Changemaking Universe with resources, frameworks, and helpful models that guide people to accomplish really important things.

And one of those things in your CU (Changemaking Universe) is a prerequisite product like the example above.

A prerequisite product is an “always-on” offer at an approachable price point that introduces people to your frameworks or methodologies, teaching style, and core beliefs (around inequities or how the world “should” be, etc.).

With prerequisite products, both the client and you (the thought leader) can fully vet each other, with a smaller time & money commitment than a deep offer. But, the product is still robust enough to serve your clients well.

Some real-life prerequisite products that clients and friends of mine have put together and sold successfully:

• A 3-day intensive for chefs who want to build a more refined culinary brand
• A live workshop for women to help them have better conversations when dating
• A 93-page playbook on healthy workplace exits and transitions in nonprofits and other changemaking organizations

Hint: We dive into building out the best “prerequisite product” for you inside the Idea-First Platform Intensive.

As you scroll further on this website, you come across a unique bio that introduces the thought leader more fully.

But, this bio is not like the standard bios that have proving energy behind them (listing all the degrees, awards, or certifications the person can think of).

The bio itself helps to reinforce the person's thought leadership and unique angle on their topic. So the bio might start off:

"Fiction books (just like TV shows and movies) have been used as tools for furthering racism and prejudices in our society for as long as they've been around. But, fiction can also be used to make positive changes. Hey, I’m Nic, and I first discovered the power of ___ when I ___."

And you might be like:

Hint: In an Idea-First Platform, this is part of a home page or about page (or any place you need a bio) that I call a "Philosophy Origin Story Bio." It's a snippet of your story that really tells how you came to embrace or develop a certain framework, opinion, or methodology of yours. Note: This is one of many exercises (with a follow-along template) inside the Idea-First Platform Intensive.

Okay. So far, the things I’ve mentioned above are either elements of an Idea-First Website or are Idea-First Assets that you can develop and hopefully link from your site.

But, there are also a few things running in the background of this amazing website that we can't interact with or see upon first landing on the site.

One of the items operating in the background of this website and platform is an "email runway."

So, while you're scrolling and clicking through Nic's site, if you do happen to sign up for a resource that requires an email address in exchange for the resource, this action will kick off: (1) an email sequence that delivers the resource you signed up for, yes, but also (2) a 6-month runway of emails.

This runway exists because even though many people who find out about you/Nic/me/whoever (and get exposed to our work) might purchase our prerequisite products in the same day/week, many people won't join our offers right away. So, we can set up a longer runway of emails—for those who need it.

Through these 2–3 emails per month, you can fill in gaps (from the 8 marketing gaps we talk about in Publish One Year of Bold Ideas and the Idea-First Platform Intensive, among other programs)—connection, belief, desire, safety, skills, (un)learning, architecture, and systems thinking.

As you fill in these gaps with targeted and purposeful emails, more and more of your potential clients will likely join your prerequisite offer over time. In Nic's case, people will join their 2-Day Complex Characters Bootcamp.

Two other things operating behind the scenes in an Idea-First Platform (that we can't tell by scrolling through the homepage of a website, but that are helping the website and the thought leader be so potent and effective) are:

Two types of optional, lean budget ad campaigns . . .

These campaigns are like strategic reconnaissance missions that cost $70–$120. Note: you might only do one per year, or you might do 3 or 4 of them in the year.

In each message test, you have a specific Spark Piece, asset, or resource in mind.

So, in Nic’s case, they might be thinking about their 5-day email course, their essay, or their “shapeshifting training” to start.

Let’s say it’s the email course.

Nic would test out 7–12 different messages against each other in a special ad campaign (note: I’ll show you how to set it up inside the Intensive) related to, and guiding people to, the 5-day email course.

When you do this, you're seeking to understand which language patterns, concepts, frameworks, opinions, philosophies, etc., get the strongest response. You get to learn how to package your revolutionary, uncommon, and/or helpful ideas for maximum impact for about $100.

Once you find the 3 or 4 winning messages, you can take the time to craft “long-form short-form” pieces (which are more robust carousel lessons, reels, etc.) out of them that you can first post organically, then optionally turn into lean budget ads (for $1+/day) that consistently, effectively lead to your best Spark Pieces and Prerequisite Products.

​And hint: As you may have guessed by now, these are yet two other assets we have processes, templates, and guidance for inside the Idea-First Platform Intensive.​

But, whether you join us for the Intensive or not, I wanted to share what I consider the missing link for many ideapreneurs who think differently—an Idea-First Platform . . .

Which is (imo) the foundation to YOURNAME's Changemaking Universe . . . ex: Nic's Changemaking Universe.

When you think about all the items above, do you feel like they would form a really solid platform for you?

Do you think that any YouTube channel, podcast, or search engine optimized blog you create or maintain would benefit from such a solid, structured, and strategic platform to lead all potential community members and clients back to?

What about your social media accounts (if you use them)? Would it help to have a platform like this running in the background?

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I'll leave you with the thought below—about one of the things I love most when people doing meaningful work adopt this type of platform.

An Idea-First Platform is designed for, and truly holds space for, the absolute best fit community members for you.

Why?

Because your ideas, approaches, philosophies, values, frameworks, and core beliefs are front 'n center. They direct each interaction. They exist in all of your pieces and function as filters and gatekeepers . . . such that anyone who chooses to enter and stay feels at home, feels safe, and perhaps even feels reinvigorated and excited to pursue the goal they set out to pursue.

Even when people have specific triggers, traumas, or deeper issues related to the goal you help with, your platform offers hope, clarity, safety, and a strategic approach truly built with them in mind.

That's what I love about Idea-First Platforms.

And I hope to see you in our upcoming Intensive that starts in April.

Regina out.​
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