[ANNOTATIONS 202] Becoming Known for Your Expertise or Topic

The edits and insights that got cut from episode 202 of EDIT HISTORY

🧠 Key Takeaway: Every creator needs a signature series

On episode 202 of EDIT HISTORY, Natasha talks about what a signature series actually is, why it’s effective, and how to structure one… 

And most importantly, how a signature series lets you become known within your industry.

✨ Cheryl commentary

Consider someone with an incredible career but zero digital presence – a bestselling ghostwriter who no one recognizes, or a world-class scientist whose name is buried in research papers. Achievements don’t automatically translate into being known. You have to actively shape the perception of your expertise.

You don’t become known for something just because you’ve hit a milestone. It doesn’t happen the moment you make a certain amount of money, land a prestigious feature, or even after you’ve spent years mastering your craft. Those things can add to your credibility, but they don’t automatically make people think of you when they think of your industry.

Instead, being known is a deliberate act. It’s something you build, choice by choice, idea by idea, until it becomes undeniable. You don’t wait for validation. You decide. You define what you want to be known for, and then you start acting like it, long before anyone gives you permission.

And this is where most people get stuck. They tell themselves, I need more time to figure this out. They wait for clarity, assuming that the right positioning, the right niche, the right personal brand will eventually reveal itself.

But what happens when you wait? Nothing. Think about the people who’ve been “figuring it out” for years. They’re in the same place. The only people who gain traction are those who commit to a path and refine it along the way.

So instead of waiting for clarity, what if you decided to move forward with 70% certainty? Most successful people weren’t 100% sure when they started—they just picked a direction and adjusted as they learned.

Start asking yourself: What’s a skill or perspective I already have that could be turned into a recognizable brand, if I simply talked about it more? What’s the conversation I want to lead, not just participate in?

If you don’t have an answer to these questions, that’s not a reason to wait. That’s a reason to start experimenting today. Because here’s the thing: Your first choice doesn’t have to be perfect. But you have to make one. Because no one gets known for “figuring it out.” You get known for showing up with conviction.

That’s the first step. Now, the second thing to consider is that you don’t become known just by posting more. You become known by going deeper than everyone else in your space.

Ask yourself: Am I saying something different, or just repeating what’s already out there? Am I challenging people to think in a new way, or am I just providing surface-level advice? Am I backing my ideas with stories, examples, and real-world insights, or am I just posting to post?

One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming that being known is about being seen more often. It’s not. It’s about being remembered. And people don’t remember you because you posted every day. They remember you because your ideas made an impact.

Imagine two types of creators: Creator A posts daily, but their content is generic and forgettable. Creator B posts once a week, but their content changes how people think… Guess who becomes known? The one who goes deeper, not the one who posts more.

The third thing to remember when it comes to becoming known for something is that you don’t become known for something because you talk about it once. You become known because you repeat, refine, and reinforce your message until it becomes synonymous with your name.

And yet, this is where most people sabotage themselves. They get bored of their own message. They assume their audience has already heard it. They switch topics too soon, convinced they need to “keep things fresh.”

Someone who’s a great example is Seth Godin, who has written over 8,000 blog posts. But he didn’t become known because he posted every day… He became known because of the one idea he repeated: “Be remarkable.” 

Some questions you can ask yourself include: If someone found my content for the first time today, would they immediately know what I stand for?… If a follower scrolled through my last 10 pieces of content, would they see a clear throughline, or just a mix of disconnected ideas?… Have I said the same thing enough times that my audience could repeat it back to me?

Because if you’re tired of your message, you’re probably just starting to become known for it.

Ultimately, the people who are known have done the work to build their name and reputation, piece by piece, idea by idea. They’ve built a body of work that is so substantial and compelling that other people can’t help but associate them with their topic or subject matter of expertise. 

So my question to you is this: Are you willing to build something worth being known for? 

I’ll let you decide 🙂

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Here are 3 key takeaways that didn’t make it into the final episode:

🎙️ Cut 1: Repetition and practice

Natasha emphasizes that the transformation from insecure to confident on video didn’t happen overnight… It was the result of simply doing the work. She built fluency through repetition: going live weekly, recording videos, creating podcasts, and filming courses. Despite occasional doubts that still creep in today, the process eventually became second nature.

✨ Cheryl commentary 

Most people overestimate how much variety their audience needs… And underestimate how much repetition it takes to become known.

In a world obsessed with novelty, it’s tempting to think the answer to slow growth is a pivot. A new topic. A new voice. A new lane. 

But the creators we remember aren’t necessarily the ones with the most ideas – they’re the ones who stood by one idea long enough for it to take root. 

When you change direction every month, your audience never gets the chance to associate your name with anything meaningful. 

If you’re bored with your message, it probably means you’re finally getting good at delivering it. That’s the point you want to reach. Because frankly, doing quality work comes from refining the same thing again and again. Your best material gets sharper with time. If you abandon it too early, you’ll never get to the good part.

The irony? The creators who feel “boring” are often the ones building bodies of work with actual substance. While others chase novelty, they build trust. So if your content feels repetitive lately, maybe it’s not a problem to fix… Maybe it’s a signal that your message is finally landing 👀

🎙️ Cut 2: Boundaries with social media

In the early days, Natasha was constantly posting, consuming, and engaging. Essentially: she was always “on.” Eventually, the pace led to burnout. 

Today, she treats social media like a job. She clocks in and out, doesn’t post on weekends or vacations, and has let go of the pressure to always be documenting her life. Though she admits consumption is still a work in progress, she emphasizes that without boundaries, social media becomes a never-ending loop that drains your creative energy.

✨ Cheryl commentary

We often talk about creative burnout as if it’s caused by the act of creating itself. But more often, the real culprit is overconsumption and the lack of boundaries around where and how we spend our attention.

If you’re constantly online, your nervous system never gets a break. Even when you’re not posting, you’re absorbing. Reacting. Comparing. Keeping tabs. 

That’s not inspiration… it’s overstimulation lol. 

When Natasha talked about treating social media like her job (i.e. clocking in and out, logging off on weekends), it reminded me that this IS a strategy. It’s how serious creators stay in the game long enough to make work that matters.

You cannot create work with depth if your inputs are shallow and relentless. And you can’t expect to create original work if you’re constantly plugged into what everyone else is saying and doing. If your creative process is always reactive, your voice will always sound like an echo.

All that to say: Sustainable creativity is built on the courage to disconnect, replenish, and return with something real to say. This matters.

🎙️ Cut 3: The creative cost of chasing trends

Natasha reflects on her earlier years as a content creator, especially around 2020–2021, when she frequently created reactive content. She was responding to new Instagram features, trending audios, and platform updates. While those videos performed well in terms of reach, they were exhausting to produce and created a sense of perpetual urgency. She eventually made the intentional decision to stop chasing trends, not because they didn’t “work,” but because they weren’t sustainable. 

Now, she focuses on original content that aligns with her long-term message, even if it doesn’t always go viral.

✨ Cheryl commentary

One of the most draining places to create from is urgency. Not urgency because you have something important to say, but urgency manufactured by algorithms, trends, and the pressure to be “early” to everything.

When every piece is chasing relevance, you slowly erode the deeper throughline of your work. Instead of showing your audience how you think, you’re just showing them how fast you can keep up.

That’s not to say trend-aware content is useless… but it demands a trade: reactivity over intention, timeliness over timelessness. 

And when everything is urgent, nothing feels essential. 

What I admire about Natasha’s evolution is this: she stopped creating to prove she was current, and started creating to prove she had something to say. 

Because at some point, you have to ask: is this trend helping me communicate what I truly believe, or is it just helping me avoid the discomfort of originality? 

👀👀👀

Sounds good? Awesome. Let’s get to work.