Be different, even if it means being worse

Most creators don’t start by trying to be unique. Rather, they start by trying to be good. And usually, what happens is that they find someone who is already winning. Someone with an audience, a clear format, a recognizable style. Maybe it's someone they admire. Then, they analyze what they do, try to find what works, and then just imitate their structure, borrow the hooks, and they just end up being a copy of someone else, never quite achieving the secret sauce that makes them special.

At first, though, doing this may even feel productive. You avoid obvious mistakes and you get early validation because your work looks familiar enough to be understood. But familiarity is also the problem. When your content looks like something people have already seen, it quietly asks a dangerous question. Why you, instead of the original? You are basically doing free marketing to the creator you're copying. And in an attention-starved world, that just means people will gravitate even more toward them.

The solution? Being different. Even if, at first, it may mean being worse.

---

The uncomfortable phase of differentiation

Trying to be different may make your work look worse before it looks better. Maybe it's less aligned with what the algorithm seems to reward, maybe it's less familiar to your audience, maybe it tries something new that people are not used to yet. And compared to creators who have been refining the same style for years, your first experiments may feel clumsy. And that's totally fine.

This phase is uncomfortable because there is no immediate feedback loop telling you that you are on the right path. Metrics may drop, comments may slow down, and doubt creeps in. But this is often a signal that you are no longer competing in the same crowded lane. You are carving out a new one, and new lanes start empty. This discomfort pushes most people back into imitation or, worse, into giving up. In the former case, that's when they do “me too” content and hope sheer volume alone will carry them through, but it rarely does.

---

Why “me too” won’t do

When you compete by copying, you are playing a game you cannot win. You are measured against people with more experience, more distribution, and more trust than you. Even if your content is objectively good, it is easy to ignore because it offers nothing new.

Being different, on the other hand, gives you something far more valuable than short-term performance. It gives you a reason to exist. Differentiation does not mean being loud or contrarian for the sake of it. It means leaning into what is already true about you. Your way of thinking, your taste, your humor, your background, your constraints, your life story. The angles you naturally gravitate toward, even when they are not the most popular ones.

At first, this can feel like choosing weakness or tapping into a very small niche. But this is the cost of standing out.

---

Worse. Then different. Then better

One of the mistakes in this approach is assuming that early performance is a final verdict. When you double down on what makes you different, you are not optimizing for today, but you are building a lane that only you can occupy. Within that lane, improvement compounds, your audience self-selects and, most importantly, remembers you.

You are building a personal brand, even if it doesn't have your name on it. This will always be more valuable down the line than simply optimizing for engagement. Over time, you are no longer compared to others, but only to your previous work. That is when you are truly distinct, your own kind of monopoly. And that is when you can start thinking seriously about monetization. Differentiation is not just a creative choice, it is a business choice.

Generic content struggles to convert because it feels interchangeable, whereas distinct content builds trust because it feels intentional. People are far more willing to pay when they believe they are buying a perspective, not just information. This builds trust, and trust is what closes sales. And this is why many creators get stuck. Even though they have skill and consistency, there is no clear reason for someone to choose them over anyone else.

---

Build where being different actually matters

Being different is only half the equation. The other half is building on a platform that lets that difference show. If you build everything on the same social platforms, using the same layouts, templates, and constraints, your brand will inevitably start to look like everyone else’s. Even if your ideas are unique, the container flattens them.

Sherpo is built for creators who are ready to own their difference. It gives you full ownership over your brand, your audience, and your monetization, with deep customization options that let your content actually look and feel like yours. No generic link-in-bio pages, no rented land.

When you are different and ready to monetize, building on Sherpo is not just a technical choice. It is a strategic one.

Start building on Sherpo and turn your uniqueness into a business.