You're Not Doing It With Kids, Are You

I’m a football fan, and a United fan (the two currently sound incongruent, don’t they)

This week I was annoyed to hear we’d sacked our manager - not because he’s great, but because it’s another symptom of the mismanagement of the club that stems back to…

I won’t carry on.

But what pissed me off even MORE? Was the fact you tune in to the coverage on Sky Sports News, BBC or wherever - expecting to hear what an old pro has to say

‘And we’re now going to get the opinion of Manchester United fan [Insert Name of Random Youtuber]

Why would I possibly want the thoughts of some random bloke who earns a living streaming himself bullying 13 year olds on Fifa?

I want an EXPERT - not some bloke with a 100k+ Youtube followers

But I know that they’re just appealing to younger audiences, who would recognise these people as being popular or ‘it’ at the minute

Which reminds me of how I feel about content in the fitness industry right now

More people using tactics, hacks and trends - because it’s what ‘drives engagement’ - but with whom? Kids on Tiktok?

If it’s mostly the wrong demographic, such as children in my example - is that what you want?

There’s another way - there’s still a huge audience who want information from experts, communicated like experts

AI will only increase demand for that, and your ability to do that

You can create content that aspires to be on the level of Brene Brown, Rory Sutherland, Adam Grant, Nassim Taleb

Or one of the fucking Sidemen

Up to you

🔬 Deep Research Questions

Generated from this note for Perplexity deep research

Expert vs Influencer Content

1. What research exists on audience preferences for expert versus influencer content? How do demographics affect preference for credentials versus relatability?

2. What is the trajectory of “expert fatigue” versus “influencer fatigue” in media? Are audiences returning to expertise, or continuing toward entertainment-first content?

3. What research exists on how AI will affect demand for genuine human expertise? Will AI-generated content increase or decrease the premium on authentic expert perspectives?

Demographic Targeting & Content Strategy

4. What research examines the costs of optimising content for wrong demographics (e.g., children when selling to adults)? How do engagement metrics mislead creators about audience quality?

5. What is the business case for “Brené Brown style” expert content versus “Sidemen style” entertainment content? How do long-term business outcomes differ?