YATM | Why Experience Beats Content Regularity

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The return of Lunch Club on Thursday 12th September. Back for the new term!

Hello YATMers! I’m Jamie Pei, and I’ve gone from working in the media, fashion, religion and academia to striking out on my own to create a coaching business (and soon, a podcast!).

I'm now a work/play coach: I work with self-employed folk who want to break free from the constraints and pressures of traditional, full-time employment, and support them to build their dream work-life on their terms. I’m on a mission to make work feel more like play - full of rest, ease and fun!

I'm currently deep in the reality TV world of the Real Housewives series and the podcasts that dissect them to death. I'd offer some deep, insightful reason behind my obsession but honestly, I just love gossipy drama, scandal and watching the questionable behaviour of grown a** adults!

Here’s a cheeky pic of me at a wedding (not mine!) this summer, doing a silly shimmy dance. I’d snuck off to the surrounding gardens just to take fun photos!

Let's make sure we connect today:

Here I am on LinkedIn

Where I work here

How you behave is the one thing you can control.

The experience you create for others is more important than how often you produce content. It's something that AI cannot replicate and can set you apart from others.

The relationships and bonds you build are the only thing that matters.

As we prepare for the new learning year at YATM, I want everyone to return to a familiar space and feel like they are truly part of a larger team.

Prioritising this sense of belonging is more important than constantly striving to create something new. Relying on what is familiar and then building upon that is the key to long-term success.

When you create an experience that instils confidence in others, it helps you to keep going with the people who choose to be with you.

A Story For You

The last time I wrote was at the end of July.

I mentioned that consistency can become a crutch. It doesn't matter if your work is good; if you are driven by a calendar and people who have opted in, you just get the work out there. If standards slip, it doesn't matter because you have an excuse to fall back on. That's the promise of consistency; it doesn't guarantee quality.

I took a chunk of August off, which meant three weeks with no Thursday YATM newsletter.

Upon resuming, there hasn't been a surge of people leaving. This becomes a problem as we believe that if we stop, someone else is going to take the wind out of our sails, and we'll slip even further behind.

When you find your rhythm again, the entire experience is heightened, refined, and enhanced.

A fresh perspective recognises that it's the created experience and warmth that sets you apart.

Rather than ad-hoc live events, we decided to consolidate events that feel like going back to school with your friends. You know when it starts, you know when it ends. You make new friends along the way.

We have curated the YATM Learning Year, which begins with the first Lunch Club on Thursday, September 12th (if you can make it, fantastic, book here). The topic for the first session is "character," and the year concludes with the community celebration of YATM Creator Day on Thursday, May 15th, 2025, with a Christmas party in between.

This means that the experience flows and whether someone attends one event or comes to them all, they know it is part of a consistent pattern that is constantly honed through awareness, connection, caring and practice.

Why Consistency Of Experience Matters

Meaningful experiences don’t just happen, you have to work at them.

The more you come back to it and refine, the better you become.

When someone decides to commit to you, it's your responsibility to offer them something unique that they can't find elsewhere.

An experience doesn't necessarily mean attending an event; it can be any situation where you control the interaction. This could be when someone subscribes, when new clients come on board, or in how you respond to people who reach out to you.

You can’t break the expectations you set, without letting people know. For example, if you decide to change a weekly newsletter to a fortnightly one, it's important to inform your audience about the change. Failing to do so can diminish the time and effort you've already put in.

Working at the experience you create for others is personal. You’re not competing with others, it’s you and the people in front of you. It allows you to practice so you can promise what you deliver.

Here are some experience perks that have worked for me:

🥇 Sending new subscribers a welcome video, where they know it’s not automated

🥇 Making sure the language used in the welcome email sequence for new subscribers is down to earth and encouragement of a conversation

🥇 Finding ways to bring people together so they know they are not on their own.

🥇 WhatsApp Groups for events work.

🥇 We’ve now introduced gamification in YATM Club. This is new, but it is encouraging people to step up and be seen (and now figuring out ways to reward)

🥇 Making sure I say ‘thank you’ to as many people as I can at YATM Creator Day. I learned this from watching a comedian who finished his act and then made his way to the exit to thank people for coming.

🥇 When someone joins YATM Club I spend 20 minutes with them to make sure they feel comfortable on a new platform.

🥇 When we have print or stickers to give people they are always hand given, they are never left in a box out of sight. I learned that from weddings and the order of ceremony always handed out.

Some Pointers The Lean Into Consistency Of Experience

It’s not always about the content you create, but the welcome mat you put out for others so they know you are the right person for them.

This is what I now know when you put effort into the interactions you make:

🏡 Your personality and how you present yourself have a stronger impact than writing, audio, or video in terms of leaving an impression. It's something that people can't find anywhere else or casually come across on social media.

🏡 The worse thing you can do is rest on your laurels. For instance, if all your outreach is just via email, you never get the chance to explore and get better at video or audio when you welcome someone to your space.

🏡 By putting effort into others, people know you represent their intentions. This helps to strengthen the rapport you build from those who start as strangers.

🏡 When you prioritise others and foster familiarity, you always strive for excellence without taking shortcuts, seeking to enhance where personal interaction outshines any automated effort.

🏡 What you start, only gets better with time. You find ways to improve or add something you haven’t done before. Its got nothing to do with spending money, but ramping up the appreciation of other people around you.

🏡 When you start to look at the whole, rather than the one off experience, you make something that can be joyous for everyone involved.

Let’s Round-Up

Consistency in content might keep you in the game, but it’s the consistency of the experience that truly sets you apart.

Automation and AI can replicate content at scale, the experience you provide becomes your unique differentiator.

It's the personal touch, the warmth, and the thoughtful interactions that create lasting bonds with your audience. These elements foster trust and loyalty, far beyond what mere frequent output can achieve.

These experiences become the true measure of your consistency—one that resonates deeply, builds trust, and cultivates a sense of belonging that keeps people returning to the space you've created for them.

Time Wasting

Visualise the enormity of your life in real-time.

You as a little human

This Week Around The Web

GROWTH, CREATION & YOUR INDEPENDENCE

How "thought leadership" actually works - from Brian Clark

The role consistency plays in building your personal brand - from Trevor Young

THE COMMUNITY YOU CAN BUILD

Do you have to be serious to be taken seriously? - from Ella Orr

Where is the best place to build my community? - from Bri Lever

GROWING YOUR NEWSLETTER

LinkedIn newsletters: are they what they are cracked up to be? - from Journalism.co.uk

Newsletter advice I give again and again - from Dan Oshinsky

You Can't Conform To A Platform

People join in with you when they know the real you.

We put on masks, trying to fit into what we believe the platform demands.

Forcing your personality to fit a mold never works — you become a caricature.

You don’t conform to the platform; you make the platform conform to you. That's what makes you relatable. That's what draws people in.

Join The YATM Leaderboard

Are there people in the leaderboard you know?

YATM Club now comes with gamification.

Each month prizes will be presented (from the end of September) as well as connecting with friends from the YATM community. A nod here to the top three people this week. Why not connect with them on LinkedIn.

1) Jon Jenkins connect with Jon

2) Liam Toms connect here

3) Christophe Stourton here he is!

To be a part of the Leaderboard, join YATM Club (it's £90 a quarter or £330 for the year).

Join In With Team YATM

The new learning term is up and running, it's all here for you.

🍕 9.15am today (Thursday) is Working Together in YATM Club, join here

💥 Thursday 5th Sep is Ben McKinney's Sense Check in YATM Club, join here

🏡 Thursday 12th Sep is Lunch Club and the topic is character, book here.

Click here to watch the end of newsletter video.

It's good to be back. If there is anything that struck a chord with you today, just reply to this email and we can pick up on email. Enjoy the day your side.... Mark : )