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Hey Reader,

Villains bring power to your writing.

But people get this whole "villain" thing wrong all the time.

The magic lies in attacking ideas, not people.

If you pick the right idea, you'll get people to trust you, rally behind you, and feel like they're joining a movement.

If you attack a person, you just look mean and whiny. Period.

"These bros are so desperate! Look at how outlandish their clickbait hooks are!" 👈 No.

Rather, the purpose is to attack a tangible way of doing something that kinda sucks, and present a better future:

"These over-embellished hooks are dangerous because when you inflate outcomes, you deflate hope. Let me show you how to capture attention without the cringe." 👈 Oh, whoa, I've always been annoyed with these hooks but didn't realize why. Tell me more.

***

When I first started on social, I didn't plan to become known as the "bro basher," as Devin Reed put it in my episode on his show, Reed Between the Lines.

In 2022, I was the Head of Content at a B2B marketing agency, and my social strategy centered on teaching people how to write and edit better.

My only villain at first was anyone who said writing was easy or editing wasn't necessary.

Oh and there was that time I came for my (now) good friend Brooklin Nash when he said the best writers write their introductions last.

Which prompted him to clarify his stance:

Come to think of it, I've made a few good friends after "attacking" their point of view. We usually end up in the DMs laughing about how silly our little public catfights over writing disagreements are. Social is an odd place sometimes 😅.

But as I told Devin on his show, I started to pay attention to the things other "writers" (people way less qualified than the likes of Brooklin) were saying and, a level deeper, how they were acting.

The closer I looked, the more I realized they were kind of horrible people (or rather, they were acting horribly — I'll explain why that distinction is important in a sec).

Everything they said was overembellished and designed for maximum clicks and virality.

Their businesses seemed to be built upon the cult-like foundation of breaking people down only to build them up in their image.

They weren't just poking the pain; they were throwing people into fires and making fun of them for getting burned.

This pissed me off and went against my values of truth-telling, not being a d*ck, and treating people with respect. They were also super misogynistic, which is obviously not my jam.

So, I began to dissent publicly:

At this point, I couldn't have had more than a few thousand followers, but it clearly struck a nerve.

So, I paid attention to the signal and kept going:

But as I said on the show, while everyone needs a villain, it's also a slippery slope because you could easily turn into the villainizer.

You've got to keep 4 things very top of mind:

1. If you're always in attack mode, you can quickly become the villain yourself
2. Make sure you're known for what you stand for, not just against
3. Present a solution of what to do instead
4. Don't attack a person, attack an idea

Let's break each of these down real quick:

1. If you're always in attack mode, you can quickly become the villain yourself

There's a fine line between helping people notice "bad" things and coming across as a whiny complainer.

If you take it too far, you may unintentionally portray the exact image you're fighting against.

Our next point helps you avoid this.

2. Make sure you're known for what you stand for, not just against

By fighting against something, it's understood that the opposite of said thing is what you stand for.

But don't leave it unsaid.

As often as you preach against something, preach for the opposite. This gives you a healthy balance of "for" and "against" content.

3. Present a solution of what to do instead

It's easy to complain. And once you start, it's kind of hard to stop, which is why the phrase misery loves company is so damn true.

It's much harder to complain and then put forth a better way forward.

Halfway through my "bro bashing" run, people started asking me what to do instead. So, I built a hooks course to show everyone my version of what "good" looks like.

This decision skyrocketed my credibility because I was no longer playing on the sidelines. I was in the game.

It was also absolutely huge for my mental health. When you first start attacking a villain, it feels great. But the longer you do it, the negativity weighs on you. Sharing a better way doesn't just help your readers — it keeps you centered on the mission.

4. Don't attack a person, attack an idea

I don't personally know the bros that inspired my villain. I hinted above that my perception of them has nothing to do with who they might actually be.

Why does this matter?

Because I'm not attacking the person — I'm attacking what they put out for public consumption.

They may be playing a character for all I know. Or, they may truly be as horrible as they seem. Or, they could surprise me and be absolutely delightful humans.

Either way, it doesn't matter because I never name them, and I (try) to avoid directly fighting with them (I've tripped up a few times here cuz I'm only human).

People easily get annoyed when you directly attack others because it's not a cool move.

But here's the most important takeaway:

People come and go, but ideas persist.

Fight the big picture not the little projector.

***

​If you haven't yet, go check out my episode with Devin.

We talk about villains in depth, but we also dive into my journey into entrepreneurship, betting on yourself, living up to your potential, parenting while working for yourself (and the mix of stress and joy that brings), and so much more.

Do you have a villain? Reply and let me know what it is.

Cheers,

Erica

Check out my 3 courses that 1600+ people have taken, loved, and gotten meaningful results from:

1. Long to Short: Turn one long-form piece into a month's worth of posts. A step-by-step system to repurpose, remix, and remaster your best ideas.

2. Hooked on Writing Hooks: Turn your ideas into content that actually gets consumed. Learn to write scroll-stopping hooks on social without resorting to clickbait nonsense that feels inauthentic.

3. Content Editing 101. Kill decision fatigue and build confidence as a writer and editor. A look inside a professional editor's workflow & best practices. Packed with lessons, examples, and a roadmap so you can stop second-guessing your writing & editing decisions.

Each course is AI-powered 🪄

You can go through them manually or use AI to play, get it done faster, and test your new skills in real-time. My friend & prompt genius Rob Lennon wrote all the prompts and bots for the courses.

Want to work with me 1:1?

Check out my Content Sparring 🥊 offer: It's for seasoned solopreneurs who feel like they've hit a content plateau and want an experienced editor to ping-pong ideas and content with.

What'd you think of today's email? Reply and let me know.

Erica Schneider

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