So, here’s something you may be wondering after my last little missive:

Surely pandering to your audience is a good thing?

Well, maybe not.

The term ‘pander’ emerged in the 1500s, meaning pimp or sexual procurer: One who caters for the sexual lusts of others. Ghislaine Maxwell is a great (abhorrent) example.

As a verb, it wasn’t known until the 1600s, though similarly meant: Ministering to others’ prejudices for selfish ends.

My point is that there’s a big difference between pandering to your audience and good client or user experience.

(Side note: I hate the term “user experience”. I am not a drug pusher. I trust you aren’t either. If you are, please unsubscribe.)

It’s a dilemma for people who are concerned about forging a specific path.

They ask things like:

What if I am opinionated and the Woke are triggered by my opinions?

What if I support my own moral code but the Zeitgeist tells me it’s inappropriate and cancels me?

What if my moral code is deeply Christian, won’t I offend everyone who worships anything else (including science)?

What if… What if… What if…

This anxious future-thinking is simply your reptilian brain trying to find ways of protecting you from being an outcast. So, the first key is not to feel bad about it. That’s you being Normal.

But knowing this, you can debunk it.

Can you know for sure that will happen? No.

Has it happened to you before? No.

Will it destroy your business of it did happen? Unlikely.

Can you find examples of people who have continued on in strength after being cancelled? Oh hell yes.

Because remember, consistency is key to loyalty.

There is an email marketer I know who is fierce in his refusal to accept any backlash. And because he then parodies and uses those examples in his marketing, his fans are Legion.

Just as in dating, confidence in content, confidence in your position, is highly attractive to others.

More importantly:

Those whom it offends will go away and be replaced by those who have a similar code to yours.

So if you’re afraid, relax.

Being offended is a choice. To mash the words of comedian Steve Hughes, being offended isn’t going to give anyone leprosy.

No matter what you do, you can’t control how anybody else reacts to you. So all you can do is what’s right for you and your business.

Your moral code is your baseline for how your business behaves.

Would you create content that others want to see even if it runs against that code?

Of course not.

So formalise it and make it a tool that works for you.

Leticia “sticks and stones” Mooney