You're a speaker who creates genuinely valuable content, but...
If you're a speaker who creates genuinely valuable content, but...
You can't figure out why the right people aren't finding it...
This one's for you.
Because here’s the thing…
Even though most speakers practice and train to deliver messages powerfully… Almost none train and practice in the art of grabbing your audience's attention.
And those are two completely different skills.
In fact, with popular magazines, the person who writes the article is different from the one who writes the headlines. And even though an article has far more words, the person writing the headline usually gets paid more than the person writing the article.
Grabbing peoples’ attention is THAT important.
Right now, the problem isn’t that you have bad content.
Your content may even be brilliant.
The problem is you're competing with distractions.
So most people aren’t actually paying attention to your content.
But we want to make sure that people actually pay attention to your brilliant content.
That's what this Four Core Doors
Messaging Lab series is about
If you're just joining this series, do yourself a favor and start with:
Four Core Doors — Start Here.
It sets up everything. It makes today's lab land stronger, and help make everything we're doing in this series click.
In the next Four Core Doors lab, we're going to go somewhere even more personal. What if you could describe someone's exact situation so accurately, so specifically, that they stop scrolling and wonder if you've been watching them? That's coming in Lab 2 and you won't want to miss it.
But today’s Messaging Lab, we are starting with the easiest and fastest door for you to open. Done right, it's almost impossible to ignore.
It makes the right person feel like you called them by name without actually knowing their name.
What's Really Happens
When Someone Feels "That's Me"
When someone reads or hears your opening line and thinks...
"That's me!"
You've accomplished something most content never does.
You've made them feel seen. And when someone feels seen, they lean in.
That feeling of connection buys you the next few seconds of their attention. It draws them into your amazing content.
What I'm talking about here is the Identity Hook
The Identity Hook earns that feeling of connection immediately.
Before you've taught them anything, before you've made any promises, before you've proven anything.
Just pure, immediate recognition that you are speaking directly to them.
Because content created for everyone is felt by no one.
But content written for a specific identity is felt deeply by everyone who has that identity.
The Simplest Hook You'll Ever Write
The Identity Hook calls out a specific identity, role, or tribe so clearly that the right person instantly knows this content was written for them.
What can you say that’s almost like calling their name without saying their name?
- Identity: If you’re a mom who… this is for you.
- Role: If you are a new manager, but… you’ve got to see this.
- Tribe: To all my National Speakers Association peeps who want more gigs, don’t miss this one.
It’s not a demographic.
It’s not a vague description.
It calls out a specific identity they actually carry.
One they'd use to describe themselves if you asked them who they are.
How To Craft An Identity Hook And
The Two Ingredients That Make It Land
Ingredient 1: Who
Start with who specifically you want to talk to. Don’t pick a broad category. Pick a role or identity that they genuinely relate to and connect with…
Ingredient 2: Situation
Then ask, what are they doing, feeling, or navigating in that role right now? What's the situation they're in that they'd instantly recognize if you named it out loud?
When you pair the identity with a specific situation, you start calling out your audience in a way that actually connects with them.
And THAT is how you make your ideal audience feel called out — in the best possible way.
The Templates:
"If you're a [tribe member] who [specific situation], this is for you."
- "If you're a coach who's amazing in the room but invisible online, this is for you."
- "If you're a speaker who keeps landing projects but can't seem to raise your rates, this is for you."
"To the [identity] who's tired of [frustration they'd recognize]..."
- "To the consultant who's tired of hearing 'we went with someone who seemed more specialized'..."
- "To the speaker who's tired of rambling every time someone asks what you do..."
"You're a [role A], a [role B], and a [role C]. Which means you're being pulled in three directions at once."
"You're a founder, a content creator, and a community builder. Which means you're being pulled in three directions at once — and none of them are getting your best work."
"You're a strategist, a speaker, and a mentor. Which means you're being pulled in three directions at once — and your bio reads like a grocery list."
"If you're a [role], but no one taught you how to [role responsibilities]"
"If you're an executive coach, but no one taught you how to sell transformation instead of sessions..."
"If you're a personal brand, but no one taught you how to turn your story into a strategy that actually elevates your brand..."
These call out who someone is, instantly. They feel it.
That's the identity hook working exactly as it should.
Messaging Lab experiments
Lab Experiment (Internal Exercise):
Look at your last three pieces of content.
- Pick a piece of content where your ideal audience is especially clear in your mind.
- Rewrite the opening using one of the identity hook templates.
- Don't publish it yet. Just build that writing muscle.
Try two or three versions and see which one makes you think "yes, that's exactly who I'm talking to."
Field Experiment (External Exercise):
If you already know your audience well, and you've been working on your messaging for a while, take it live.
- Write a new post this week.
- Write 3 different identity hooks and pick one that you think "yes, that's exactly who I'm talking to."
- Publish it.
- Then pay attention to who comments, who shares, and who reaches out.
The goal is to connect with the right people in a way that makes them feel like your content was created just for them.
Coming Up In The Next Messaging Lab:
What if you could describe someone's experience so accurately that they stop mid-scroll and think "how does this person know exactly what I've been going through?"
The Identity Hook tells your audience you know who they are. But…
The door we explore in the next lab tells your audience you're the expert who knows how to help them.
We're talking about the Problem Hook, and it might be the most powerful tool in this entire series. Done right it actually establishes your expert status.
Don't miss it.
With you in the pursuit of Authentic Awesome,
Nathan Kettler & The ICON Guide Team
This is Lab 1 of The Four Core Doors That Bring The Right People Into Your Brilliant Content — part of Nate The Great's 8-Minute (or Less) Messaging Lab — where Leading Personal Positioning Expert and Strategist Nathan Kettler shares practical lessons on authentic positioning and messaging to help you establish, elevate, and evolve your personal brand and expert authority.