The bar is lower than you think!
Stop letting the succes of less qualified people slow you down.
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 303
You’ve seen them.
You know exactly who I’m talking about.
You know the type: big on volume, small on substance.
The social media influencer with 15 followers on Instagram.
The Facebook expert with no posts on Facebook.
The Linkedin guru with no profile image on Linkedin.
The social media management company with links to their social media on their website that don’t lead anywhere.
You’re scrolling through your feed, and you see someone in your niche—someone with half your experience and a quarter of your technical depth—commanding an audience of thousands.
They’re getting the clicks, the shares, and the “expert” labels, while you’re sitting on the sidelines, meticulously polishing a draft you’ve been too intimidated to publish for three weeks.
You think, “If that’s what it takes to be successful, I must be missing something fundamental.”
Actually, it’s the opposite. You’re overthinking the gatekeepers. Here’s the cold, hard truth: The bar for entry isn’t a high jump; it’s a hurdle that’s been knocked over.
There is a peculiar phenomenon in the digital age where people become successful in spite of themselves. They might have subpar lighting, questionable grammar, or—most frustratingly—information that is barely surface-level.
So why are they winning?
Because they showed up.
While you were researching the perfect $2,000 camera setup or worrying if your thesis was “academic” enough, they hit ‘Record’ on an iPhone 11 and just started talking.
They aren’t successful because they are better; they are successful because they are visible.
Your superior knowledge is a competitive edge
If you’re sitting there with deeper insights, better data, and more nuanced perspectives, you have a massive competitive advantage. But that advantage is currently worth exactly zero if it’s locked in your head or a private folder on your desktop.
The market is currently being fed a junk food diet of content because the gourmet creators (that’s you) are too afraid to open the kitchen.
Accuracy vs. volume: You don’t need to match their volume, but you do need to enter the arena.
The authority gap: Audiences are starving for substance. When someone who actually knows what they’re talking about enters a sea of mediocrity, the contrast is blinding.
Stop waiting for the “expert” permission slip
Many new creators suffer from a version of Imposter Syndrome that I call “Competence Paralysis.” You know enough to know how much you don’t know, so you stay quiet. Meanwhile, the person who knows nothing is unburdened by that self-awareness and shouts from the rooftops.
Don’t let their lack of quality be your excuse for lack of quantity.
The strategy for the “qualified” creator
Lower your production expectations, not your intellectual ones. Your value is in your brain, not your color grading.
Pick one “messy” platform. Whether it’s LinkedIn, a raw blog post, or a quick video, get the idea out while it’s fresh.
Compete on Value. Use your “superior knowledge” to debunk myths or provide the “why” that others are missing.
The digital world is not a meritocracy of talent; it is a meritocracy of action. If the bar is truly as low as you think it is, then stepping over it should be the easiest thing you do today.
Stop watching the less qualified win by default.
Start putting your work out there and give the audience a better choice.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: No, you don’t need anyone’s permission
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.