Are You an Organic Vegetable?

Some time ago I received an email from a subscriber (hi, Kevin!) asking me how to connect better with his audience of “couples who would like to improve their communication and increase their relationship satisfaction.”

The description of his audience was vague, so I asked him whether he offered a vitamin (prevention: helping satisfied couples avoid misunderstandings) or a painkiller (solving painful problems: helping couples with relationship issues become happy again).

This distinction is key for proper positioning.

Prevention is a tough sell. It takes a highly conscientious person to deliberately work on things that are fine today to make sure they remain that way into the future.

Sure, there are exceptions, mostly in high-stakes fields like insurance. But in general, prevention doesn’t motivate to take action.

For example, very few people think about preventing back pain. Even with mild or occasional pain, they’re unlikely to do anything about it. It’s only when pain becomes debilitating, preventing everyday life, that people seek help.

In Kevin’s case, happy couples rarely seek help to prevent any potential issues.

Now contrast it with a dissatisfied couple where not a day goes by without some misunderstanding. They may still love each other, but things just don’t work anymore. They’re in deep pain they’re desperate to escape.

There are only two ways forward: end the relationship or address the pain. The market for people in such a situation is enormous compared to the prevention group. And because the pain is so heart-wrenching, the need for a solution is that much stronger, too.

Kevin was unsure which audience he wanted to focus on. After I clarified the difference between a vitamin and a painkiller, he decided to focus on couples in pain.

But…

What If You Become an Organic Vegetable?

As I pondered this topic later on, I received an email from Olly Richards who wrote:

Turns out there’s a third way that may work for creators that’s neither about prevention nor addressing pain…

It’s being something that is much more desirable for certain people.

It’s being an organic vegetable:

“I don’t want to be the aspirin to someone’s headache. I want to be the organic veg someone pays through the nose for because they value their health.”

Now, you may wonder: isn’t this “organic vegetable” approach the same as prevention?

It’s not.

Let’s go back to our back pain example.

The vitamin is a health creator who teaches office workers easy exercises to prevent back pain. The goal is to maintain the body as it is and stay pain-free. The problem is that most people don’t care about prevention.

The painkiller is a physiotherapist creator who shows exercises that alleviate existing pain or help you survive over the weekend until your scheduled PT visit. The problem is that once the pain is gone, the customer is most likely gone, too (ask yourself if you’ve ever rewatched a PT video once your tweaked back felt fine again).

The organic vegetable is a fitness creator who teaches novel ways to strengthen one’s spine, move like a (fit) teenager again, become more resistant to injuries, and continuously get stronger as you enjoy your favorite activities.

Become a Lifelong Companion for Your Fans

The difference between the prevention and organic vegetable approach is the difference between Dr. Michael Greger and Dr. Peter Attia.

Greger’s description is: “Find out what the latest science is saying about your favorite foods to help you make the healthiest choices for you and your family.”

Attia’s description is “The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast that explores the science and art of living the longest and healthiest life possible. (…) Each episode brings listeners closer to the cutting edge of what it means to thrive.”

Both cover longevity but Attia focuses more on the performance aspect, appealing to those who want more than just “be healthy.” He’s that organic vegetable.

That last line is key: “the cutting edge of what it means to thrive” vs “healthiest choices for you and your family.” It’s aspiration and obsession vs merely staying healthy.

In other words, the organic vegetable creator doesn’t merely prevent or address pain. They create a never-ending self-improvement journey for their fans.

They’realso a potential lifelong companion instead of a transactional “problem solved, bye” relationship akin to a one-night stand (or a relationship people have with AI).

If you can be that lifelong journey creator, it’s your golden ticket to a sustainable, AI-proof creator business.

AI can both provide prevention and suggest painkillers but it can’t become that inspiring companion for the most obsessed and most invested fans (who will also spend the most).

Unlike AI, you can give these committed people personal access to you (real human being who’s as obsessed as they are), your network (AI doesn’t have one), and even grant people a new status or identity (member of an exclusive group, student in a cohort course, retreat participant).

All these are highly desirable by people who are shopping for organic vegetables. Because they don’t just want to prevent or handle pain. They’re in it for something bigger than that.

In Kevin’s case, if he wanted to become that organic vegetable, he could specialize in:

• “High-performance couple success,” borrowing from Attia’s example. Help couples operate at the cutting edge of what it means to be in love at a high level, showcasing famous inspiring couples. This goes beyond mere prevention and doesn’t rely on a transactional painkiller approach. It could even be niched down to a more lucrative audience like entrepreneur couples.
• “The lifelong adventure relationship” in which he helps couples create memorable experiences. Instead of framing it as “avoid stagnation” (prevention) or “there’s no spark anymore” (painkiller), he appeals to adventure-oriented couples who want to live epic lives together.
• “The wellness allies” approach that focuses on helping couples cultivate their love for each other while also working on their health goals. This approach would lead to unique content like “Elevate your relationship to a new level while training for a triathlon” and thus be even more AI-proof than generic relationship advice.

Of course, the more you niche down, the smaller your audience gets. That’s why organic vegetables are more expensive, and that’s why they aren’t sold in every neighborhood and not everyone cares about them.

You need to be strategic with this approach to ensure it fits your own niche (and IF it fits your niche, as not every niche will work with that).

Real-World Examples of Organic Vegetables

For more inspiration to help you figure out your own “organic vegetable” approach, here are some high-profile creators who go beyond prevention and getting rid of pain:

• ​Tony Robbins who positions himself as a proven path to unleash your ultimate potential. This isn’t just “tips to keep good habits” (prevention) or “get rid of bad habits” (painkiller). It’s a transformation. (One could argue people follow Tony to address their pain, but that’s just a segment of his audience and not his main, much more lucrative target of obsessed high-performers willing to spend fix figures for even a 1% improvement.)
• ​Julia Cameron who helps people nurture creativity as a lifelong spiritual practice instead of tips to avoid procrastination (prevention) or tips to overcome writer’s block (painkiller).
• ​Wim Hof who doesn’t tell you merely how to stay healthy (prevention) or reduce stress (painkiller). Instead, he helps people become superhumanly resilient through cold exposure and breathing exercises, constantly challenging the body and the mind more and more.

What is your offer and how would you position it as an organic vegetable? Hit reply and let me know.

Keep going,

Martin

P.S. If you have any questions like Kevin, please reach out to me. Maybe we’ll make a newsletter issue out of your question, too. I do my best to help every subscriber who writes to me.