The Newsletter, Issue #98
September 23rd, 2026

Doing something out of FOMO is always a bad idea... but in communications, testing can teach us alot

Hi Reader,

About a year ago, I made a decision out of FOMO. Everyone was switching to video, the podcasting scene was shifting, and I didn't want to be left behind. So I started filming episodes instead of just recording them.

It wasn't a bad decision on paper. We all know that video is popular, but something quietly broke in the process.

It's hard to admit it, but I lost the casual, raw flow I used to have.

I got more careful, more edited, and everyday became less me. And with two young kids and an unpredictable schedule, consistency, the thing that had carried the podcast for years, started slipping too.

It took me a while to admit that the format wasn't the problem, but taking a decision that affects my marketing based on trend-chasing was the the problem... especially that I didn't take the decision after carefully studying my availability to execute it consistently.

Here's what I think we get wrong about staying current.

We assume that if something is working for other people, in their format, on their platform, in their style, with their resources and budgets, it should work for us too. So we adopt it, wholesale, without asking whether it actually fits how we operate, what we're good at, our capacity in terms of time or budget, or what our audience actually came for in the first place.

Trends are data, not instructions that tell you what's resonating broadly. They don't tell you whether it will resonate coming from you, in your business, or with your constraints.

Before you adopt the next platform shift, format change, or content trend, ask yourself three things:

Does this play to what I'm actually good at, or am I adopting it because everyone else is?
Some formats amplify your strengths, while others just add friction between you and the thing you're actually trying to communicate.
Can I sustain this given my actual life and business right now?
The best format is the one you can show up to consistently. A trend you can't sustain for six months isn't a strategy, it's a phase.
If I stripped this trend away, would my message still be clear and effective?
If the answer is no, the trend was doing the work your message should have been doing on its own.

I went back to audio only this year, not because video failed, but because audio was always the format that let me actually be me, consistently, without needing life to cooperate perfectly.

Sometimes the right move isn't the newest one, but the one that was already working before you talked yourself out of it.

Deal Rana? Hit reply and tell me, is there a trend you adopted that quietly cost you your own voice?

Have a great week. Keep making waves. You've got this.

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PS: NEW EPISODE ON LET'S MAKE WAVES PODCAST: This week's episode is a personal one. Let's Make Waves just hit its 6 year anniversary🎉🎉, and I'm taking the full episode to walk through everything I've learned along the way, why I chose podcasting in the first place, what changed & what it taught me, and the advice I'd give anyone thinking about starting their own podcast today.

And there's a surprise in this one. To celebrate 6 years, I'm opening up 6 guest slots to you, my listeners. If you've ever wanted to come on the show and talk about your expertise, your reputation, or your own journey, this is your invitation. Details and the form to apply are in the show notes. Listen on Apple or Spotify.