Stuart Scott was a journalist, Sportscaster, and anchor for ESPN from 1997 to 2014. During his time there, he became one of the most recognizable TV personalities in America.
He was known for bringing a Hip Hop style to his on-air broadcasts, and for his fun catchphrases, like; “Booyah,” “He’s as cool as the other side of the pillow,” and “The Lawd said you got to rise up!”
Stuart Scott’s autobiography, “Every Day I Fight” is a fantastic read about his professional journey, his family life, and his battle with cancer. It’s real, insightful, humorous, and tugs at your heartstrings as Stuart shares his struggles with appendiceal cancer which ultimately took his life on January 4, 2015.
In his memoir, Stuart shares his dedication to his daughters, friends, and family as he strives to be an example of courage and resolve, continuing to work tirelessly at his job as a broadcaster and exercising regularly despite the endless barrage of surgeries, chemotherapies, trips to the doctors, battles with pain, and the countless other difficulties that life with cancer entails.
In 2014 Stuart Scott won the Jimmy V Award at the ESPY’s. On that stage, he gave a fantastic speech which I also recommend you watch. His most inspiring quote from that night was “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.”
Takeaways for Entrepreneurs
For me, the book is a great reminder to live life in the moment. To enjoy what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with, and why you’re doing it.
Often, as entrepreneurs, we will sacrifice family time to work on our business. After all, we’ve got to pay the bills, and we’re trying to increase the quality of life for our loved ones.
But let’s also keep in mind why we are doing what we’re doing.
It was inspiring to see Stuart Scott work effortlessly to attend family events in between countless trips to the doctor. Often he was hopping on planes and flying from an event, to a hospital, to his daughter’s soccer game or talent show. Enduring the pain and fatigue to keep his priorities straight.
Yes, his fame and wealth make some of this more possible than it will be for the rest of us. At one point a famous celebrity charters him a plane to fly across the country. But let’s not lose sight of the main idea based on what‘s available to him that isn’t to us.
Too often I get so focused on trying to grow my business and increase my income that I find myself working when I should be spending time with my family. Or I should be spending some of that money on what I’ve earned for my family.
My TpT store is my side business. So I need to make sure it doesn’t consume me. And I need to also be sure that the money I spend on courses, programs, my website, etc isn’t more than I’m spending on making memories with my loved ones. When Stuart was struggling with all he was going through, the money helped, but his family and friends helped more.
Advice for TpT Sellers and Bloggers
What might be lost in this story is that what made Stuart Scott a great on-air personality was his superb writing. As mentioned above, he became famous for his catchphrases, so much so that SNL did a skit on him (think about that, how many newscasters or journalists get this kind of recognition?)
How did he become such an outstanding writer?
Stuart credits a few things.
Be yourself
Stuart says he didn’t steal his phrases or hire someone to write them for him. His phrases were all things that he and his friends and family would say. “Booyah” was a phrase one of his childhood friends who once used to describe the sound of a bad storm. When the gentleman, Mr G. said, “Did you hear that thunder? It was loud, it was like Boo-yah!” Stuart and his friends laughed and asked him to repeat it. It became an inside joke.
Another phrase he used on air, especially when showing highlights of batters hitting monstrous home runs, was, “And the Lawd said you got to rise up!” A popular expression a Baptist growing up in the South was likely to hear in Church. By the way, Stuart emphasizes in his book that it’s pronounced “Lawd” not “Lord,” to emphasize the origins of this catchphrase.
Other expressions he brought on air that he attributes to growing up in the South were, “He’s got more flavor than Kool-aid and Cocoa,” “Lawd, he done made his kin-folk proud, Pookie ‘n ‘dem (or Big Mama ‘n ‘dem),” and “That’s so good, make you want to sop it up with a biscuit.”
These phrases, and many more, were Stuart being himself. That’s how he spoke. It was a nod to his heritage. In doing so, he says he connected with people who were like him, grew up in his area, or related to these sayings because they also knew them.
Stuart unabashedly rooted for his Alma Matter the Tar Heels on air and often shouted out his sorority. He knew less than 1% of viewers even knew the reference, “one two four oh six,” that he would shout on air when a fellow Alpha Phi Alpha’s highlights were shown (the date that the fraternity was founded). But he says he knew that those who did felt a closer connection to him and the show when he did so.
This is good branding. Be yourself. Don’t worry about alienating some potential audience members. They likely aren’t going to be turned off by your love of mac and cheese or your constant references to how beautiful Canada is. But those who get it will be drawn even closer to you.
What are some things you’re passionate about that aren’t part of your business? Tacos? Kayaking? Conch shells? Don’t be shy to reference them or slide them into your posts and blogs. In doing so, you come across as authentic, and you draw a certain segment of your audience even closer to you.
In my copywriting course, we talk about how Oprah became so famous for this very reason. She was authentic. Vulnerable. She was real and America loved her for it. Watch this video of her very first day having a nationally syndicated show. Right out the gate, on her very first day, she was so genuine.
Start the video at the 1:22 mark to see what I’m talking about.
Good Copywriting
Something else we spend a lot of time discussing in my copywriting course is writing in a way that people read and understand. Here’s what Stuart says,
“I’m not talking about writing the King’s English, using ten-karat words to show off how smart you are. I’m talking about writing that doesn’t sound like writing. I’m talking about writing that sounds like you’re right there in the viewer’s man cave, having a conversation.”
He goes on to say how he spent hours writing his intros. Which occupied just a few minutes of air time.
If you want people to pay attention to what you’re saying, you have to talk to them like they’re a person.
It’s tempting, as TpT sellers, to want to write with big, professional words. After all, our audience is fellow academics like us. But as Zig Ziglar often said in his speeches, “I keep my words at about a seventh-grade level. That way even the Ph. D’s in the audience can understand what I’m saying.”
It’s true. People aren’t impressed by your big words. Instead, they’re distracted by them.
Words are supposed to be windows. People should see right through them, not even realizing that they’re there. They should show off your main idea or the product you’re selling. That’s what you want people to see. Not your voluminous vocabulary.
Provide Value
Stuart obsessed over providing viewers with stats. He would keep records of how many other broadcasters referenced in their show, and then make sure to beat them. He was constantly talking to the stats department at ESPN making sure he had the right facts to share with the audience. And interesting ones. He wanted you to enjoy your time with him, but also be wiser because of it. He wanted to help you become an expert.
What about you?
Are you providing value to your readers? To those who see your social media page? To your email subscribers?
By providing value to them, you will earn their trust and admiration. This is how you will turn them into Superfans, who spread the word about your brand and even purchase your goods and services.
You should be providing value two or three times more than you are pitching products or asking for sales.