The Art And Science of Spreading Good News ft. Branden Harvey — Founder of Good Good Good
Ep31: https://impacteverywhere.org
The news is just like our diet, and what we consume can have huge impacts on our health. In today’s world, consuming news is just one click away and can be crammed in on your commute to work, paired with breakfast, or picked at before you even get out of bed in the morning. Today’s guest is Branden Harvey, and he believes we can empower ourselves and those around us just by deciding how we consume news. As the founder of Good Good Good, Branden wants to turn positivity into a vital part of our purpose as human beings. Through social media and — believe it or not — print media, he believes we can change the world.
In this episode, you’ll hear about how the human brain has a negative bias toward bad news, and how good news can be used as a means to do good. We kick things off by talking about the impact journalism has on mental health, and how Good Good Good is not competition to standard media, but rather a much-needed accompaniment. Branden tells us about the difference between hopefulness and optimism, and why the former is a wonderful tool we all have access to. We also delve into the finer details and take a peek at Good Good Good’s unique take on marketing and how Branden went from individual creator to the leader of an organization. Listen to the full conversation at one of the following links:
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Key Points From This Episode
The damaging effects of traditional journalism and internal negativity bias
They often say, “if it bleeds, it leads,” and this could not be more true in the current state of our world and media coverage. It’s not as though our hearts yearn for more bad news — but bad news is what sticks in our brains. We have an internal negativity bias that explains our fixation on bad news. No matter how many good things happen to us in a day, we will remember the bad first. Good news needs to be designed and presented in a way that makes it as memorable as the bad.
The difference between hope and optimism
Optimism is to assume things will work out, hope is to think they will work out if we work at them. Good Good Good is all about looking for the hope in the hurt of bad news and showing people what actions they can take to work on these problems. While we may not all be naturally optimistic, we can all utilize hope to take actionable steps towards change.
How to market good news the Good Good Good way
Good Good Good provides a beautiful design experience — whether it be designing Instagram posts so they look good when reposted and also attractive enough to swipe all the way through, or whether it’s making the cover of the print paper pretty enough to leave out on your coffee table and pass on to friends. The design and marketing strategies are in place to trick our brains into wanting to consume and share good news.
Why and how you should incorporate more proactive self-care into your routine
Reactionary self-care is the bubble baths and face masks actions we take in response to needing nurturing. This is a good thing. But something often neglected is proactive self-care, which is saying ‘what are the things I can do to set myself up for success so I’m already being taken care of before the low moment hits?’
A suggestion? Set aside a monthly budget (of an amount you are able) and donate to causes that you feel good supporting. Deciding in advance to spend this money each month takes the decision fatigue away when a disaster hits and you try to scrape money together to help while also researching which organization is doing the best work. Don’t have money? Try finding volunteer opportunities. There are lots of digital options, such as volunteering for a crisis hotline.
Tweetables
“The problem isn’t that there is a lack of good news, it’s that people haven’t been designing ways for that good news actually absorb at a deeper level.” — @BrandenHarvey[0:02:33]
“We try to find a balance between the overall heartbreak of the injustices of the world, and what we do is, we find the hope within the heartbreak. We look for people creating solutions to problems.” — @BrandenHarvey[0:05:30]
“There is a difference between hopefulness and optimism. There is a quote from Eric Liu that I love and it says: To be optimistic is to assume that things will work out. To be hopeful is to realize things can work out if you work at them.” — @BrandenHarvey[0:06:04]
“When you see an opportunity to shift your life 1% a little more good, do it. ” — @BrandenHarvey[0:32:41]
Coming Up Next
Next up we have Bill Bensley, a luxury architect who incorporates sustainability into all he does. If you want to hear from more people with a genuine sense of wonder and curiosity for the world, this one’s for you. Subscribe here so you don’t miss it!
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode
Benjamin Von Wong
Impact Everywhere
Branden Harvey on Twitter
Good Good Good
Adobe Max
BENSLEY
Bill Bensley
