I used to think growing an audience was the key to success. So wrong.
The Real Game Plan (Grow Without Algorithm Hacks)
My email got sold.
I don’t know how this guy managed to send me his newsletter.
- I’ve never heard of him.
- I’ve never subscribed.
- I’ve never cared about his offer.
I scrolled through his subscriber list and was shocked.
He had 15k subscribers overnight.
Then, I laughed.
It’s easy to grow a number of subscribers.
Just buy an email list.
But it’s hard to earn their trust.
I unsubscribed immediately and wished him the best.
This isn’t how you build an audience.
I used to think that growing an audience was the key to online success.
How stupid.
It took me 12 months to realize the real playbook isn’t:
- hacking algorithms
- writing viral content
- leaving 1,000 comments a day
It’s about developing real relationships.
Not with everyone — you’re not a golden retriever.
You need to build relationships with the right people.
Don’t get me wrong, follower count still matters.
It gives you authority.
But
Not everyone in your life is created equal.
This rule applies to both life and building online.
Imagine this:
Person A: Leaves you one comment every day.
Person B: Puts $1,000 a month in your pocket.
Who would you rather connect with?
Me? I’ll take the person who buys me a lot of iced lattes.
Yeah, we all want to connect with people who give us the most value.
But flip the script — be the giver.
That’s how you build real connections.
The relationship starts with writing.
Write as a giver.
Solve people’s problems through your writing.
The people who resonate with your message will become followers.
Followers turn into fans.
Fans turn into superfans.
Once you’ve built relationships with true fans, algorithms won’t matter anymore.
