I Hate Marketing. But I Must [Still] Promote My Work. This is What I Do.

Don’t avoid what you must do because you hate it. Deal with it.

First, we write.

Next, we promote.

And here’s how… for those who hate or have no clue about marketing.

Success on steroids

Study the top writers on this platform. Or any other platform.

I guarantee you one thing. The Top Dogs know each other.

At the same time, they promote each other’s work.

Want evidence? Here’s one.

Want more evidence? Here’s one more.

This one is from Ayodeji.

A hit-piece happens when someone writes a negative article solely about another writer or decides to take shots at multiple writers in a single blog post.

Take my friend, Tim Denning for example. I know Tim.

He works his ass off, stays engaged on the platform even with brand new writers, and goes out of his way to create work readers love.

Now, let’s inject some truth bombs into our minds. Why are they doing this? Aren’t they already busy…

• Writing X number of articles a day?
• Creating multiple online courses?
• Running online businesses?

And despite all of that, they spend time promoting each other.

Why? Here are my guesses.

1* They borrow attention

Every writer is unique.

Of course. But I am not [just] simply stating the obvious.

We have audiences in different markets, platforms, or niches.

You could be,

• Great at money topics,
• Have 12,000 followers on Medium,
• Crosses $1,000 monthly without ever being Boosted.

He could be,

• Exceptional at parenting topics,
• Currently experiencing rocketing growth on SubStack,
• Have 200 subscribers who have passed him $5 per month for the entire year.

She could be,

• Phenomenal at online businesses,
• Killing on X with 15,000 followers and 100 likes per Tweet,
• Have successfully monetized Twitter through paid newsletters and online courses.

What happens when these 3 folks come together?

Simply put, 3 good things happen.

• They have a much bigger audience to sell their work to.
• They can tap into each other’s expertise to open markets.
• They can grow [exponentially] when measured in followers, paid subscribers, leads, and revenue.

2* They avoid that wretched 0

This is easy.

But I will start with a question.

“Are you going to start from scratch and build a following on another social media platform?”

Like, really?

I admire your willingness to commit to sweat equity. But it is time we level up. We don’t always have to build.

We can leverage.

I think about it this way.

How long will it take me to build 11,000 followers on X? 3 long donkey years? Maybe 4? Or 5? God knows.

But Matt already has 11,000 followers on X. Why don’t I tap into his network?

If I can, I have 22,000 eyeballs to work on from the gun. Chew on it.

Just how much time will it save you?

3* Find people who have what you don’t. Make an exchange.

Don’t just ask.

Exchange.

You got 12,000 followers on Medium? He has 11,000 followers on X Exchange. Offer shoutouts.

Do you own a thriving Newsletter with loyal readers? Quote that person who has a large audience elsewhere. Funnel attention. Make a deal with that person of influence. Have him do the same.

These are [all] good stuff.

And before you start.

Remember this.

Do your homework.

• Find out what they have that you don’t.
• Offer them something you have that they don’t.

People with a growth mindset embrace effort equity and love having leverage.

Leverage is like that current in the ocean.

Swim with the current, and you relax.

Swim against the current, and you struggle.

It is as easy and as complicated as that.

The close

It is one thing to hate marketing.

It is another to promote your work.

And you must. Everyone is busy creating, writing, and burying someone else’s work in the digital world. We have zero chance of online writing success if we don’t give ourselves a chance to succeed.

The best way to do it? Find leverage.

It represents a multiplier effect that you cannot tap on if you are alone.

Chew on it.

Engage, exchange, promote.

You get that elusive exponential growth you seek.

Article inspired by a conversation with Matt | Financial Imagineer, Denis Gorbunov, & Sarina Chiu

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