Seven fundamental truths for using social media to grow a business

Executive overview

Most creators measure success by vanity metrics — followers, viral reach, views — but those are the platform's metrics, not yours. Platforms profit from your attention-chasing; you don't.

The alternative is a simple formula: intent + relevancy + you. Know who you're trying to reach, know what you want to be known for, then make content specifically for them. The algorithm follows from that — not the other way around.

The core insight: a tiny, intentional audience converts; a large, unfocused one doesn't.

Why chasing platform metrics is a losing game

• Platforms optimise for attention, eyeballs, and time-on-platform — not your revenue
• Only 1% of YouTube videos reach 1M+ views; 0.0086% of people are famous — the math doesn't favour chasing virality
• Fame scarcity: every generation wants the spots already taken by the previous one
• Going viral without intent is "getting rich in monopoly money" — it benefits the platform, not you
• Creators with <100 subscribers can earn $10K/month with a clear, specific intent

Defining success on your own terms

• Two paths: chase (platform metrics) or control (your own definition of success)
• Chasing puts you permanently behind — the algorithm always moves faster
• Broad content = broke; specifics = sales, monetisation, opportunity
• A real estate client shifted from "real estate expert" to "sales strategies for realtors" → $4M from 28K subscribers in two years

The CODE framework for cracking the algorithm

• Content: create specifically for who you want to reach and what you want to be known for
• Optimisation: follow each platform's rules — backend settings, titles, thumbnails
• Development: format content to earn the metrics platforms care about (watch time, saves, shares)
• Expansion: build an email list off-platform; you don't own your social accounts and they can disappear

The growth flywheel

• Viewer → relevant content → algorithm categorisation → internal traffic sources → more viewers like the first
• The algorithm can only categorise and amplify what it understands; unfocused content leaves it unable to help you
• "Hope content" (posting without clear intent) confuses categorisation and stalls growth

Features vs fundamentals

• Features = new shiny things (Shorts, Reels, Lives, Premieres) — they come and go
• Fundamentals = how the platform was built and makes money — these don't change
• YouTube's fundamental is search/discovery; stick to that and algorithm changes won't hurt you
• Mixing content types (Shorts + long-form) on one channel can damage algorithm categorisation — use separate channels if needed
• On Instagram, shifting format (e.g. to Reels) can be worthwhile while keeping content relevant to your audience

Three content types: timeless vs trends

• Evergreen: highly targeted, builds a loyal audience, drives sales and monetisation
• Depth: shares your story and values; differentiates you from competitors; nurtures existing subscribers
• Viral: broad reach, beginner topics, lower loyalty — must still be relevant to your core audience or it cannibalises your channel
• Example: a dog channel that makes a viral cat video gains cat viewers who then ignore dog content, killing momentum

How you may be sabotaging yourself

• No clear "why" behind content — posting for ego, not intent
• Chasing trends and features without knowing what you want to achieve
• Measuring only by vanity metrics, which erodes creativity and joy
• Before posting, ask: why am I doing this? If the honest answer is only ego, reconsider

Metrics that actually matter

• CTR from your core audience — not everyone, just the right people
• Retention — saves, shares, full watch-throughs show genuine engagement
• Audience match — are your demographics the people you actually want to reach?
• Action — are viewers subscribing to your email list, becoming clients, responding in depth?
• Your own pride — would you be proud of this content at 80? If yes, it will impact at least one person