I said previously that maybe tossing promotional paper airplanes into the cyclone of digital content isn’t the best use of our time.

Building our work or brand on rented property is risky business, and for years we’ve been uploading content for free on social media platforms.

Then I heard Michelle Warner say recently to take 85% of the things we make “off your platform” and redistribute it in other places (listen here).

“Whether it’s a group of five people or landing some media, just get it off your platform so people don’t have to find you there.”

The answer was right there the whole time, in front of my dumb face.

“That’s where I break marketing into three stages; awareness, engagement, sales. People need to know you exist, then they need to like you, then they need to buy something from you.”

The podcast host, Jay Acunzo, then suggests that we parse out some of our content in ways that I feel like a lot of us have seen or have done in the past, like appearing on a podcast or seeing artists contribute to blogs or host classes.

As Michelle says, and I think this is the money quote, is to “get awareness off your plate and onto other platforms.”

Platforms in this case don’t have to be Instagram or TikTok, but trusted outlets with an established audience. Or a writer or artist you admire.

HERE’S HOW I DID IT

I met Laura Kidd via Twitter (RIP), and we connected over our love of email lists, which is something that’s been crucial to her career as an independent artist. We kept talking, and she invited me to chat about our combined experiences for a video that she’d upload to her YouTube channel.

So I took my “content,” which is me and my ideas, experiences, knowledge, and stories, and put all that on someone else’s platform.

Once the video was posted, people found my newsletter, and I gained about 100 new subscribers.

As Michelle says, “get awareness off your plate and onto other platforms.”

START SLOW

Now – does this mean we start hitting up everybody with a notable follower count? NO.

We’re here to do excellent work, and we must work with excellent people to do that.

We need to work with outlets that we align with and aren’t just trying to churn out content for the sake of churning out content.

As Michelle said in that podcast:

1. People need to know you exist.
2. Then they need to like you.
3. Then they need to buy something from you.

Am I just trying to attract eyeballs, or would I like to pay my rent?

We need to be deliberate with our “content” and collaborate in places where our time and energy have a good chance of serving us in return.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

I bet starting a group of like-minded creative people that meets once a week for and hour would probably be better for your “marketing efforts” than posting three more Reels, or writing another blog post that will just sit on your site.

Not because you’re going to market to those other people in your group—they’re probably not your ideal customer anyway—but because you’ll be around people trying to achieve similar goals.

They’re trying to get better shows, looking for opportunities, trying to find an agent – the list goes on. We don’t need to figure this out on our own!

So, that blog post about that thing you were going to write about—yes, still write it, but bring it to the next club meeting to discuss it with real people.

Maybe you have a friend with a YouTube channel – can you work on something to benefit each other? Provide music for a clip? Offer to help write a segment?

Is their a podcast you could align with?

Could you write a blog post for that obscure movie genre website you enjoy?

F*CK YOU, PAY ME

Hear me out: when I did that interview with Laura, we did not exchange money, but we exchanged trust and energy.

We aim to align with others to exchange the valuable commodities of trust and energy.

So obviously don’t ask to write for a website full of jerks who will just throw your piece into the content river. Even if they have a million followers, working with jerks is never a smart move.

Trust your gut and exercise some discernment, then choose the amount of labor you invest and weigh the potential outcomes.

THREE MORE EXAMPLES

Both Beth Spencer and Adam Ming make wonderful art, and sometimes they work together! I’ve seen Adam guest on Beth’s Introvert Drawing Club sessions, and you can see that Beth filled in for Adam on a recent Micro Lesson video hangout.

While this didn’t lead to new clients (yet), it got my name on a site with a bunch of heavy hitters, which counts for something in my book.

Talking about this stuff with nice people is easy for me, so I did that “free work” in exchange for the association with the sort of people they talk to.

Of course, you don’t need to think of working with your creative friends as “platforms,” but maybe as trusted partners—people with good energy who exchange good vibes that might lead to good stuff down the road.

Go do cool stuff with your friends.