How I Finally Stopped Making Content and Started Talking to People

I used to think audio-only platforms were a joke. A bunch of self-proclaimed gurus yelling about crypto, or a place where perfectly good content strategies went to die from boredom. I’d tune into a “live event” and hear a founder reading a blog post out loud. It was sterile, awkward, and a complete waste of time.

I watched people try to turn it into another channel for their “content machine,” and fail spectacularly.

Then I saw a post from a founder. He’d gained 10,000 followers in 90 days. No ads. No viral stunts. Just by talking to people on a platform I had written off.

That’s when I realized: we were all doing it wrong.

The Problem with "Live Events"

Most advice about using live audio sounds like you’re producing a TV show. “Content pillars,” “amplification engines,” “thought leadership frameworks.” It’s no wonder these things end up feeling like a corporate earnings call.

The real issue isn’t that people hate live audio—it’s that they can smell a sales pitch disguised as a conversation from a mile away. And when your “authentic” chat follows a script you downloaded from a marketing guide, people just tune out.

What Actually Works: A 5-Step System That Doesn’t Suck

Growth isn't an accident. It’s a process. Here’s how to stop broadcasting and start building.

1. Figure Out What People Actually Want to Talk About

You can’t start a conversation if you have no idea what people are thinking. Don’t guess. Don't use a fancy keyword tool. Just listen.

Your support tickets are a goldmine. What are the same three questions your support team answers every single day? That’s your first topic.
Lurk in the right places. Where do your potential customers complain? Check subreddits, community forums, and online groups. A question asked ten times is a sign you need to host a conversation about it.
Pick a time when people are actually listening. Late evening (around 8-10 PM local time) is often a good bet. People are done with work and scrolling. But test it. If you sell to developers, try late. If you sell to execs, maybe try a lunchtime session.

The key: Your goal isn't to create a perfect content calendar. It’s to find one real, burning question that people are already asking.

2. Write a Title That Isn't Boring

Your title is the only reason someone will stop scrolling. "Marketing Chat" is a death sentence. You have to make a specific promise.

The formula is simple: What they get + How you’ll do it.

Bad: SaaS Growth Strategies
Good: Our Playbook for Doubling Signups Without Ads
Bad: E-commerce Tips
Good: We're Auditing Live Stores to Find 3 Ways to Boost AOV

The good titles sound like someone is about to share a secret they learned the hard way. They promise real-world value, not a lecture.

3. Host It Like a Real Conversation (Not a Presentation)

The first 30 seconds matter more than the next 30 minutes. Don’t wing it.

Know your first line. Write down your hook. State the promise from your title, tell people what you're going to cover, and ask a dead-simple question to get them engaged.
Don’t do it alone. Hosting by yourself is hard and boring. Find 2-3 other smart people in your space to talk with. It makes the conversation more interesting and proves you’re not a lone weirdo shouting into the void. Pro-tip: find people with smaller, engaged audiences. They’re more likely to say yes and actually promote it.
Break it up. Nobody can listen to a 60-minute monologue. Think in 15-minute chunks. Talk about one small thing for 15 minutes, then move to the next. It keeps the energy up and gives people a reason to stick around.

The key: Your job is to be the host of a great dinner party, not a professor giving a lecture.

4. Turn One Hour of Talking into a Week of Content

The live conversation is just the starting pistol. The real growth happens afterward. Forgetting to record your session is like throwing cash in the trash.

Promote it more than once. A few days before, post a short thread: Tweet 1 is the problem. Tweet 2 is the promise (your session). Tweet 3 is the proof (your awesome co-hosts). Tweet 4 is the link. Pin it.
Live-tweet it. Have a friend or colleague pull out the best quotes as they happen. It creates FOMO and pulls new listeners in.
Follow up. DM everyone who spoke and thank them. Don't sell them anything. Just be a human. Post a "thank you" tweet tagging your co-hosts.

The key: If you only do the live event, you’re doing 20% of the work for 20% of the results. The recording is an asset. Use it.

5. Measure What Actually Matters (Hint: It’s Not Vanity)

Don’t get hung up on peak live listeners. That number doesn’t mean much.

Listener Retention: Did people actually stick around? If less than 30% of your audience stayed for most of it, your topic or your delivery was off. Figure out why.
New Followers: How many new, relevant followers did you get in the 24 hours after? This tells you if you’re attracting the right people.
DMs with Real Questions: This is the big one. How many people messaged you afterward to ask a real question? This is how you know the conversation is turning into real business.

The Real Rules of Live Audio

Buy a decent mic. Seriously. Your phone’s built-in mic makes you sound like you’re in a wind tunnel. A $30 clip-on mic sounds 10x better and signals that you care. Poor audio is the #1 reason people leave in the first 30 seconds.
Be consistent. Hosting one amazing session and then disappearing for a month is useless. Pick a day and time and stick to it. Treat it like a weekly radio show. People will start to show up expecting it.
Give away your best stuff. Don’t hold back. The goal is to solve a real problem for people for free. When you prove you can do that, they’ll trust you enough to pay you to solve their bigger problems.
Share your wins. Did you hit 100 listeners? Screenshot it and share it. Got a nice DM? Ask for permission and post it. This isn't ego—it’s social proof. It tells other people that this is something worth their time.

Getting Started (Without Overthinking It)

Find 3 subreddits or communities where your customers hang out.
Spend a week just reading. Write down the 5 most common questions you see.
Pick one question. Schedule a live chat for next week.
Ask one or two other smart people to join you.
Talk about the question for an hour. Remember to hit record.

That’s it. No "amplification engine." No "thought leadership framework." Just showing up and having a useful conversation.

The Bottom Line

This strategy works when it doesn't feel like a strategy. When you’re just a person sharing what you know and talking with other smart people, an audience will find you. When you’re trying to execute a "growth hack," they can tell.

The best audience growth doesn't feel like marketing at all. It feels like you’re becoming the go-to person for the most interesting conversations in your field.

And that’s not a tactic you can copy—it’s just showing up and being generous.