How I Learned to Stop Creating "Content" and Actually Get Noticed

I used to believe the big lie of content marketing. You know the one: "Just create great content and the audience will come."

So I did. I wrote thoughtful threads, designed slick carousels, and poured my soul into blog posts. And for my efforts, I was rewarded with the digital equivalent of a single, slow clap. A few likes from my co-founder, a supportive comment from my mom, and a follow from a bot that really, really wanted me to buy crypto.

Then I realized something: I was shouting into an empty room. And it wasn't my content's fault. It was my strategy.

The Problem with "Content Marketing"

Most advice on early-stage growth sounds like it was written by someone who has never actually been an unknown founder. "Build a content engine!" "Execute a multi-channel playbook!" "Dominate the conversation!"

It's no wonder our posts sound like we're reading from a corporate memo. The real issue isn't that social media is too crowded. It's that we’ve been taught to broadcast, when we should be listening. We’re trying to give a keynote speech at a party where nobody knows who we are.

People can smell a marketing "playbook" from a mile away. And they hate it.

What Actually Works: A Few Ideas That Aren't a "System"

Forget the five-step frameworks. Here’s what I learned by watching what founders who actually connect with people do.

1. Fix Your Front Door (Your Profile)

Before you write a single post, look at your profile. When someone lands there, they have one question: "Who is this person and why should I care?" You have about three seconds to answer it.

Most of us fail this test. Our bios are a jumble of buzzwords ("CEO | Entrepreneur | SaaS") or, worse, just empty.

Your profile isn't a resume. It's your digital handshake. Make it clear and human. The best format I’ve seen is brutally simple: "I help [this type of person] do [this cool thing]."

Weak: "Founder & CEO at InnovateSolutions"
Strong: "I help overworked marketers get their weekends back by automating their reporting. Building a tool for it."

See the difference? One is a title. The other is a promise. Add a decent headshot (not a blurry vacation pic) and you're 90% of the way there.

The key: Your profile should make it obvious who you are and who you help, so the right people feel like they've found their tribe.

2. Earn the Right to Speak

Here’s the part that feels wrong but works: Stop posting. At least for a little while.

If you have no audience, posting your own content is a waste of energy. Your first job is to become a recognized member of the communities where your future customers already hang out. You have to earn credibility before anyone will listen to you.

This looks different on every platform:

On X (formerly Twitter): Find 15-20 people in your space who have the audience you want. Turn on notifications for their posts. Then, just show up and add to their conversations. Not with "Great post!" or "💯" but with actual thoughts. Share a related experience. Ask a smart question. Your replies should be so good that people click on your profile out of sheer curiosity.
On LinkedIn: LinkedIn is full of people scrolling passively. Your job is to connect—but not like a bot. Find people commenting on posts in your niche (these are the active users!) and send a personalized request. "Hey, saw your great point on [Influencer]'s post about sales. I'm exploring that too and would love to connect." It's not a sales pitch; it's a genuine invitation.
On Reddit: Don't. Even. Think. About. Promoting. Yourself. Just find subreddits where your people are (like r/saas or r/startups) and be outrageously helpful. Answer questions. Share what you've learned from your mistakes. Rack up some karma. People will get curious about the person who keeps giving great advice, check your profile, and discover what you're building on their own terms.

The key: Show up to be helpful, not to be heard. The visibility will follow.

3. Share What You've Actually Learned (Not What You Think Sounds Smart)

Once you've earned some attention, you can start sharing your own stuff. But don't stare at a blank page. Success leaves clues.

Look at the top-performing posts in your niche. Not to copy them, but to understand the shape of what works. You’ll see the same patterns over and over.

The Vulnerable Story: "We almost went bankrupt. Here's what saved us."
The Contrarian Take: "Everyone says you should hustle 24/7. Here's why that's terrible advice."
The 'How We Did It': "How we got our first 100 users without spending a dollar."

Take those shapes and fill them with your own, real experience. The messy, specific, human stuff.

Example: I saw a founder share a story titled, "We hit $1M ARR. Here are the 7 mistakes we made along the way." It was raw, honest, and incredibly useful. It wasn't a brag; it was a lesson.

The key: Don't try to be a guru. Just share the lessons you've learned from problems you've actually solved.

The Real Rules of Social Media Growth

Every platform is different, but a few things are universally true.

Show up in the first hour. When you post something, the algorithm is watching. If it gets early engagement, it gets shown to more people. Stick around and reply to every single comment. It's not about gaming the system; it's about having a conversation.
Use your team. Have a chat channel where you can drop a link to a new post. Ask your team to leave a thoughtful comment to get the ball rolling. This isn't fake engagement; it's giving your post a chance to be seen by the people it's actually for.
Be consistent, not intense. It's better to share two thoughtful posts a week, every week, than to post 10 times in one day and then burn out.
Accept that it feels slow. This isn't a hack. You're building relationships and credibility. It takes time.

What This Actually Looks Like

Here's a real example. A founder I know was building a project management tool. For a month, he didn't post a single thing about his product.

Instead, he spent 30 minutes every day on LinkedIn, leaving thoughtful comments on posts by well-known product leaders. When one of them wrote about productivity mistakes, he replied with a mini-story about a specific meeting mistake his team had made and how they fixed it.

His reply got a ton of engagement. People clicked on his profile, saw his "I help teams..." bio, and got curious. He got his first 50 beta users that way. Not because he pitched them, but because they saw someone who clearly understood their world.

The Long Game

This isn't about going viral. It's about becoming a trusted, familiar face in the places your customers hang out. It's slow. It takes months, not days.

But the payoff is real. When someone in your world runs into the exact problem you solve, you're the person they think of. They already know you. They already trust you.

Getting Started (Without the Playbook)

Spend one hour, right now, fixing your profile. Use the "I help..." formula.
Pick ONE platform to focus on for the next month. Just one.
Spend a week just reading and listening. Get the vibe of the place.
For the next three weeks, spend 30 minutes a day just commenting on other people's stuff. Be helpful. Add value. Don't promote.
Be patient.

That's it. No "engines." No "playbooks." Just showing up and being a human.

The Bottom Line

Social media growth works when it doesn't feel like marketing. When you're genuinely part of a conversation, people become interested in who you are and what you're working on. When you're just there to drop a link, they can tell.

The best growth strategy isn't a strategy at all. It’s just being someone interesting and helpful who happens to be building something cool. And you can't hack that.