Choosing the Right Platforms
Look, here's what I want you to do: prioritize two to three platforms. I don't want you trying to crush across all the different platforms. I know a lot of people out there talk about "post everywhere, post all the time," and that's a strategy and that's fine. I would actually discourage you from doing that.
I think that you gain a lot more by picking, let's say, two platforms that you're going to lean heavily into and really emphasize original content for—making content specific for that platform. More on that in a little bit.
Why Two or Three Platforms?
The reason why I say two or three rather than one is you want to avoid single channel, single platform risk. Here's a prime example that we just recently went through. Again, we're filming this in February 2025. Just a month ago, we had this wonderful 12-hour period where TikTok completely disappeared in the US. Nobody could download it. They couldn't access it or anything.
Guess what happened? Complete terror. Everyone was freaking the fuck out—or I should say everyone whose business or income was tied solely to TikTok. And more than likely, they were the individuals who found a lot of success on TikTok and then never chose to build on other platforms to diversify their reach. And by doing that, they were unbelievably vulnerable.
Now, I'm not saying that I think the US government is going to start banning all of these apps. I do not think that. But what I do know is that algorithms change. The way that platforms behave and serve your content to your audience is always changing.
I mean, if you were to look at how many tweaks Instagram makes to their algorithm and the way that content is served, it's insane. And the real real is that it's changing all the time for different people. You and I are getting different updates at different times. You have features available to you that I do not have and vice versa.
The Eye of Sauron Approach
And so, I really encourage you: don't try and post on all the different platforms. What I would encourage you to do though is make sure that you aren't tied to one single platform.
Now, what I do like to do is—I'm a Lord of the Rings nerd, so I like this analogy—I like the Eye of Sauron approach. I do like to, of my two or three that I'm prioritizing, put more emphasis or more priority and resources towards one at a time, but I try to rotate between them.
Let's say I pick three, I try to rotate between those three. And so I think of the other two on maintenance mode while I'm focused on YouTube, let's say. And then maybe I get YouTube into maintenance mode and I move over to LinkedIn.
My Personal Platform Journey
Now, how am I going about this? Because we're at a very wild time in my life where I am starting to create content. As you can tell right now, this is the first time in my life where I have started to make consistent content for myself, not for the talent I'm working with.
And so if you were to look at my social media profiles right now, you would probably see that YouTube, TikTok, X, Threads, all these different platforms, I have less than 4,000 followers on all of them. Most of them less than 2,000. And then on Instagram, I have like 68,000 followers.
And so if you were assuming that I would start on Instagram, that's a very fair assumption. But actually, what I've done is I've picked four platforms that I'm going to prioritize. Now, I am recommending that you do two or three. I've been in this game for 16 years. So, there's a little bit of a discrepancy there. I want to make sure that that's very clear. Do more of what I say in this, not as much of what I do.
Now, here's the thing - most people try to be on every fucking platform at once. That's a recipe for disaster. Start where you feel comfortable.
I use this analogy: when you walk into a powerlifting gym for the first time, you don't load up 400 pounds on the bar. You start with the empty bar, learn the movement, build the habit, then progressively add weight. Same shit applies to platforms.
Pick one platform where you feel most comfortable. For me, it was LinkedIn. I was already spending time there professionally, I understood the audience, and I felt confident posting business content. That was my empty bar.
Here's my expansion strategy: LinkedIn became my base, then I added YouTube for long-form content, then a podcast. Notice the progression - text to video to audio. Each platform built on the skills from the previous one.
Now let's talk about short form versus long form content strategy. Short form gets attention, but long form builds authority. You need both, but start with what you can execute consistently.
Short form - TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts - is like dating. You get a lot of attention quickly, but most of it's surface level. Long form - YouTube videos, podcasts, newsletters - is like building a marriage. Takes longer, but the relationship is deeper and more valuable.
Here's the psychology behind platform stickiness, and I learned this from watching how Harley-Davidson dealerships operate. Once someone buys a Harley, they become emotionally invested. They start buying accessories, going to rallies, getting tattoos. The sunk cost makes them loyal to the brand.
Same thing happens with platforms. Once you've invested hundreds of hours creating content for Instagram, you don't want to abandon it, even if LinkedIn would be better for your business. You've got sunk cost bias working against you.
But you need to be honest about where your audience actually is, not where you want them to be.
The Three Questions That Matter
When choosing platforms, ask yourself these three questions:
Where do I feel comfortable creating content? If you hate being on camera, TikTok probably isn't your platform. If you're shit at writing, maybe Twitter isn't either. Start with your strengths.
Where do I already spend time? You understand the culture, the language, the unwritten rules. Don't try to learn a completely foreign platform from scratch while also learning content creation.
Where is my audience actually hanging out? Not where you think they should be, where they actually are. Do the research. Ask them directly.
For my consulting firm, I target entrepreneurs. Where do entrepreneurs spend time online? LinkedIn during work hours, Twitter for quick updates, YouTube for learning. I don't give a shit that Instagram has more users - my people aren't scrolling Instagram looking for business advice.
Double Down on What Works
Once you find traction on one platform, double down. Don't immediately jump to the next shiny object.
I see people get their first viral post on TikTok, then immediately think "I need to be on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter too!" No, you fucking don't. You need to understand why that TikTok post worked and create ten more like it.
Here's some vulnerable shit - when I first started making videos, I thought I looked fat on camera. My ego wanted to avoid video content entirely. But the data showed video performed better than text posts. So I ignored my ego and made videos anyway.
Your ego is not your friend in content creation. Your ego wants you to look perfect. Your audience wants you to be helpful and authentic. Those are often contradictory goals.
Quality Audience Over Quantity
I'd rather have 1,000 engaged followers who actually give a shit about what I'm saying than 100,000 who scroll past my content.
I have a friend who has 68,000 followers on Instagram from his landscape photography. Beautiful account, high-quality images. But when he tries to sell anything, crickets. Those followers came for pretty pictures, not business advice or products.
Compare that to someone with 2,000 LinkedIn connections who are all potential clients. Which audience is more valuable?
This is why I don't get excited about vanity metrics. Follower count, likes, shares - that's all masturbation. What matters is: are people taking action based on your content?
Track Performance AND Conversions
Here's where most people fuck up - they track platform performance but ignore business results.
Platform performance: views, likes, comments, shares, follower growth.
Business results: email signups, website traffic, consultation bookings, sales.
You need to track both, but business results matter more. I'd rather have a post with 100 views that generates 3 client inquiries than a post with 10,000 views and zero business impact.
Set up proper tracking from day one. Google Analytics, email list growth, whatever metrics actually matter for your business. Don't get distracted by the dopamine hit of social media metrics if they're not translating to real results.
The best content creators understand that social media is a tool for attention and relationship building. The real business happens when you move people off the platform to your email list, your website, your calendar booking page.
That's platform strategy in the real world. Pick where you're comfortable, understand where your audience actually lives, focus on business results over vanity metrics, and don't let your ego make strategic decisions for you.