Do you want to grow a profitable content business? If so, join 25,000 readers. I share daily insights about personal brand building, writing online and growing a profitable business. It's for creators, coaches and business owners.
The content platforms I’m ditching in 2025
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Hi Reader, I spent the past few days preparing my content strategy for 2025. Here’s what it’ll look like:
I picked LinkedIn because that’s where business owners who need help with their content strategy hang out (my core offer). Frankly, a lot creators overlook LinkedIn. It’s much more than a place to find a job or brag about work. Most platforms are like slot machines - designed to keep you playing without guaranteed returns. Not Substack. I’m publishing there because the algo is far more friendly than any other network. Plus, you can take an email list with you. I’m also experimenting with a Telegram group as I like distribution channels that don’t lean heavily on an algo. Granted, the barrier to entry for YouTube is higher than that of other networks, but it’s a great platform for long-form content that lasts for years. I ditched the rest of the networks from my strategy (Gary Vee would be horrified). Now, I’ll still publish on a few occassionaly with the help of a virtual assistant… or ignore them altogether. Why? Facebook pays creators a niche chunk of change to create viral-friendly content. Think listicles like “10 surprising reasons why your house is dirtier than you think”. Live in the US? You could earn three or four figures creating this content from the Facebook Performance Bonus program. Meta invited me into their program this year. I filled out the forms only so they could promptly tell me the program is unavailable for Irish creators. I queried this with support and nearly lost the will to live, thanks to their canned responses. I sometimes repost content on Medium but reach is in the toilet. Payment from their partner program is down, too. And they recently went through another round of lay-offs. X works nicely for some creators. But, the politics, Musk-aggrandizing and algo-baiting content on X drains my brain power. BlueSky is mostly for politics, so that’s out too. Threads could work, but frankly, I’m unconvinced. I don’t enjoy watching or recording hype-y Instagram reels or TikTok shorts. I’d rather invest that time in every green content, i.e., YouTube. That leaves SEO. This year, Google slapped down smaller publishers everywhere in favor of Reddit and big publications like Forbes. So, I’m far less bullish on writing articles optimized for search. Investing in SEO content is as risky as playing a social media algo. I’d some success this year using Pinterest to send traffic to my food and drinks website. Then, I sold my site because I wanted to simplify my business (more on that soon). So, no Pinterest… for now. Should you follow my content strategy? Ask yourself: Where does my ideal reader, customer, or client spend their time? Create content wherever they hang out. Get them onto your email list asap. Then, make an offer. If you like reading these daily emails, you’ll love my private, no-cost Telegram channel. I share behind-the-scenes content about how I’m growing my content business. My goal is to help you add $3–5k to your business in 2025. Join here Write on, |
Letters From the Desk of Bryan Collins
Do you want to grow a profitable content business? If so, join 25,000 readers. I share daily insights about personal brand building, writing online and growing a profitable business. It's for creators, coaches and business owners.
Hi Reader Google is facing BIG problems in 2025. And I don’t just mean the US Justice Department telling the boffins at Mountain View to sell off Chrome. Search is one of Google’s core products, and frankly, it’s broken. As a search user, finding what I want is harder because the results are often wrong, unhelpful, or take ages to wade through. As a content publisher and creator, ranking a site in search is harder because the algo favors Reddit and giga-chad brands like our ex-friends at...
Hi Reader, I discovered a fun website the other day, nohello.net, which offers some contrarian netiquette. When you’re DM-ing or messaging someone, stop saying hello, hola, heya or Dia Dhuit (that’s Irish for hello). Excessive politeness is the equivalent of answering a ringing phone, greeting the caller, and putting them on hold. It’s maddeningly frustrating. I’m on board with the contrarian piece of netiquette for two reasons. Reason 1: It rings alarm bells I get messages from scammers via...
Hi Reader, I was sitting in a pub a few days ago with a copy of The Power Broker by Ron Chernow. A man sitting beside me said, “Can you write a book report on that for tomorrow?” He was joking about the size of the book. It’s over 1200 pages. In between scoffing mince and polishing off a cheeseboard, I’ll spend the next few days making inroads on it. Wish me luck, I could still be reading it next Christmas. Here are the 5 best books I read in 2025 (4 new, one old). Shattered by Hanif Kureishi...