Own Your Means of Production

First of all, relax. I didn't suddenly become a Marxist.

As a solopreneur, that seems a little antithetical.

What I mean in this instance, very specifically, is that as a creator you should never, ever, ever go all in on a platform you don't own and control directly.

Falling into the trap of platform reliance is a risky and dangerous.

What are those risks?

• Loss of control and autonomy: Algorithm changes can negatively effect your visibility, reach, and organic traffic with a change to the code and the press of a button.
• Policy changes: Terms of Service, content guidelines, and payment policies can change without much notice. Your profit margin drops, your publishing strategies become ineffective, and your content/products being removed.
• The dreaded banhammer falls: For any reason or no reason at all, your account could be suspended or banned. No explanation. No way to fix it. Everything gone because some goon decided it didn't belong on their platform.
• Limited customization: Branding becomes difficult or impossible when you're not in control of the branding itself. For the love of all that's holy, places like Substack actively subvert your branding. It's not, "check out my newsletter." It's "check out my SUBSTACK." Their branding is dominant. Yours is an afterthought.
• You don't own your audience: The clever marketing people make you think you do, but you don't. The platform itself is the middle man. Most of the users are just as invested and locked in as you will be.
• Limited data access: You're reliant on what the platform decides to share. Full stop.

Yes, that's bad, but oh boy, does it get worse when you consider business continuity and scalability.

Platform reliance creates a single point of failure for everything you built. If that platform experiences any issues – technical problems, goes down, or ceases operation – BAM! Your business comes to a grinding halt.

Once you go all in on the vendor lock-in, you also get to bear the burden of switching costs if any of these issues arise.

All that time invested, audience building, content... gone, baby, gone. And money, money, money coming out of your pocket to rebuild.

Regardless of the number of people on the platform, your growth potential becomes limited.

There are only so many people on the platform. Only a fraction of those will even consider consuming your content. Only a fraction of those will stick around.

Now, let's talk money.

This is where you might realize you're being played in this little pyramid scheme that is corporate owned media platforms.

With all those changes listed above, your revenue stream becomes unpredictable. Just ask anyone that making the big bucks on Medium a few years ago. They changed everything, and suddenly people that were making their living writing about their passions lost anywhere from 50% - 90% of their revenue stream. The investors, though? Their payday skyrocketed.

And what about those transaction fees? You did the work. You developed the content. You built the audience. You also decided to take a massive dump on your earning potential by using their platform, while they are happy to raise those fees when they need to inject some quick cash into their system and right out of your pocket.

And here's how you fight back.

• Build your own website platform and self-host it. Take back all your control.
• Build your email list. It's the single most effective money making tool in your arsenal.
• Diversify your channels. Find the ones that your audience uses and don't put all your eggs in one basket.
• Use those channels as funnels to send traffic to the source, your website. They want to use you? Use them instead.
• Have a contingency plan if those platforms start failing you in some way. Adaptation is key here. Be ready to pivot, move, and press forward.
• Focus on building your brand, not theirs. This is thinking in the "long game" mindset. This is what will eventually lead you to the greener pastures you want.

In short, play the game. Don't let the game play you.

To quote the philosopher and poet, Mal Reynolds, "Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back!"

For these platforms, your value is purely transactional: it's all about their profit.

The only brand loyalty you owe anything to is the brand your building.

Thanks for reading!

Hi, I'm Joe. I help creators share their unique voices simply and effectively. Here's how I can help you:

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