You don't have to do "all the things" to succeed as a creator.

I don't.

And it hasn't stopped me from building a large audience and strong business around my creations.

Here's a list of things things I ignore (in case you want permission to ignore them too)...

One note before I get to the stuff I ignore:

I'm not saying the following things can't be helpful - they can all be effective.

But you don't NEED to do any of them to succeed.

Remember: The more you try to do, the less likely you are to succeed.

1. You don't have to use Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and Clubhouse.

I don't.

You don't need to be everywhere.

There are more than enough people on any one social platform for you to succeed.

2. You don't have to pay attention to SEO.

I don't.

And millions of people have still read my articles.

You're not going to win the competition for most high traffic terms and the ones you do win are unlikely to drive much traffic.

Write for people, not search engines.

3. You don't have to use hashtags.

I don't.

They're the single most overrated social media tactic.

Sure, they'll get you engagement.

But it will be from bots.

A hollow victory that fools you into thinking you're making more progress than you are.

4. You don't have to make videos.

I don't.

Yes, video is powerful, people love it, and it can create amazing opportunities for you.

But you know what?

So can writing.

Or audio.

Or images.

5. You don't need to chase brand sponsors.

I don't.

There are so many ways to monetize your creations that don't involve begging a brand to write you a check in exchange for telling your audience whatever they want you to say.

6. You don't need to send cold emails to potential clients or customers.

I don't.

You could just share your expertise with the world through valuable content that attracts your ideal clients to you.

Invert the process.

Be the one they want, not the one that pursues them.

7. You don't need to write a book to get your ideas consumed.

I haven't.

Well, I've probably written the equivalent of five books.

I just published them as blog posts one week at a time instead of spending a year working on them before anyone can benefit from them.

8. You don't need to use popups on your website to grow your email list.

I don't.

Will they get you more email subscribers?

Probably.

Will they annoy your audience?

Probably.

Not using popups hasn't prevented me from getting 25,000+ people to give me their email address.

9. You don't have to use Substack to have a successful newsletter.

I don't.

I get that it's a trendy newsletter platform, but it's far from the only one.

Your newsletter is going to succeed (or fail) based on its content and consistency - not its tech platform.

10. You don't need to offer a monthly subscription to your paid newsletter.

I don't.

When I removed my monthly subscription and only offered an annual subscription to This Is How I Do It, subscriptions GREW.

11. You don't need to "go live."

I don't.

Will the social platforms reward you with extra reach when you broadcast live?

Maybe.

Will you get more value out of doing so than you would creating an edited video?

Probably not.

12. You don't need to avoid quitting.

I don't.

I've quit a ton of stuff over the years and don't think I've ever regretted it.

Everything's an experiment.

And in order to make way for the next big thing, you've got to move on from the last mediocre thing.

If you found this helpful, I'd LOVE if you'd retweet it here.

Thanks!

PS: You also might dig my For The Interested and Daily Graph newsletters.