Own Your Audience

What six-letter word is the digital version of fentanyl?

TikTok.

I wrote the first version of this with the looming ban of TikTok. While I was writing it, I couldn’t help but feel a level of vindication and excitement. Since then, soon-to-be President Trump (now president) said he would work with TikTok to bring them back. TikTok said f*ck it and immediately lifted their blackout.

According to my creator friends, something still feels off…

The algorithm appears to have changed; things even appear censored.

I had a hunch that it likely wouldn’t get blocked entirely, but if I were to say I had the utmost level of confidence in one outcome, I would be lying to your face.

When in comes to TikTok you likely sit in the two camps:

1. TikTok is digital fentanyl and rotting the brains of the entire united states. I don’t use it because i know its bad and the Chinese use it to spy on us.

2. I use TikTok every day. I love this app. I love the content. I use it for distribution of my business and personal brand

i used to think things were black and white on topics like this but when you brake that frame it makes it easier to understand the nuances and opportunities that arise from impending seismic shifts.

The first camp could argue that TikTok is addictive Chinese spyware and/or rotting the brains of the American population. The other side could argue, due to the most finetuned personalized and addictive algorithm that TikTok has developed it has never need easier to get distribution for a product, brand, or even yourself. Why wouldn’t you want the best algorithm so you could see the most engaging content?

Both of these can be true.

I am going to refrain from discussing the geopolitical consequences of whether China is or is not using TikTok to sway public opinion, spy on US citizens, or rot our brains, given that I do not have the right information or desire to get that answer. I’ll stick with one thing I think we can all agree on: TikTok has developed one of the most addictive and personalized algorithms we have ever seen—something Zuck wishes he had for Instagram.

I have gotten lost doom-scrolling on both platforms. While I prefer the design of Instagram over the clunkiness of TikTok, I will admit that TikTok does a way better job puppeteering my attention span.

It is no surprise that this works on not just myself but one-third of adults and 63% of all teenagers in the United States. Yeah, I just used data to back up a claim—you can now add journalist with a capital “J” next to my name on LinkedIn.

If you were happy that TikTok is going away so that Americans can now pick up their heads and live in the real world… I will try as hard as I can not to call you an idiot to your face. They’ll simply swipe up on their iPhone, open a new app with a slightly more inferior algorithm to waste their time on while they’re chronically online. That can be one of many US-based companies: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube (YouTube Shorts), Twitter, or Reddit. Whether we like it or not, we spend so much time online; the addiction will not be fixed by blocking one app.

I know what you’re thinking: “What about the small businesses that have become discoverable on TikTok that are now going to struggle because they can’t be discovered by their customers anymore?”

Just like how these businesses discovered social media, and then TikTok to gain massive distribution, there will eventually be a new platform where eyeballs will shift to. If anyone tells you they know which one that will be, I’d like to tell them they’re full of shit. I have predictions. But that’s not what you’re here for.

People were scared because they would have been starting from zero again. Their massive following and distribution on TikTok, POOF. Gone. They’re going to have to relearn how to become a slave to a new algorithm that decides who they get in front of. I will likely be doing the same thing here as I too am looking to find the unfair alpha for distribution for getting in front of customers.

But if that's what you're optimizing for, you will likely die as a business or an individual (brand). That’s because this will continue to happen again, and again, and again. Every few years there will be a new platform to gain viral distribution on.

In 2017 it was Facebook (e.g., BuzzFeed)

In 2020 it was Twitter before Elon decided to buy it

In 2022 it was Instagram videos

In 2024 it was TikTok and LinkedIn

What may seem cringe in the beginning to try new things on a new platform will soon become the norm, and everyone that comes after you will say you got lucky being on there early. While many success stories are a combination of luck and timing, I would argue longevity of success is more linked to your ability to understand how to leverage distribution AND then capture the most intimate form of communication with your future and current customers: emails and phone numbers.

When you sign up for anything now, what do they ask you for? Name, phone, and email.

That's because that is the most direct and intimate form of communication with an individual you’ve never met. Yes, people don’t open every email and text that they get. But now you own the communication channel, not an algorithm.

That’s why I have this newsletter. I get to tell you whatever I want, in whatever length I want, whenever I want.

In order to do that, I needed to first convince you to sign up with your email. Whether you know me personally or not, I somehow convinced you to do that. That is the same thing that should be done with any of the platforms you can go viral on.

Because one day, the CEOs who run it can decide that they are prioritizing a different type of content than yours. Goodbye access to potential customers.

That is why you need to own the channel of communication.

This is why I capture phone numbers and emails for my plunge party events. Once they enter that information I already know they have high intent to attend. Instead of relying on posting a link on Instagram and hoping people stumble upon it when I make an announcement post, I can now blast one text message and email when tickets are live. I own the communication channel, not the other way around.

Instead of worrying about playing the distribution hamster wheel every 2-3 years, understand how to convince someone to agree to hand over their phone and email.

Because that is the hardest piece of information to acquire.

Once you have that, you own your audience.

You’re Awesome,

Jared

I Dig So You Don’t Have To

Gentlemen’s Agreement 🤝🏻

I need a favor from you. Every week I spend several hours crafting this email to give you entirely for free. Banger, after banger. Except it’s not actually free.

I love doing this, but I also love seeing this grow (You might say I’m flawed. But you’re not my therapist). To keep this free it would mean the world to me, and my ego, if you shared this with just 1 person who you think would also like this.

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