Welcome to the Cringe Club

I have a confession to make. I feel like I’m full of shit.

For the past 12 months, I’ve been claiming I know how content works. I’ve studied how to grow TikTok and Instagram accounts from zero to hundreds of thousands—sometimes even millions.

I’ve used engagement farms. Faceless accounts. Heck, even Plunge Party uses those same tactics. The one thing they all have in common?

They’re not me.

Two weeks ago, I shared that I was finally spinning up a new account from scratch. Just me. No team, no hacks—just showing my face. It took me 15 days to come up with a name. I told myself I’d post daily to warm it up. So far, I’ve posted seven times.

Turns out, this was easier said than done.

I asked myself: Why is it so hard to record and post videos?

It’s because talking into a camera, alone in your room, and launching that into the internet void is really fucking cringey. I sound monotone. I don’t have the spark I usually have when I talk to friends about this stuff.

But that’s the point.

I’m doing something I’ve never done before. I’m excited to talk about glucose monitors and health, but I’ve never done it with a camera pointed at my face. I love talking—but talking to no one? That’s new. And it’s weird.

So why am I sharing this?

To remind you—and myself—that this feeling of discomfort is normal. It’s not a sign to stop. It’s a sign you’re doing something new.

If you want to get good at basketball, you don’t just study it. You don’t live in the comments section of House of Highlights or lurk on r/nba. That just makes you a fan.

If you want to get good at basketball, you play basketball. You shoot airballs. You look stupid. You fall. That’s how you learn.

Same goes for business. Want to run a business? You don’t need an MBA. You need to actually try to run one. That’s where the real learning happens.

And I’m realizing content is the same way. I’m going to look like an idiot for a while. And I’m okay with that. I’m not asking for help until I’ve done 100 posts and made a fool of myself in the process.

So here’s where I’m at—as of May 5, 2025. My videos are painfully mid. But I’m doing this now so one day I can be on stage in front of hundreds, or making content that helps millions.

@jared.says

My friend started and google and was worried about gaining the google 15 We put a CGM on him to see what eating lunch at google every day ... See more

You have to spend time in the cringe club before you graduate to the influencer club.

Might as well have fun while I’m here.

You’re Awesome,

Jared

Things Worth Clicking

A few gems I found on the internet this week - no digging required

• Why you should never compare yourself to competitors

• Jesse Itzler on why it’s ok to outgrow your friends.

• This girl Meg who has incredible video editing skills I’m taking notes on for how to edit videos. She has a cool series on how she edits. I remember working out at the same gym as her in SD!

I Dig So You Don’t Have To

1 Set:

2 IDs:

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.

They can subscribe using this link here 🙌🏻