I spend a lot of time on social media. Comes with the territory. And I keep seeing the same pieces of advice recycled over and over again on every platform, from every creator, dressed up in different thumbnails.
Some of it isn’t just unhelpful. It’s actively working against you.
I’ve been building in this space for 20 years. I started doing social media before most people knew what to call it. I was booking shows for bands on MySpace and didn’t even realize I was carving out a future career. That’s how far back this goes for me. So when I see stuff spreading online that I know is wrong, I can’t just scroll past it.
Here are the five lies I see most. And what I actually think is true.
GRAB WEBPAGE HERE:
regal-moonbeam-7f1843.netlify.app
Lie #1: Post More and the Algorithm Rewards You
This one travels fast because it removes thinking. More equals more. It’s clean and measurable. You can count posts and feel productive even when nothing is growing.
I’ll admit I used to push a version of this myself. Early in my consulting days, I was telling clients to push out obscene amounts of content. Sometimes 20 posts a day.
Consistency builds the habit. Value builds the audience.
Those are two different things. When it comes to Substack Notes, I talk about the 555 method. Five notes a day. Five restacks. Five comments. But even then, I tell people: do what your bandwidth allows. If you want to do 1-1-1, no problem. The number matters less than the consistency. Pick what you can actually maintain and stick to it.
Lie #2: You Are the Niche
This one is sensitive because there’s a version of it that sounds inspiring. Just be yourself. Talk about whatever you want. Someone out there will connect with it.
I’m not going to completely knock that idea. But it skips over something important.
The people saying this usually already have an audience. They spent years writing about one thing before anyone knew who they were. Then they earned the right to just exist out loud online.
For a writer who’s just getting started, that advice can cost you months.
Substack Notes moves fast. A reader makes a follow decision in about two seconds. If your profile is a mix of personal observations, life updates, and random opinions, they can’t figure out what you’re about. And a confused reader doesn’t subscribe.
Your topic earns the follow. Your voice earns the loyalty.
You can still be yourself. You just need to give people a reason to follow first.
Lie #3: Better Hooks Will Fix Your Notes
I’ve been in this space long enough to know that hooks aren’t new. We were talking about headlines and hooks in traditional copywriting before social media existed.
But right now, everyone is using the same hooks. Somebody downloads a free lead magnet with 50 hook templates and just swaps in their niche. It’s exhausting to watch.
Hook frameworks are easy to sell because they’re teachable. Takes aren’t.
The take is the note. The hook just opens the door.
Before you write a hook, figure out what the payoff is for the reader. What are they going to get from this thing you’re creating? Once you’re clear on that, the hook usually writes itself.
And here’s a simple self-test. If someone else posted this exact note, would you restack it from their account? If the answer is no, it’s not ready.
One more thing that’s helped me personally. Try cutting the first two sentences from a note and see if it reads better. A lot of times the real note starts at sentence three.
Lie #4: More Followers Equal More Revenue
This one feels true because the numbers are visible. You see the count go up and assume everything is working.
But misaligned follower growth doesn’t just fail to convert. It actively misleads you. You keep producing content for the audience that showed up, even if that audience isn’t the right one. The gap between your follower count and your paid subscribers gets wider and you can’t figure out why.
The right 300 followers beat the wrong 10,000.
Build for the reader who would pay. That means being specific about who you’re writing for and what they’re going to get. Chasing a broad audience feels productive. But broad audiences rarely pull out their wallets.
Lie #5: You Have to Be Everywhere
I hear this one on almost every consultation call I do. People want to know which platforms they need to be on. Do they need TikTok? Facebook? Instagram? YouTube? X? All of it?
My answer is always the same. Pick one.
Being everywhere looks like working hard. It usually just means being stretched thin and mediocre in a lot of places at once.
If you’re new and trying to figure out where to start, I’d say Substack and YouTube. Those two, in some order, depending on what you’re building. And if you’re already on Substack, start with Notes. It’s the highest leverage platform for Substack writers right now.
You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be undeniable somewhere.
These five lies spread because they’re easy to say and hard to argue with in the moment. Volume sounds smart. Being yourself sounds smart. Hooks sound smart. Big follower counts sound smart.
But when you actually sit with your numbers, the story gets more complicated.
I created a full breakdown of all five of these with specific action steps for each one. You can find it linked in the description of the podcast episode this came from. It’s worth bookmarking.
I’m truly grateful you’re here. Whether you’ve been with me for a while or just found this, I don’t take lightly that you chose to spend a few minutes with this newsletter. The internet is loud. Your time matters to me.
See you next week.
Robbin
