Stop Sounding Like an Ad On Social Media

The simple trust system that actually converts.

Links:

• Here are my thoughts on the power of free.

• I found this article on the creator economy very interesting.

---

When I first started selling digital products, I followed the standard marketing advice: everything you post should lead to a sale.

So I pitched.

Every. Single. Post.

No one listened. No one bought.

Here’s what I didn’t get: they didn’t know me. They sure as hell didn’t trust me. I was just another person trying to take their money.

I see creators doing this constantly now.

Great products that won’t sell. Newsletters no one subscribes to. And it’s always the same problem: every post reads like a sales page.

It stinks of desperation. It oozes smarmy salesman. You have become that person working the kiosk in the mall.

You can’t sell to people who don’t trust you. And you can’t build trust by treating your feed like a billboard.

The fix is simpler than you think: invite people into your life a little.

Not every detail. Not your trauma dump. Just enough that they see you as a person, not a product.

Share what you’re actually working on. What broke today. What you’re figuring out. The messy middle between “I’m starting this” and “here’s what I built.”

Give them an occasional glimpse of your normality. A picture of your pet, an actual opinion you have.

People buy from people they know. Or at least feel like they know.

That “everything leads to a sale” advice?

It’s not wrong. But leading to a sale and pitching a sale are completely different. One builds trust over time. The other just broadcasts that you need their money.

Stop being a walking advertisement. Start being someone worth following.

What’s your version of this? Hit reply and tell me—when did you realize you were being too salesy?