Posting content is easy. Making offers to your audience is hard because 99,9% of them will reject you. But I actually loved the idea that being rejected leads to personal growth. It's like that Mark Manson quote (not word for word): Your problems don't go away, you just become strong enough to no longer see them as problems.
I do… though it took me a while to come to that place.
Earlier on, the more naive me looked up to those influencers and believed in what they were selling. I think part of me really wanted that version of life too. But over time, as I started doing the inner work and working through my own struggles, I began to see things more clearly. I was able to define what that “dream” actually looks like for me, on my own terms, rather than something shaped by someone else’s vision.
Honestly, I’m really grateful that this inner journey has given me that lens to see through all of it. It feels like something that should be available to all of us, almost like a more natural state of seeing.
I would perhaps Separate influencers into two categories. The regular influencer, which to me is basically a hot woman or man who gets a bunch of followers and takes ads for anything and tries to sell products like face creams or whatever.
And there's the practitioner influencer who can't help but influence but is not their primary thing. They are a practitioner because they can help the world or they can do something the world needs.
But I think in reality, practitioner is the second category. if we more tightly define influencer as someone who doesn't really contribute much, then I think we hit it dead on.
It threw me off at first with your article because the types of people that you mentioned, to me are either practitioners or want to be practitioners. Marketers are practitioners as long as they can do what they say.
Anyway thanks for the article; it made me think. I think that's the real job that helps people.
Influencers have even infiltrated the last place you thought possible combat sports. People show up at my muay thai gym just to pretend like they trained there.
In fact, I've never liked influencers, they seemed full of slogans.
The people who have amazed me are the creators, the producers, people who are mentally, physically and emotionally strong enough to do complex and demanding work.
True education comes from experience, the process is fun, full of emotions.
If you zoom out, what we now call influencers; attention, trust, persuasion, behavior change has been around for a 1000s of years. Just think religious movements....
Influencers didn’t invent influence, they just industrialized it...
TRULY INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE are humble.... They don’t think they have all the answers.... They aim to inspire....They have ethics....They treat selling as HELPING....
FIND....this new category of PRACTITIONERS.... Be inspired by real people....GRATITUDE ❣️....
I find often that a lot of the traps are really just targeting short term thinking. Naval Ravikant opened my eyes to that quite a bit - once you start thinking longer term, returns in every avenue of life start to compound
Had a conversation the other day with someone and debated them on whether or not million-dollar brand deals are ethical. My position said no, depending on the content/who was posting. Sending them this post so they can get my point through your words.
Experience pays. In all the ways that count. Thanks for this.
I've never been influenced by an influencer. That's not a flex — it's probably just a Gen X immune response. Anything that smells even slightly like bullshit gets rejected before it reaches the bloodstream.
"Let me show you how I make a hundred grand a week with my five-minute workday." Sure. I'm from the school of diet and exercise, not Ozempic. There are no shortcuts — not in nature, not in business, not in anything that actually lasts. A handful of people have successfully hacked the system, just like a few YouTubers my teen kids worship hit the lottery. But the other 99% chasing the "content creator lifestyle" are just burning their time and resources.
Posting content is easy. Making offers to your audience is hard because 99,9% of them will reject you. But I actually loved the idea that being rejected leads to personal growth. It's like that Mark Manson quote (not word for word): Your problems don't go away, you just become strong enough to no longer see them as problems.
You've gotta be able to face rejection, right?
100%
hmm hadn't considered that bit regarding 99% of audience rejection. I like that thank you
Such a refreshing read. Voicing out loud the disgust which was in our minds. Thank you!
So you agree Taran?
I do… though it took me a while to come to that place.
Earlier on, the more naive me looked up to those influencers and believed in what they were selling. I think part of me really wanted that version of life too. But over time, as I started doing the inner work and working through my own struggles, I began to see things more clearly. I was able to define what that “dream” actually looks like for me, on my own terms, rather than something shaped by someone else’s vision.
Honestly, I’m really grateful that this inner journey has given me that lens to see through all of it. It feels like something that should be available to all of us, almost like a more natural state of seeing.
Really good article.
I would perhaps Separate influencers into two categories. The regular influencer, which to me is basically a hot woman or man who gets a bunch of followers and takes ads for anything and tries to sell products like face creams or whatever.
And there's the practitioner influencer who can't help but influence but is not their primary thing. They are a practitioner because they can help the world or they can do something the world needs.
But I think in reality, practitioner is the second category. if we more tightly define influencer as someone who doesn't really contribute much, then I think we hit it dead on.
It threw me off at first with your article because the types of people that you mentioned, to me are either practitioners or want to be practitioners. Marketers are practitioners as long as they can do what they say.
Anyway thanks for the article; it made me think. I think that's the real job that helps people.
Going to think on this. Who have you found that sits in the practitioner category?
So good
What part resonated?
Influencers have even infiltrated the last place you thought possible combat sports. People show up at my muay thai gym just to pretend like they trained there.
In fact, I've never liked influencers, they seemed full of slogans.
The people who have amazed me are the creators, the producers, people who are mentally, physically and emotionally strong enough to do complex and demanding work.
True education comes from experience, the process is fun, full of emotions.
I like how Tim ended this letter by telling people to shift away from the "Influencers' mindset" to "Practitioners' mindset". Great piece, Tim.
💯 1000% Yet,
If you zoom out, what we now call influencers; attention, trust, persuasion, behavior change has been around for a 1000s of years. Just think religious movements....
Influencers didn’t invent influence, they just industrialized it...
TRULY INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE are humble.... They don’t think they have all the answers.... They aim to inspire....They have ethics....They treat selling as HELPING....
FIND....this new category of PRACTITIONERS.... Be inspired by real people....GRATITUDE ❣️....
Who are some of your favorite practitioners?
I despise the influencer movement for these reasons too. I quit mainstream social media this year and do not regret leaving.
It wouldn't be so much of a who but more categories. A number of the categories you listed weren't to me, automatically "influencers".
I do not agree to everything you said.However, there's a great merit to it. Thank you for sucha delightful post
I find often that a lot of the traps are really just targeting short term thinking. Naval Ravikant opened my eyes to that quite a bit - once you start thinking longer term, returns in every avenue of life start to compound
Had a conversation the other day with someone and debated them on whether or not million-dollar brand deals are ethical. My position said no, depending on the content/who was posting. Sending them this post so they can get my point through your words.
Experience pays. In all the ways that count. Thanks for this.
I've never been influenced by an influencer. That's not a flex — it's probably just a Gen X immune response. Anything that smells even slightly like bullshit gets rejected before it reaches the bloodstream.
"Let me show you how I make a hundred grand a week with my five-minute workday." Sure. I'm from the school of diet and exercise, not Ozempic. There are no shortcuts — not in nature, not in business, not in anything that actually lasts. A handful of people have successfully hacked the system, just like a few YouTubers my teen kids worship hit the lottery. But the other 99% chasing the "content creator lifestyle" are just burning their time and resources.