My Organic Creator Journey

My organic journey starts with an article written all about how volatile the platforms that we create and share content can be. This article, in particular, went more in depth on Substack vs. Medium, but I can imagine that this is not the first nor the last of its' kind.

After reading the article I felt defeated. I could only think about how all the work I was putting into a site, a newsletter, a consistent writing habit could, even faster, be eliminated. Being eliminated for no other reason than, someone found the next shiny thing, offered $$ to a few big names, and now everyone will flock to it - "and just like that", as my friend Carrie Bradshaw would say, my online empire would be gone until I rebuilt it on the new shiny platform.

A few more minutes in, I started to think about my website. One that I created myself a few months back as more of a tool to store my work all in one place. Why couldn't I just use this as my primary platform? This was, after all, my home base, and an even bigger perk of my website? It's mine and I'm in full control of it. It's not managed by VC funding or programs and I can control every single aspect of this place. It can't be taken away or abandoned unless I stop paying for it. God, how nice it is to have at least one thing that I feel fully in control of!!

This is where we begin - ORGANICALLY - "to grow from internal resources and my own capabilities".

There are two critical considerations with this organic model.

1. You need a good website. You don't have to pay thousands of dollars for some fancy designed site, but with this model you are in full control of your site. You either need to invest in someone to manage that site for you or find a website that is affordable and user friendly. I'll give you more tips and tricks on this in another article.

2. You still need the people. The main perk of these platforms is the visibility and the audience you have access to. Whether you are new or seasoned in your writing - that audience is what generates the $$! Now, if you already have a following and a solid audience, GREAT, keep going and start consistently creating on your site and sharing it with your audience. If you are still in need of an audience, your site alone is only part of the battle. You can have the best site around with the most creative and engaging content, but if the people can't find it - it's useless.

   For me, my content strategy absolutely includes the use of platforms. It's how I showcase what I put on my site and how I drive new folks to my site. My content strategy also includes a clear definition of what each platform is, the audience it serves, and what it can do for me. This is the money shot - what can the platform DO FOR ME - what I post, when I post, and how often I post all depends on what the platform can do for me!

The formula is simple: internal resources (your website) + internal capabilities (your content) = organic growth that can be sustainable through the ebs and flows of the next best thing.

Visit www.janelltb.com and visit often!