“...it’s the wrong question! For engagement and reach on social media—the land of pods and bots and algorithmic flux—is a false proxy, a misleading indicator, a flawed measure of the actual quality, or importance, or substance of your work… ignore false proxies.”
I rattled off a quick:
He texted me back: Perfect timing?
I replied with a voice memo sharing my recent struggles (mostly what you’ve read above), topped off by the guru’s dumb video — which happened to be The Plagerist, the same guy who’d stolen Eddie’s work and then lied about it. (Eddie revealed this story and how he confronted the plagiarist on Reed Between The Lines — jump to 2:10 to see it unfold.)
Eddie:
Tapping that link led to…
Punch Two: Seth Godin
The video featured Seth Godin, the legendary marketer, interviewed by social media star, Erika Kullberg. She asked him a question I’d been wrestling with all week. I paraphrased it below for clarity:
"Should I invest where I can get more views (TikTok), or where I can go deep on topics (YouTube)?"
Seth’s answer was brilliant. And I suggest you watch it. But these 11 words were exactly what I needed to hear:
“I don’t write to grow my audience. I write for my audience.”
That's when it clicked.
It’s not about my outcomes; it’s about my impact.
The brain fog cleared. The pressure to grow was gone. I remembered why I started this in the first place.
My goal has never been to have the biggest audience. It’s to serve the audience I already have — and to make the biggest impact possible.
That’s why my company is called The Reeder. It’s not about me. It’s about you.
And audience growth is about me.
The Takeaway
If you’re feeling the overwhelming pressure to grow—like you’re falling behind or not doing enough—remember this:
“Don’t chase false proxies for success.” — Eddie Shleyner
“Write for your audience, not to grow your audience.” — Seth Godin
Do that, and everything else will fall into place.
At least, that’s what I’m betting on.
Holler at you next Saturday, Devin
This week was the best production in Reeder history.
I never say that about my work. I'm a tough self-critic.
But I can confidently say this is the best work I'm capable of doing at this point in my career.
And I'm damn proud.
We made a couple of strategic decisions worth sharing:
We made the location a "character" in the show. So we shot in an art gallery:
2. We recorded dedicated "entertainment" segments to promote each episode.
I can't share too much yet, buuut I did bring multiple costumes, and we went sneaker-shopping:
The first episode drops on January 15th. Stay tuned 👀
PS: You can watch Reed Between The Lines season 1 on YouTube here.
My Growth Took Off Once I Started Creating Content That Converts
Every content engine needs fuel. The best fuel is highly engaging content. I took 30+ content plays — including templates, examples, and frameworks — that helped Gong and The Reeder:
-Grow from 12,000 → 180,000+ LinkedIn followers -Drive an average 1,200+ webinar registrants -Convert audience into qualified pipeline and revenue
And put them all inside my digital playbook, Content That Converts. Each “mini-chapter” is carefully written to be easily read, understood, and applied that day — so you see results in hours, not weeks. You can get your copy here.
