Issue #42: Why “Rented Land” is a Trap

We spent 2025 fighting algorithms. In 2026, we need to build our own castles.

If you’ve been feeling the squeeze lately—that feeling that you have to shout louder just to reach the same number of people you reached last year—you aren’t crazy. You are just living on a fault line.

Relying on a social feed to feed your family is the single biggest risk in the creator economy right now. Eventually, the ground will shake.

The “Boo Hoo” Cycle

We see it every time there is a platform update.

1. The Shift: The platform (LinkedIn, X, Facebook) changes the rules. External links get crushed. Video gets prioritized. Text gets hidden.

2. The Panic: Creators scramble. Reach drops by 40%.

3. The “Boo Hoo”: We complain. We threaten to leave. We post about how “reach is dead.”

4. The Compliance: We eventually conform to the new format, working harder for less return.

It is exhausting. And frankly, it’s a bad business model.

The Progressive & GEICO Analogy

Think about insurance companies. Progressive and GEICO don’t just rely on brokers to sell their policies; they own the distribution. They spend billions to ensure that when you think of insurance, you go directly to them.

As creators, we often act like “users” rather than “media companies.”

• Users hope the algorithm picks them.

• Media Companies build direct pipes to their audience.

The Castle Strategy for 2026

So, what is the solution? It isn’t leaving social media. It’s changing how we use it.

Social media is for Discovery.
Your Website and Email are for Distribution.

Here is the 3-step plan to get off the fault line:

1. The Lead Magnet: Stop sending people to “subscribe.” Send them to a specific asset that solves a specific pain.

2. The Archive: Don’t let your best thoughts die in a feed. Archive them on a searchable, SEO-friendly blog (like this one).

3. The Loop: Use social to tease the content, but keep the “meat” on your owned platform.

When you own the list and the domain, an algorithm update isn’t a crisis. It’s just a Tuesday.

Let’s build castles, not tents.

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