The $32B lesson about putting yourself out there 💸
How I gained 25,000+ followers using a zero-risk posting strategy
A few years ago, my inbox was drowning in rejection letters:
No matter how many applications I sent, the result was always the same – rejection after rejection.
I was qualified. I had the skills. But I remained invisible in a sea of resumes.
Then I made a tiny change: I started posting on social media.
Fast forward to today – I’m the Head of Growth Marketing at Wiz, a cloud security company that Google just agreed to acquire for $32 billion.
What’s crazy is that I didn’t even apply for this job. The CMO (now my boss) found ME through my content on social.
And it wasn’t random luck:
Every single role I’ve landed since 2019 came from a CEO/CMO who discovered my thoughts online. Not from submitting applications. Not from traditional networking. Just from regularly sharing what I know.
The algorithm secret no one ever told you 🔑
I used to be 🫣 terrified 🫣 of posting on social media.
My mind raced with fear: “What if nobody likes it? What if I look stupid? What if this destroys my professional reputation?”
For years, this kept me silent.
Today, I have over 25,000 followers on LinkedIn and regularly hit 300+ likes per post.
Everything changed once I realized this ridiculously simple truth:
No likes = no one sees your post anyway!If you get zero engagement on your content → social platforms simply bury it.
It means that when your post fails, NO ONE looks at you like this:
Why? Because the algorithm won’t show your post to anyone in the first place.
LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok – they all work this way. If something doesn’t get initial engagement, it simply fades away. The people who would’ve judged you never even see the post.
When I looked at it this way, the decision became obvious.
The real math of social media growth 📊
Here’s the actual risk calculation:
Posting content: 10% chance of amazing engagement, 20% chance of “ok” engagement, 70% chance the algorithm buries it and almost no one sees it.
Not posting at all: 100% guarantee of zero reach, zero engagement, zero growth.
Just like that, my biggest fear became completely irrational. It’s mathematically IMPOSSIBLE for a “failed” post to damage your reputation because almost no one will ever see it.
Not posting is actually the riskiest strategy. You’re guaranteeing zero visibility.
How tiny posts create a massive snowball ❄️
Every social media success follows the same pattern as a snowball rolling downhill:
At first, nothing happens. Your first 10-20 posts might gather minimal traction. This is where most people quit.
But they miss the fundamental truth of snowballs: Growth isn’t linear, it’s exponential.
Each time you publish, three things happen:
📡 Your content radar becomes more accurate – you know exactly which topics trigger engagement
✏️ Your writing style adapts automatically to what works
🤖 The algorithm gets better at finding your ideal audience
This creates a powerful cycle: Better content → More engagement → Wider reach → More followers → Even better content.
The feedback loop is your UNFAIR advantage. While others obsess over perfection, you’re rapidly iterating and improving with each post. You’re getting 10x more data points about what works.
The darkest moment comes right before breakthrough. Most creators abandon their efforts just steps away from the tipping point.
Keep rolling long enough and physics works in your favor.
How to start your own snowball (my full system) ⛄
Ready to overcome your posting anxiety? Here’s the exact system that helped me build 25,000+ followers:
1. Make a NON-negotiable posting schedule
Commit to a specific cadence you know you can maintain. For beginners, this might be once a week.
One post weekly for 26 weeks will beat 26 posts in a single month followed by silence.
I call it the machine gun approach: post frequently, consistently, and without obsessing over each piece. 🔫
2. Lower your quality bar (temporarily)
Your first 10 posts will not be amazing. Accept this.
Your goal isn’t perfection; it’s developing the posting habit. Getting comfortable with the process matters more than the content at this stage.
One trick: Set a 30-minute timer for creating and publishing a post. When the timer goes off, you post whatever you have – no matter what.
3. Write using proven content frameworks
Based on my analytics, these 5 types of posts consistently drive engagement:
Teach about something you’re passionate about 📚
When you're genuinely excited about a topic, that energy comes through in your writing. I regularly share marketing ideas I’m obsessed with, and these educational posts often become my most shared content.
Share a quick win others can implement immediately ⚡
When I share specific tactics that take less than 5 minutes to implement but deliver noticeable results, these posts often get shared extensively.
Share a trend you started noticing 📈
People LOVE getting insider observations. When I spot patterns in marketing or business that others haven't articulated yet, these “trend spotting” posts often go viral because they make people feel ahead of the curve.
Share a success you’ve been working towards 🏆
Wins are contagious. My audience loves it when I share specific results and exactly how I achieved them (in the comments).
Talk about your fears and challenges 🥶
Counterintuitively, showing vulnerability builds stronger connections than just sharing successes. My posts about mistakes and fears often go viral.
Simply offer free advice 🎁
Okay, this is a wild one. My most engaging posts ever were always straightforward invitations to get my advice (no fancy packaging).
4. Steal my daily content habits
Here are the exact routines that made me a content creation machine:
The “bedtime brain dump” method 🧠
Every night, I open my notes app and write down one of the following:
The biggest insight from today
A mistake I made (and what I learned)
A small win worth celebrating
Something I wish I knew earlier
One of these usually becomes my next post.
The “screenshot everything” habit 📸
I screenshot interesting posts, stats, copy examples, good emails, etc. These become instant post inspiration when I’m stuck.
Write for one person 👤
Write as if you’re messaging your smartest friend about something interesting you discovered today.
It creates a conversational tone that drives engagement.
Cross-pollinate 🐝
Comment on other people’s posts before and after you post (without AI please‼️). This puts you on the algorithm’s radar and builds new connections that support your content.
Steal like an artist 🎨
Find 5-10 creators in your space who consistently get engagement. Study their post structure, topics, first lines (hooks), CTAs, everything. Then, reverse engineer them.
I use Kleo.so to see the most successful posts of each creator:
The 6-month no-quitting rule ⏱️
This is the most important rule: commit to posting for 6 straight months without quitting, regardless of results.
I’ve seen this pattern repeatedly with friends who asked for my advice:
100% of those who kept publishing for 6+ months saw significant growth
100% of those who got discouraged and stopped after 3-4 posts saw nothing
The difference wasn’t talent… It was persistence.
Remember this when you feel like quitting 💔
When your post gets 2 likes from mom and dad and you feel like a failure, remember:
The people who matter likely never saw your post
Each “failed” post teaches you something valuable
Your next post could be THE one that changes everything
The gurus who appear to be “overnight successes” have usually been steadily posting for months before breaking through. They simply understood this fundamental truth: on social media, the cost of failure is almost zero, but the potential upside is unlimited.
So what are you waiting for? 👀
Your next post might flop spectacularly – and nobody will ever know. Or it might be the one that launches your personal brand to new heights.
The only way to find out is to hit publish.
Keep pushing that snowball ✌️
Tom
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