Make your own recommendation network

Scratch the surface of anyone’s rapid growth and you’ll find a series of shout outs and shares.

Popular writers and creators will often credit their success to “consistency.”

I call bullshit.

What’s actually happening is way more about their network than about them.

They publish something. Then, one of five things happen:

• Readers share

• People featured in the story share

• Big social accounts boost it

• Peers shout it out

• Other press outlets mention it or feature it

Some people flatten this all into “word of mouth,” but I find it helpful to split it up.

For some writers, this network amplification looks—by outward appearance—effortless. Due to past work connections, existing big social presence, or even because their beat continues to dominate the discourse.

Case in point: Jen Rubin quit The Washington Post last week and launched The Contrarian, which in one day, went from 0 to 100k readers.

Substack is already, inaccurately, taking credit for that rapid rise which, as we know, doesn’t happen for the vast majority of their publications. Instead, Rubin had an external recommendation network of press, peers and readers boosting her launch.

You can build your own recommendation network too. You might even already have one going that you can amplify.

No platform required. I walk you through it step by step below.

This is part of our 3×3×3 Growth System—it’s one of the list growth strategies.

This post is part of the Paid Sub Playbook