A wake up call for creators

A creator with 1.6 million followers on TikTok hosted a meet and greet, and nobody showed up.

Around the same time, another creator with over 9 million followers tried launching a t-shirt line and couldn't sell 36 shirts.

These aren't isolated incidents – they're symptoms of a fundamental shift in how online connection works.

The truth is, we're witnessing the death of traditional social media followings.

The reason is more nuanced than most people realise, and it has everything to do with how content discovery has evolved.

Most people now consume content through feed-based discovery algorithms, which fundamentally changes the relationship between creator and audience.

You're no longer choosing who to watch; the algorithm is choosing for you.

This creates a superficial connection that's about as meaningful as small talk by the office coffee machine.

Think about how real relationships form in your own life.

Your closest friendships probably didn't develop through quick exchanges in passing.

They were built through long conversations, shared experiences, and genuine interactions.

The same principle applies to building audience on social media.

When we try to build meaningful connections through short-form, algorithm-driven content, we're essentially trying to build friendships through small talk – it rarely works.

This is why we're seeing such a fascinating divide in the creator economy.

On one side, you have creators with massive follower counts but no real engagement.

On the other, you have creators with smaller but incredibly engaged communities who can sell out venues, launch successful products, and create genuine impact.

The difference isn't in their content quality or even their personality – it's in how they approach building connections.

Consider the Sidemen's approach to audience building. Their success isn't built on viral TikToks or Instagram posts. It's built on hour-long videos, podcasts, and genuine interactions with their community. They're creating spaces for real connection. This is why their audience shows up when they launch something new.

I mean just recently, The Sidemen sold out Webley. 90,000 tickets in 3 hours!!

The implications of this shift are profound, especially for anyone trying to build influence or audience online.

The traditional metrics of success – followers, likes, views – are becoming increasingly meaningless.

What matters now is your ability to create spaces for genuine interaction.

• This is why newsletters work

• Why podcasts work

• Why livestreams work

People are actively choosing to spend time with you, not just scrolling past you.

But perhaps the most important lesson in all of this is about the fundamental approach to building connections.

There's a subtle but crucial difference between trying to be interesting and being genuinely interested.

When you're trying to be interesting, you're broadcasting.

When you're interested, you're engaging.

This shift in mindset changes everything about how you approach content creation and community building.

The most valuable relationships I've built in my career – whether with creators, business partners, or audience members – have come from genuine curiosity and interest, not from trying to appear impressive or important.

Asking questions that matter, not just questions that serve your immediate needs.

About following up because you care, not because you want something.

This approach might seem slower, less scalable, but it builds something algorithms can't replicate: trust.

Looking forward, this understanding of real connection versus superficial following will become increasingly crucial.

As AI and algorithms continue to dominate content distribution, the ability to build genuine human connections will become an even more valuable skill.

The creators and businesses that thrive won't be the ones with the biggest follower counts – they'll be the ones who've built real communities around genuine interaction and shared values.

So ask yourself:

Are you building an audience, or are you building a community?

Are you collecting followers, or are you nurturing connections?

The difference might seem subtle, but it's the difference between having millions of followers who won't show up, and having a community that moves mountains.

Chat soon,

Jordan

P.S. Our community beta testers just finished our first group Q&A and the questions were incredible. We covered everything from how we manage seven different Sidemen opinions on business decisions (and find compromise), to the exact framework we use for building content strategies, to my practical tips for finding the right partners and investors. If you're interested in joining these kinds of discussions when we open the doors, stay tuned – newsletter subscribers will be first to know.

Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here to get the next one straight to your inbox.