Authenticity Will Always Win
Here’s how you gain a following on every single platform in 2026:
If you haven’t read Kevin Kelly’s 1000 true fans essay, you should. It’s a solid read
But since I know you don’t want to read a several thousand word essay, so here’s the TLDR
You don’t need millions of fans, you just need a loyal group of followers that subscribe to who you are and what you share.
You can genuinely make a living and build a great life around a small and tight group of die hard fans
Mr. Kelly is right. You don't need millions…
But you DO need an understanding of what kind of content to share in the first place to even attract your TRUE fans.
This alone is difficult.
Then add into the mix all the possible platforms to produce that content on.
It’s no surprise that people either don’t create content at all or they only create on one platform
EVEN if they have massive value or a unique perspective or amazing lived experiences that the world should hear.
The road block for people is the “algorithm confusion.”
And the content out there about it doesn’t help.
You either find gurus that say they know it and to follow them or you hear so many differing thoughts that you don’t know what to believe.
I’m not here to give you any algo tips, in fact the opposite.
It’s a moving target. Don’t worry about it. THAT is not your key to virality.
When you have hundreds of thousands of followers, you can test things and see what lands and ride the waves that exist.
You can think of that like sitting in the ocean on your surfboard watching the waves and figuring out which one to ride.
But if you’re still standing on the sand and not sure how to surf yet, don’t worry about those big waves, just get in the water.
but what does getting in the water look like?
What does that mean with content creation.
As you are growing your following and developing your “brand”, you have to experiment.
Iterate.
Try things.
Post what comes to your mind.
Share what you’re learning
Share what you’ve done
Share what you notice
Put yourself out there
This applies to Twitter, FB, IG, TT, LinkedIn and any other platform out there.
It’s not about the algorithms.
It’s not about finding the trends and capitalizing.
Your true fans, your long term success, your ability to create a successful content ecosystem that you own—
Is in your ability to communicate the uniqueness that YOU and only YOU have in a way others resonate with it.
If and when you do that, nothing, no platform, no algorithm, no trend— will stop you from growing.
Authenticity will always win.