If video was the answer, why are so many people stuck at 200 views?

I’m talking about the ones who are actually showing up and doing everything they were told to do.

What Social Media Burnout Actually Looks Like

What nobody mentions when they say “just post a quick video” is that it’s

never actually quick, not when you’re running the whole business yourself. You film, it doesn’t feel right, so you go again. Then you’re in the editing software longer than you planned, and by the time it’s posted, you’ve spent two hours on something that was supposed to take twenty minutes.

After all that, you’ve got 200 views and a few likes from people who are definitely not buying. And those two hours could’ve gone to following up with someone who was already warm.

The thought that settles in is always the same: you’re just not being consistent enough. So you keep going, spending two hours on a quick video

instead of the work that would’ve actually moved someone forward.

Then those same gurus who told you video was non-negotiable start screaming about Substack, a written newsletter where you don’t need a camera.

So which is it?

Why Video Isn’t Your Only Marketing Option

Video has its place. It’s just not the whole game.

Video works. When someone watches you talk through an idea, they feel like they know you faster than any other format can pull off. If you’ve got the time and energy for it, go all in. It’ll get you in front of more people.

What’s also true is that the same people making that case are now building six-figure Substack newsletters on nothing but written content. If video were the only path, why are they wasting time on Substack?

Your marketing doesn’t need to centre on video to work. Show up consistently in a format you can actually sustain and say something worth reading. That’s what builds an audience.

If video fits your life, use it. The guilt you’ve been carrying about not doing enough of it? You can put that down.

Who the Non-Negotiable Tactics Actually Benefit

There’s no one way to get clients. Anyone who tells you there is has something to sell you.

Social media platforms make the rules to grow their business, not yours.

They frame it like they’re trying to help you grow, but they’re trying to grow their platform. Remember when Instagram was a photo-sharing app?

Your attention and your content are what keep their business running.

So when the next “non-negotiable” tactic shows up in your feed, ask yourself who it actually benefits. Pay attention to what’s already making you money and do more of that.

What format feels most natural to you? Hit reply and tell me.