Why 'Just Post Consistently' Is Insane Advice
The definition of madness...
Ask most creators for advice when starting out, and they'll give you one word back:
Consistency
Now this is objectively correct, and they're testament to it. But the idea that you should just relentlessly post content that doesn't connect, on some sort of magical promise that it will eventually break through and go viral, is madness.
The Three Questions That Matter
Instead, I want you to answer three simple questions about ANY piece of content you're looking to put out online, be it an IG reel, an article, a longform YouTube vid or a podcast.
Is this a type of content that you like and want to make your own version of?
Do you have an angle?
Are you hooking people in the first 3 seconds (or first two lines)?
Why this works
Let's look at my first successful YouTube channel, Rock Reacts, through this lens.
The idea simply came from sharing music reaction videos, specifically Lost In Vegas, a channel where two hip hop heads discovered metal and grunge, and did so with intelligence, open-mindedness, and deep musical experience.
Question number 1 answered
Our angle? Let's reverse engineer it, so it's... METALHEAD REACTION TO HIP HOP.
Done.
And the hook? Well, reactions have a great in-built hook, plus our title added a second layer of curiosity, so our first 3 seconds of the actual videos didn't matter too much. We were brightly lit, enthusiastic and using a (borderline) professional mic, so people stuck around. 100k subs in 4 months.
What not to do (which I did)
Let's contrast this with my own first foray into YouTube; making videos about gaming and the games industry, based on my 10+ years as a journalist.
Is this a type of content you like? Well, gaming content was, but I hadn't found anyone really creating the type of content I liked to consume. So I was working from an unproven place. Turns out there were video essayists, reviewers and pundits out there doing good work, but I was stuck in my old journalism mindset.
Angle? Outside of the fact I had been a journalist, I had no angle. Sporadic formats, ideas and genres. Nothing to provoke true curiosity. Videos that did better were a mystery to me.
Hook? No. Now this was long before shorts and TikTok, and you could still get away with a 'hey guys' intro, but my packaging (title, thumbnail, hook) was awful and completely inconsistent.
So while the content was decent, there was nothing to draw in a new audience... so despite 100+ videos and a good amount of learning along the way, the channel scraped to 1000 subs and I gave up.
A Common Pattern
I see this so often with people who have a tremendous passion to create content, whether that's to share a message, build a business, or both.
They copy the 'idea' of content without doing their homework, then when it doesn't connect, they give up.
The winners in this space worked (possibly without realising) from that three-point framework above, and broke themselves out of the basic low-view beginner hell.
In 2025, it's easier than ever to grow a business through content. BUT, it's also easier than ever to be completely ignored.
Please don't fall into the same traps I did at first, and the same pitfalls I see over and over again.
The Right Way Forward
Make sure you're replicating a subject and format you like, especially at first. Define your angle on it. Base that angle on your own life experience. And do not even shoot the video or write the article without a hook. You need to capture attention immediately. Watch big creators and steal their hooks. Ask controversial or poignant questions. Challenge expectations. Provoke curiosity.
NOW - now the consistency comes in.
Lessons from Jiu Jitsu
Another area in life where I’ve been dedicated and consistent is jiu jitsu. In June this year, I will hit 4 years at black belt, and 14 and a half years of training. It's been up and down, through redundancies, childbirths, house moves, breakdowns and everything else, but I kept showing up.
However, do you really think I'd have kept this up for 14 years if I'd felt NO sense of progress? Mercifully, jiu jitsu has built-in mentorship and coaching, so you're helped along the path and within 6 months, you're able to crush someone who's untrained.
But those who are out there just posting ‘consistently’ with no help, no studying and no plan… of course they’re going to pack it all in.
Where I Want You to Be
This is where I want to get you to with your content. Within 6 months of posting, you should be well on the way - building a community, engaging with an audience, fine-tuning your packaging, messaging and ideas.
Every couple of weeks I see a new creator breaking through. Suddenly moving past 5k followers, 7k followers, 12k followers. I track these people. I reach out to them with encouragement because I can see they're on the path.
But I also see people who've done the Gary Vee thing and just posted for 2 years, getting 30 views here, 19 views there, maybe 200 views once in a while. And it takes me 3 seconds to see why their content isn't doing anything (hint: it’s almost always the hook).
Please don't be one of those people.
See you out there.
JD x