In the last couple of years, I’ve found that social media has become a toxic environment and I’ve deleted the apps from my iPhone.
I still occasionally update my main Instagram account with some of my adventures but I spend almost zero time today mindlessly scrolling my feeds these days, which has freed up countless hours of my time to do more productive things like making videos and workshops for my online community.
The big focus in my business this year instead has been sparking conversations, building community and collaboration with other creators.
In this video, I want to share with you a simple AI prompt that I’ve used to identify the 4 most powerful ways to build an online business without constantly posting on social media:
1. Podcast Opportunities:
Getting on podcasts is one of the best ways to showcase your expertise. You get to have deep, meaningful conversations that actually provide value to listeners, and the best part is that one podcast appearance can reach thousands of people without you having to create any content yourself.
I have found that going on podcasts generates the best leads of nearly any medium if you choose the right niche alignment. Basically, the host does all the heavy lifting of building the audience; you just show up and share your knowledge.
2. Newsletter Features:
Getting featured in other people’s newsletters is incredibly powerful because email subscribers are some of the most engaged audiences out there. Unlike social media, where your post gets buried in minutes, a newsletter feature sits in someone’s inbox and often gets read multiple times.
Email subscribers tend to be much more engaged than social media followers so promoting to newsletters helps you build engaged subscribers than than just followers. Plus, newsletter audiences are usually much more serious about taking action, which means higher conversion rates for your offers.
3. Guest Post Opportunities:
Writing guest posts for established blogs and publications in your niche allows you to tap into audiences that are already interested in what you have to offer. The key is to provide genuine value in your post while naturally positioning yourself as an authority.
Not only do guest posts help you get more visibility and subscribers, the backlinks also help you rank higher on Google and LLMs like ChatGPT. One well-placed guest post on the right platform can drive traffic and leads for months or even years after it’s published (unlike social media, where all the action usually ends in 24 hours).
4. Social Media Collaborations:
There are thousands of influencers and creators who struggle to earn a substantial income because they lack effective ways to monetize their audience. This creates a great opportunity to leverage other people’s huge audience to get your product or service in front of lots of people for little cost.
I have worked with many well-known influencers and I’m often surprised how millions of followers often don’t translate into anywhere near a million-dollar income without strong business acumen and regularly sending good offers to their audience. Propose a live workshop with a sale at the end and split the profit 50/50 and you’ll easily get influencer’s attention.
The 5 Most Effective Ways to Build Your Business Without Social Media In 2026
I’m going to be doing a live workshop in my online community on the 5 most effective strategies for building your business without social media in 2026.
It’s going to cover what’s working best right now and how to leverage AI to promote your offer through ads, content, joint ventures, affiliate marketing and much more.
If you want to attend the live workshop, join my Social Creators Community and I’ll be going live in the community. You can register and add the event to your calendar under the calendar tab.
I hope this guide has convinced you that you don’t have to spend 2026 chasing dopamine on social media and that instead you can leverage AI to get your offers in front of the right people using more effective ways that don’t regularly suck you don’t the rabbit hole of mindless scrolling.
I believe the future of education starts with helping people find their "zone of genius" so they can develop their uniquely human ability to create meaning, connection and community (that A.I. can't replicate).
I'm also big on completely unplugging from tech to recharge on nature retreats and trekking adventures. That led me to start my most recent company Sacred Treks, where we help people reconnect with nature on wild trekking pilgrimages.
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