Building on rented land feels fast.
But landlords change the rules.
Own the deed or risk the eviction.
In Your Business Growth Playbook, I push one uncomfortable truth: if you don’t own your audience’s contact info, you don’t own your growth.
I’ve watched great operators pour years into platforms, then wake up to an algorithm update, a policy change, or an outage that cuts their reach in half. You’ve seen it too: Facebook throttling Page reach, TikTok disappearing overnight in entire countries, Twitter/X flipping switches that crater referral traffic. All real. All out of your control.
Here’s the move I teach and use:
Rent Platforms. Own Relationships.
Use social to find people. Move them to channels you control, email, SMS, community, CRM—so you can reach them tomorrow.
A Simple, Repeatable Path:
Promise something specific. A lead magnet that actually solves a painful slice of the problem (template, calculator, teardown, short playbook).
Capture First-party Data.
Name + email at minimum. Bonus: key intent signals (role, current tool, timeframe).
Deliver Value Fast.
The asset + a 5–7 email “quick win” sequence that helps them implement.
Earn The Next Step.
A single, clear CTA: book a call, start a trial, join a workshop.
Keep the loop tight. Weekly value beats sporadic blasts. Teach with real stories and case snippets, not fluff.
Why this matters if you’ve plateaued:
- Stability: An owned list produces forecastable pipeline – even when a platform sneezes.
- Margins: Direct access means fewer ad “tolls” and lower CAC over time.
- Moat: First-party data compounds; your messaging gets sharper, your offers get cleaner.
If you rely on an algorithm today, borrow this 48-hour sprint:
Add a single high-clarity opt-in to your top social posts (“Get the 7-line pricing email I use”).
Pin a post + bio link → landing page with one outcome.
Ship the asset, then schedule a 3-email quick win sequence for the next week.
Tag every new subscriber by source so you can measure revenue driven by owned vs. rented.
You can keep playing the algorithm game; just don’t let it be your only game.
🧠 In Summary
Platforms help you find people. Your list helps you keep them. Start moving strangers from “someone else’s rules” to your relationship this week.
What’s one asset you can offer to earn an email in the next 48 hours?