The pressure for omnipresence leads to diluted focus and burnout. The most successful entrepreneurs are intentionally choosing one or two channels, going all-in, and finding peace in letting other platforms go. This deep, consistent presence outpaces scattered efforts every time.

Successful journalists combine platforms. They use legacy media for brand credibility, editing, and infrastructure, while direct-to-consumer platforms like Substack allow for faster publishing and capturing a much larger share (70-90%) of the economic value they create.

Spreading marketing efforts too thin is a common mistake. It is more strategic to focus resources on achieving excellence on a single, relevant platform where your audience is active. Once dominant there, you can recreate those wins on other platforms.

Traditional strategy forces "either/or" choices due to resource constraints. On social media, where distribution is cheap, the best strategy is "and." Don't choose between two brand names or content pillars; create content for both. This allows you to test what resonates with different audience segments without artificial limitation.

The value of a large, pre-existing audience is decreasing. Powerful platform algorithms are becoming so effective at identifying and distributing high-quality content that a new creator with great material can get significant reach without an established following. This levels the playing field and reduces the incumbent advantage.

To grow an established product, introduce new formats (e.g., Instagram Stories, Google AI Mode) as separate but integrated experiences. This allows you to tap into new user behaviors without disrupting the expectations and mental models users have for the core product, avoiding confusion and accelerating adoption.

Instead of reactively trying to please algorithms, proactively identify the best 'doorways'—specific platforms and content formats—to reach your ideal audience. This shifts the focus from chasing reach to strategically choosing where you appear and how you present your brand.

Avoid building your primary content presence on platforms like Medium or Quora. These platforms inevitably shift focus from serving users to serving advertisers and their own bottom line, ultimately degrading reach and control for creators. Use them as spokes, but always own your central content hub.

Experimenting with new, unproven social platforms is never a waste of time. The skills learned on platforms that fail (like Vine) become a competitive advantage on the ones that succeed (like TikTok).