The economic incentives and audience reach on platforms like TikTok or YouTube now outweigh the benefits of building an independent website, a stark reversal from a decade ago when the open web was the only choice for new media ventures.
Related Insights
As AI-driven search provides answers directly, traditional website traffic is declining for many. However, YouTube usage is increasing. A robust video strategy on YouTube is no longer optional, as it is becoming the primary platform for discovery and trust-building in the AI era.
Major platforms have shifted from being traffic sources to walled gardens. They algorithmically suppress posts with external links and provide answers directly in their UIs, forcing marketers to adapt to a world where driving traffic to their own website is no longer the primary goal.
The idea of a truly "open web" was a brief historical moment. Powerful, proprietary "organizing layers" like search engines and app stores inevitably emerge to centralize ecosystems and capture value. Today's AI chatbots are simply the newest form of these organizing layers.
Blockworks is focusing its distribution on podcasts and newsletters to cultivate an "owned" audience with high loyalty. This is a strategic pivot away from relying on news-driven website visits, which constitute a less predictable "rented" audience that is harder to monetize for new data products.
Acknowledging that traditional traffic from search and social is disappearing, Broke Ass Stuart is heavily investing in TikTok and Reels. They find video is the only platform providing consistent audience growth, making it an essential pivot for survival in the face of the 'dying open web.'
The algorithmic shift on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook towards short-form video has leveled the playing field. New creators can gain massive reach with a single viral video, an opportunity not seen in over a decade, akin to the early days of Facebook.
The natural mechanics of network-based markets inherently lead to dominant players in search, social media, and browsers. This erodes the web's initial decentralized promise of "digital sovereignty" for individual users and creators.
In today's market, founders cannot afford to build a product and then seek an audience. The only durable competitive advantage is building a content engine first to capture free impressions and organic reach, then monetizing that pre-existing audience with a product or service.
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.
