The 8,000-Subscriber Mirage
Yesterday, a “Founder & VC” with over 8,000 subscribers reached out for a mutual recommendation. On paper, the math looked like a win for a publication with 60 subs. My 35-year-old execution brain saw a growth hack. My 55-year-old judgment saw a red flag.
The Scrape and the Script
The pitch was perfect. He liked my “visuals.” He liked my “complex breakdowns.” But when the “custom blurb” arrived, it was a dry, automated scrape of my About page. He hadn’t read a word. He was mass-harvesting small accounts to act as free billboards for his own funnel.
The “Algorithm” Excuse
When I asked about the generic blurb, the response was a masterclass in deflection. I was told the system “controls” which recommendations are featured.
As a social media pro, I know better. On Substack, you can manually pin who you want. Claiming “the algorithm did it” is just a polite way of saying you’re a line item in a volume game, not a curated choice.
The Cost of Dilution
I chose not to comply.
Every recommendation I make is a withdrawal from the “Trust Bank” I am building with you. If I fill your feed with generic growth-farmers, I am watering down the 55/35 Method. I would rather have 60 readers who trust my judgment than 8,000 ghosts who only follow a script.
A Quick Favor
I am not asking for a subscription right now. I am asking you to share. If you know someone on Substack who needs a reminder that when something glitters like gold, it might just be a dead duck, send this to them. Help me keep the signal high and the noise low. I’d rather grow through your word-of-mouth than through a bot-farm’s recommendation.
The Lesson
In the rush to scale, it is easy to forget that community is built on curation, not automation. If a deal feels like it’s built on “system updates” and scraped text, it probably is.
Protect your digital real estate. It is the only thing the bots can’t replicate.
How do you decide which voices are worth your readers’ attention?
VIP Access
I publish most of my thinking in public. That’s the point. Paid subscribers are not buying secrets. They’re backing the work and getting the condensed reads, the tactical breakdowns, and the monthly bonus pieces that turn experience into edge. If you’ve been around long enough to recognize a good read, you already know what to do.
Thanks for reading and see you soon.
VENGA! – Mark