For decades, marketing was a department—a function within a business responsible for advertising, branding, and selling products. It was about crafting messages to persuade people to buy. And it worked… until it didn’t.
The world changed. The way people make decisions changed. And whether you realize it or not, you are now a marketer.
If you’re a podcaster, an entrepreneur, a musician, a writer, or anyone with something to share—you’re in the business of marketing. Because marketing today isn’t about selling. It’s about creating change.
How We Got Here
Over the past century, four major revolutions reshaped the world. Each changed not just how we work, but how we interact, consume, and create.
- The Manufacturing Revolution – We figured out how to make things at scale. Faster, cheaper, better. This created abundance, but also competition.
- The Computer Revolution – Machines could now calculate and automate. They made complex problems solvable, pushing us toward a knowledge economy.
- The Network Revolution – Computers got connected. The internet, GPS, email, and social media allowed for infinite information sharing, breaking traditional gatekeepers.
- The Marketing Revolution (Today) – Now, it’s not just about making average things for average people. It’s about making things better by making better things. Attention is the scarce resource. Connection is the new currency.
Everything—your ideas, your projects, your art—lives or dies based the way we make them, bring them to market, tell people that they exist, share them with other people, and engage with those people.
That’s marketing.
Marketing Shapes Culture
Forget the old definitions of marketing. It’s not just ads and billboards. Marketing is how we make things matter.
- Marketing decides who gets elected.
- Marketing influences what we believe.
- Marketing defines what we aspire to.
Culture is built on stories, habits, status, and affiliation—what people like us do, and why we do it. That’s the job of marketing: shaping those norms.
Which means, if you’re trying to grow an audience, launch a project, or share an idea, you are not in the business of selling. You’re in the business of creating meaning. Of being generous and empathetic with the people you seek to serve, and helping them get to where they’re trying to go.
So, Who Are You Trying to Serve?
The biggest mistake most people make is thinking they need to reach everyone. They don’t.
Great marketing isn’t about shouting louder. It’s about whispering to the right people.
The best marketers start by defining the smallest viable audience—the smallest group of people who will care, engage, and spread the idea.
- Harley Davidson doesn’t sell motorcycles to everyone. They sell a lifestyle to outsiders who want to belong.
- CrossFit doesn’t try to attract all gym-goers. They create a tribe of dedicated, intense athletes.
- The best podcasts don’t chase millions of listeners. They build a devoted niche audience that listens religiously.
If you try to be for everyone, you’ll be for no one.
Instead, ask:
- Who is this for?
- What journey are they on?
- Why would they care?
Marketing Isn’t About You—It’s About Them
Traditional marketing was about making noise and stealing attention, primarily through advertising interruptions. Today, it’s about creating resonance.
Instead of thinking: How do I steal more attention? Ask:
- How do I make something worth talking about?
- How do I create something people will share?
- How do I build trust and connection?
- How do I become a “meaningful specific” who would be missed if I were gone?
Great marketing isn’t about convincing people to care—it’s about finding the people who already do and giving them something to believe in.
What This Means for You
Marketing isn’t a department. It’s not a job title. It’s not a task you can ignore. It’s the foundation of how ideas spread.
Whether you’re launching a podcast, a business, a book, or a new creative project, your success is tied to your ability to market it.
Not by screaming for attention, but by:
- Defining your smallest viable audience.
- Creating something that benefits others when they share it.
- Building relationships, beyond transactions.
- Ignoring the non-believers
The best marketers aren’t manipulators. They’re builders.
They make things better by making better things.
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