Your Content Isn't the Problem. Your Culture Is.

You’re posting.

You’re creating videos.

You’re sharing value.

You’re showing up consistently.

But nobody seems to be engaging.

Your community isn't growing the way you expected.

And eventually you start asking yourself:

What am I doing wrong with my content?

Maybe content isn't the problem.

Maybe it's your culture.

That was one of the biggest ideas that came out of my recent conversation with Jay Doran on the Network Marketing Insider podcast.

And if you're building a Skool community, personal brand, online business, podcast, or even a team inside your company, I think it's something worth paying attention to.

We Spend Way Too Much Time Thinking About Content

Online business has trained us to obsess over numbers.

How many views?

How many followers?

How many likes?

How many members?

How many people opened the email?

Did the post go viral?

I understand it.

We want to know that what we're doing is working.

But there's a problem.

You can have attention without having connection.

You can have followers without having relationships.

You can have members without having a community.

And you can have great content without having a culture anyone actually wants to be part of.

Jay said something during our conversation that stuck with me.

Culture isn't about going viral.

It's about the behaviors, habits and rituals that show how we actually do things around here.

That's a completely different way of looking at community growth.

Stop Trying to Reach Everybody

One of my favorite parts of our conversation was when we talked about audience size.

Jay has spoken in front of small groups.

He's also had opportunities to speak in front of huge audiences.

But the number isn't the point.

We talked about something I believe strongly:

You don't know who that ONE person watching you knows.

We get discouraged because a post only got 100 views.

A video only got 30.

Five people came to the event.

Three people joined the call.

But what if one of those people becomes a customer?

What if they introduce you to your next podcast guest?

What if they refer you to someone who needs exactly what you offer?

What if they become a business partner?

What if they become a friend?

What if that relationship changes the next ten years of your life?

That isn't something an analytics dashboard can always measure.

I Know Because It Happened to Me

There's a reason having Jay on Network Marketing Insider meant something to me.

I first came across him around 2018.

I watched him creating videos, interviewing people, sharing value and putting himself out there.

And I took action.

I started getting more comfortable with video.

I started interviewing people.

I started consistently sharing value.

Years later, we're sitting across from each other having this conversation on my podcast.

Jay made an interesting observation during the episode:

We don't always know the impact we can have on someone's next decade.

Think about that.

Something you share today could influence someone you don't even know is watching.

That's culture.

That's impact.

And that's bigger than getting another like.

Your Intention Creates Your Culture

Jay asked me a question during our conversation:

Why did you start your podcast?

My answer wasn't that I wanted millions of downloads.

It wasn't that I wanted to become famous.

It wasn't even primarily about making money.

I wanted to help people.

I wanted to interview people who were succeeding in different areas, discover what was working for them and share those lessons with other people.

I wanted relationships.

And Jay pointed something out:

The intention behind what you start will influence the culture that follows.

That's powerful.

Because now think about your own community.

Why did you start it?

Was it simply to make $10,000 a month?

Was it because everyone was telling you communities are the next big opportunity?

Or did you actually have a group of people you wanted to help?

The answer matters.

People can feel the difference.

A Community Isn't a Content Library

This is especially important for people building communities.

You can fill your classroom with courses.

You can create daily posts.

You can add PDFs.

You can host calls.

You can build challenges.

But none of those things automatically creates community.

People create community.

Relationships create community.

Shared experiences create community.

Helping each other creates community.

Celebrating wins creates community.

Showing up when somebody is struggling creates community.

Introducing two people who should know each other creates community.

That's why I've become increasingly focused on connection.

Information is everywhere.

You can Google almost anything.

You can ask AI.

You can watch thousands of free YouTube videos.

Information isn't scarce anymore.

Meaningful relationships still are.

Culture Is What Happens After Someone Joins

Marketing gets someone through the door.

Culture determines whether they stay.

Imagine somebody joins your community today.

What happens next?

Do they immediately know what to do?

Does someone welcome them?

Does anyone ask what they're working toward?

Can they contribute instead of just consume?

Do members help each other?

Do people notice when someone disappears?

Do conversations happen without you having to initiate every single one?

Those questions tell me much more about the health of a community than how many posts were published this week.

Because your goal shouldn't just be:

Get more members.

It should be:

Build something people would miss if it disappeared.

Your Members Can Become Your Greatest Advocates

During our conversation I described a strong community as almost having your own secret sales force.

Not because you're telling members to sell your community.

Because they're talking about it naturally.

They tell someone:

"You need to meet Shawn."

"You should talk to Jay."

"You should check out this community."

"You need to come to this meetup."

"You would really connect with this person."

That's powerful.

And you can't force it.

It happens when people have such a positive experience that they want other people to experience it too.

That's culture doing the marketing for you.

One Conversation at a Time

Jay talked about how the Culture Matters community developed over years.

Not from one viral moment.

Not from one massive launch.

It happened one person at a time.

One interview.

One conversation.

One relationship.

People came back.

Relationships strengthened.

A community formed around those relationships.

That's exactly why I believe connections create opportunities.

You don't need to know exactly what every new relationship will lead to.

That's not the point.

Start the conversation.

Listen.

Ask questions.

Figure out what they're working toward.

Help when you can.

Introduce them to someone when you can't.

And don't immediately ask:

What's in this for me?

Do that consistently enough and something interesting starts happening.

Opportunities begin finding you.

Stop Chasing Virality. Start Building Something Worth Returning To.

There's nothing wrong with wanting your content to reach more people.

I want more people reading this blog.

I want more people watching Network Marketing Insider.

I want more people discovering what we're building.

But I don't want attention for the sake of attention.

I want the right people to find it.

And when they do?

I want them to feel like they've found their people.

That's the difference between an audience and a community.

Content might get someone's attention.

Marketing might get the click.

An offer might get them through the door.

But ultimately…

Culture makes them want to stay.

And if you're struggling to grow your community, maybe the answer isn't another content strategy.

Maybe the better question is:

What does it feel like to be part of what I'm building?

Answer that first.

Then create content that invites more of the right people into it.

Watch the Full Conversation

This article was inspired by my conversation with Jay Doran on Network Marketing Insider:

Your Content Isn't the Problem. Your Culture Is.

We dive deeper into culture, podcasting, listening, relationships, speaking, personal growth and why one connection can completely change the trajectory of your life or business.

Watch the full episode, subscribe to Network Marketing Insider, and let us know your biggest takeaway.

Ready to Start Creating More Opportunities?

Inside Connection Creator Academy, we're putting these ideas into action.

We're learning how to start conversations, build genuine relationships, share value, strengthen our networks and create opportunities for ourselves and other people.

Because I believe:

Action Creates Momentum.

Momentum Creates Relationships.

Relationships Create Opportunities.

Don't wait for the right opportunity to magically appear.

Become the person opportunities find.