There’s a new breed of hustlers out there, the kind of delusional souls who think they’ve cracked the code to the American Dream by watching a few half-baked YouTube clips from Tai Lopez or some other snake oil peddler. They think they’re one side hustle away from billionaire status, convinced that a little ambition and a lot of blind faith will see them through. I’m not here to crush dreams—there are plenty of rags-to-riches stories out there. But let’s get one thing straight, and let’s get it straight now: business costs money. Real money.
This isn’t some fairy tale where the magic beans grow into a money tree overnight. Jeff Bezos didn’t just start Amazon in a garage on a whim. No, he threw $10,000 of his own cash into the fire, and let’s not forget the fat $246,000 check his parents wrote to keep the dream alive. The point is simple: money breeds money. It’s a cold, hard fact that you can’t hustle your way out of.
But these new-age entrepreneurs, these digital desperados, they seem to think that spending money is a move reserved for the weak and desperate. They believing that posting is the path to salvation. It’s madness, pure and simple. Unless you’re already a household name, you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and throw down some serious cash to get noticed. That’s the reality of the beast.
Here’s the cold, brutal truth, the kind that stings if you’ve got skin in the game: organic reach is dead. Or, to put it more precisely, bad, generic, half-assed organic reach is dead and buried.
I don’t waste my time with social media anymore. I cut that cord around the last election when I got sick of being bombarded by every idiot’s half-baked take on whatever outrage was trending that week. Now, on the rare occasion that I do log in, what do I see? Updates from people I actually know—old classmates, coworkers, people I might give a damn about. Never once have I thought, “I really need to know what the local deli thinks about chopped meat today.”
You can thank Zuck and the Meta algorithm for that little blessing. It’s figured out that I care more about the things I actually care about than the white noise of unsolicited marketing. Unless, of course, someone gives me a damn good reason to pay attention to the noise. But here’s the kicker: most of the time, that noise doesn’t even bother trying to catch my eye. And that’s fine by me. But if you’re one of these hustle bros who thinks you’re going to strike it rich by flooding Instagram with your “motivational” bullshit, then I’ve got news for you—that’s your problem, not mine.
This isn’t some shocking revelation, folks. Organic reach has been circling the drain for businesses since 2013. By 2017, Facebook page engagement had already nosedived by 20%. And now? Well, the sad reality is that the average organic reach for a Facebook post is limping along at a measly 5.20%. Let that sink in—if you’re running a business page, only one out of every 19 followers is even going to lay eyes on your non-promoted content. You might as well be whispering into the void.
For those self-proclaimed business experts who think social media is the end-all, be-all, this means fewer and fewer people are seeing your content in their feeds. And honestly? Good. Tough times call for tough people to step up.
Listen, pal, let’s not kid ourselves. Complaining about Zuckerberg to your equally clueless buddies isn’t going to do a damn thing. You can keep churning out your endless stream of “reels” or “shorts” like some deranged zombie, but let’s be honest—that’s just delaying the inevitable, and even then, it’s a big, fat “might.”
These platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, X, whatever the hell they’re calling themselves this week—are constantly tweaking their algorithms, pretending it’s all about “user satisfaction” or “increasing ROI.” But let’s not sugarcoat it. Facebook knows you’d rather see your aunt’s cat photos than some desperate schmuck trying to sell you a knockoff blender unless that schmuck is paying them for the privilege. And over on X, they’re busy propping up the paid subscribers and shoving “suggested” tweets down your throat. The game is rigged, and the house always wins.
Here’s the ugly truth: Social media platforms are businesses, plain and simple. And their real customers? Advertisers. They don’t give a damn about your brand unless you’re willing to cough up the cash. Sure, they’ll tell you that keeping users happy keeps the machine running, keeps the money flowing. In theory, happy users should mean more engagement, more clicks, and more conversions for your precious little business. But theory and reality are two very different beasts.
You want more eyeballs on your content? Pay up, amigo. Boost those posts and watch your reach skyrocket. You want to play the organic game? Then you’d better be pumping out quality content so good it doesn’t need a cent to hit millions, though that’s about as likely as finding an honest man in Washington.
Chasing clicks to your website? That’s a whole different animal, requiring a tailored, paid campaign. The same goes for anything else—form fills, page likes, whatever objective you’re after. Organic alone isn’t going to cut it, not today.
Sure, social media might be a good place for businesses to engage with the masses, to keep the line open for communications. But let’s not delude ourselves—the golden age of free, widespread content distribution is dead and buried. The grave’s marked “Here Lies Organic Reach,” and it’s time to pony up if you want to stay in the game.
