One of the biggest challenges for anyone trying to build an audience on the web is determining what’s working and what’s not. Every social media platform offers analytics, but they always seem to fall just short of what we need. (Funny how that happens, isn’t it?) Same for crowdfunding platforms — with the exception of Kickstarter, which can deliver impressively granular details.

In my search to find out what my most effective outreach methods are, I’ve discovered a powerful ally — referral tags. By incorporating these into my daily social-media efforts, I’ve been able to weed out the platforms that underdeliver and focus on the ones that do.

Full disclosure: It was this process that pointed towards discontinuing my participation in Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I shut down all activity in 2024, and my business has experienced few, if any, negative consequences. If you took a close look at the platforms that under-deliver for you, you might be faced with the same decision.

So don’t read any further unless you’re prepared to go against the herd mentality that keeps so many independent creators on those legacy platforms.

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