The Simple Truth About Organic Influencer Marketing
After seven years, it’s finally starting to click. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master something. I don’t buy it. I’ve blown past that. Fifty thousand hours feels closer. I’m not sure whether that’s something to be proud of or slightly concerned about. But this is the world we’re in now, and it’s only going to get more intense.
If you can’t stand social media today, imagine it in 10, 20, or 50 years. We’ll be wandering through feeds in VR headsets, leaving dumb replies to Elon Musk’s cryogenically preserved head. Jokes aside, the point is simple: now is the time to understand this world. It will only become bigger, louder, and more deeply wired into society.
If you’re a digital marketer, you probably fall into one of a few camps. Maybe you’re obsessed with growth hacking and conversion. Maybe you’re a brand purist, focused on voice, consistency, and resonance. Or maybe you’re a social media operator whose only goal is reach—getting a message as far and wide as possible.
This post is about something I recently accomplished and what it taught me. I believe in giving back. I also believe that if you hit a home run, you should trot the bases calmly. This is me doing both.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has over 100 million followers on Instagram and tens of millions more elsewhere. He’s arguably one of the biggest stars on the planet.
Influencer marketing has exploded, and it’s only accelerating. I was at a conference in New York recently where someone from SeatGeek explained just how effective it had become for them—far more than they’d seen in years, especially as the gap between major platforms closed.
At its core, social media marketing is simple: get your message seen, heard, and shared. I had been building StockTwits’ social presence since 2012. That’s six years, heading into seven at the time of this post. Recently, The Rock picked up and shared a post I shared.
The Rock.
He tweeted it first, linking back to the chart.
So how did that happen?
I was fortunate to start my career with exceptional mentors. The person who hired me was so far ahead of the curve it was unsettling—easily 10 to 20 years early in how he thought about social media. What follows comes directly from what I learned then. After a lot of reflection, it boils down to three simple principles. There’s no secret beyond effort and time.
- Give freely, with genuine intent
- Focus relentlessly on quality
- Understand this is a marathon, not a sprint
Social media is free. Anyone can create an account and start publishing immediately. They can compete with you, outpace you, or attack you. That openness is exactly why generosity matters. If everyone can create for free, you don’t want to be the only one asking before giving. And if you are charging, you’d better have the proof and depth to justify it—because competition is endless.
If you want attention from influencers, you need to give first. Share insight. Be useful. Say smart things without expectation. Your intent has to be real. Gimmicks don’t survive online. You’ll be exposed quickly. The Internet is the most open system humans have ever built—freer than any market before it.
As you give consistently, a dialogue begins. It won’t be obvious at first. But over time, it forms. Your message should be precise and interesting, aiming either to educate or entertain. Otherwise, why bother? Entertainment has driven culture since Greek theater. Education since Rome. Every message should honor one or the other.
“The cream rises to the top” didn’t make sense to me at first. How could that apply to content or marketing? Then it clicked.
If you’re thoughtful, articulate, and willing to study what resonates, your work will hit harder than most of the noise. You’re doing what many won’t: testing styles, refining voice, taking risks, and learning what people actually want to hear. Then you deliver it—cleanly and consistently.
That’s how the cream rises.
If you commit to producing the best possible work, it will surface. Eventually.
There is no easy money. Not in life. Not in investing. Not in trading. Not in crypto. Anyone chasing shortcuts is fooling themselves. Long-term wins come from hard work, consistency, and utility. You need a plan, a vision, and the discipline to stick with it.
No single post will change your trajectory. The Rock won’t share your first message. Not even close. You need a long-term strategy and the patience to invest in it. The upside of social being free is that you can stay in the game long enough for it to compound.
That’s how this works.
If you want to do something big, start now—and be prepared to work for years. After tens of thousands of posts, thousands of emails, countless experiments, and endless iterations, the moment finally arrived. He shared it again—this time on Instagram.
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If you want help building or accelerating your marketing strategy, I also consult with companies, individuals, and brands. I work on vision, networks, email, and making