♦♦♦[BIZ] AI-Proof Your Creative Career: The Relationship Strategy That Guarantees Your Relevance
CULTIVATING YOUR TRIBE: algorithms shift, but trust compounds. When AI can copy everything but connection, your deliberately cultivated audience is the only asset that appreciates over time.
Pixels can be cloned; permission and trust can't.
Something has been driving me crazy lately.
Everyone's chasing viral moments, but they're playing the wrong game.
Building a direct audience isn't hitting "post" and crossing your fingers. It's about stacking trust—every generous email, consistent update, and personal reply builds equity the AI bots can't touch.
Earn that crowd, and the revenue follows on your terms. Build a TRIBE.
Why Cultivating a Community Beats "Going Viral"
Platform turbulence is real, right?
Rules shift overnight, but your subscriber list is a constant companion, traveling with you everywhere.
And here's the thing about goodwill—it's like compound interest. Each helpful share fattens the trust bank you can draw on when launch day arrives.
AI might mimic your style, but it can't clone relationships.
That connection? It's your truly non-fungible asset.
The Proof Is Everywhere
Look at Brandon Sanderson—weekly blogs and insider livestreams like clockwork. Conventions? One year Sanderson said he was gone for 232 days out of 365. Brutal. But that investment paid off. The result? $41.7 million crowdfunded for four "secret" novels in 2022.
Or Lorenzo Etherington, who has his daily free drawing tutorials and yearly art books. One of the biggest Kickstarter forces in art. Yay, Lorenzo!
Each volume of "How to THINK when you DRAW" hits six figures in hours.
Email-first brands see an average ROI of about $36 for every $1 spent.
The math doesn't lie, friend.
The Reciprocity Flywheel
I've broken this down into four simple steps:
Share value daily—tips, WIPs, behind-the-scenes notes
Invite participation—polls, AMAs, crowd-sourced ideas
Reward loyalty—early access, discount codes, exclusive streams
Launch with confidence—your ask feels like the next step, not a cold pitch
When you do this right, launching feels natural, not needy.
Quick Wins (30 mins or less)
Export follower emails from every platform that allows it—you can't nurture what you don't control
Schedule a "WIP Wednesday" autoresponder—reliability breeds anticipation
Draft a 2-post/week cadence—even if they're short posts (consistency > bursts)
Start a "Value Ledger" in Notion to keep your give/ask ratio healthy
The Long Tail of Good Habits
Transparency sells.
Share budgets, slip-ups, wins—fans feel invested when you pull back the curtain.
Use smart segmentation: superfans, casual readers, process junkies (like me) all deserve tailored experiences. Maybe not “deserve” but definitely “appreciate.”
Let metrics guide you. Are your "opens" down? Ask why and pivot your content, not your commitment.
The Mindset Reset You Need
Cultivating a community isn't some growth hack—it's gardening.
Water it with value, prune with clear asks, harvest only when your offer truly serves the tribe.
In this flood of AI-generated content, your relationship capital, the trust and goodwill you've built with your audience, is your rarest, safest asset. Guard it, grow it, and spend it wisely.
For instance, you can use your relationship capital to successfully launch a new product or service, or to rally your community around a cause or initiative. Guard it. Grow it. Spend it wisely.
What's one small step you're taking this week to build your crowd?
Want to dive deeper? Permission Marketing by Seth Godin. Masterclass.
Charles Merritt Houghton
1 June 2025