All The So-Called Experts Make a Fortune Teaching You How to Sell, But Does It Work? And What Do We Do When We Dislike The Marketing Noise?

About Social Media, And Why I will Still Offer a Freebie - Talking About an Online Business

Mar 13, 2025

Have you ever noticed how many people claim to know precisely how you should do marketing these days?

They tell you it’s so simple—follow these three crucial steps, adopt these five key mindsets, and boom—50,000 euros or dollars in three weeks with this unique method!

Really?

Of course, these people make money because they’ll always find someone to buy their products. Creating and selling a product online is an intriguing and excellent idea (book, painting, kitchen tool - you name it). We all would love to do it. But what if we are not that shout-outs or glamorous people who win over millions of followers?

What happens to us, the quieter ones, the introverts, the people who don’t feel the need to shout the loudest—but who carry so much knowledge, inspiration, and empathy inside them?

Sometimes, people have brilliant ideas but struggle to reach anyone—maybe because they don’t enjoy constantly being in the spotlight. I am one of them, though I am unsure if I have any brilliant ideas. My plan is straightforward: I want to share my knowledge online and help people.

So a few years back, I listened to the "experts":

Get on Instagram! Get on Facebook! Get on TikTok! Get on YouTube! Get on LinkedIn!

I posted, posted, and posted some more. I invested money—first in courses, then in ads on Instagram and Facebook. But it was expensive and only brought me a handful of people.

People grabbed my freebies and unsubscribed right after. There is no real engagement, no lasting connection.

I lost the motivation to write articles for my blog. I had optimized everything for SEO. And yes! I’m now an SEO expert! Well… at least I’ve gotten pretty good at it. But my blog never felt right because there was no honest feedback or interaction.

I wrote this already in my short post “Why I moved to Substack,” but I will repeat it repeatedly: I’m tired of the noise on social media. Mark Zuckerberg’s business models don’t align with my values, and while I still have an account on X (formerly Twitter), I’ve stayed away from the platform for years—long before Elon Musk’s acquisition. I left during the Trump election era, and since then, I’ve been increasingly active on LinkedIn, fighting against populism and far-right extremism, especially when Germany’s 2025 federal election approached. These issues are becoming a growing concern across Europe. LinkedIn is the platform where I express my political views.

But let me get back to the main point:

Is it easy to run an online business and sell anything online like the so-called experts tell you? The answer is no. There is no magic formula to achieve massive success overnight.

As we say in German, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Another favorite of mine is that everyone cooks with water.

Because let’s be honest—everything takes time, and at the end of the day, it’s all work.

About free content always and everywhere

Today, I received a newsletter from a woman named Alexandra Polunin. A few years ago—back in 2019, I think—I took a fantastic Pinterest course with her. At the time, I had no idea how to use Pinterest effectively.

But despite the course, I never really got off the ground. I always felt like everyone else did it a thousand times better than me.

But back to Alexandra Polunin. She had already said goodbye to the social media circus quite some time ago, sometime after I took her course.

Now, she’s fully dedicated to the "No Social Media" approach. She even wrote a book about it, which a traditional publisher published.

I enjoy her newsletters—they’re great reads. Most of all, I resonate with her perspective.

Today, she wrote about how free content is not always the best strategy for all freelancers and businesses. Many use it in their marketing, whether through social media posts, blog articles, podcasts, or newsletters. Freebies, such as free downloads, checklists, guides, challenges, workshops, or webinars, are also widespread.

But here’s the problem:

This free contents are often merely used to lure people into a sales process. They are not seen as genuine offers but as bait to get more people into the sales funnel and get them to take a specific action.

For example, Freebies are meant to get people into email lists, where they are "warmed up" with more free content to push them toward a purchase later. Free webinars provide content, but paid products are also pitched simultaneously. Afterward, a carefully planned email series is designed to activate mental triggers to encourage buying. All of this happens behind the scenes, while the focus outwardly remains on the "free" aspect.

However, there are also benefits to using free content in marketing when done correctly:

Free content lets you showcase your value and give people a taste of your knowledge or skills. Before any collaboration occurs, potential clients can get a sense of the quality of your work and decide if they appreciate your approach and are on the same wavelength.

It can be the first step toward a real connection and value, built on trust rather than tactics or hidden sales.

I found it interesting that I received Alexandra’s newsletter on freebies today because it also applies to me. I'm working on a small guide I planned to send you over the weekend, but where did the time go?

I want to offer it to you for free to thank everyone who subscribes to my newsletter—simply because I’m excited about it. However, there will be no sales funnel. I don't like that approach myself. Still, I'm happy about anyone who moves from a free subscription to a paid one, simply because I have a lot to offer, and it feels rewarding when my work is appreciated.

Well, let's wrap it up:

In the next few days, I will send you the link to the free copy of my guide.
The following title will be available as an ebook by April 6, 2025 (if everything goes according to plan!). And yes, I changed the cover for this one!