Pottery, Prospecting, and the Path to Building an Audience That Actually Cares

byjohn1812

789 followers

5 months ago

“You don’t have to do everything all at once. Focus on testing, learning, and building a foundation to expand on.”

I came across the quote above while reading about accountancy marketing (of all things!), but it instantly clicked with me—and I think it perfectly sums up the mindset we need here at Wealthy Affiliate when it comes to building an audience online.

Because let’s be honest: WA gives us a toolbox full of powerful tools—How to rock YouTube, Medium, Pinterest, blogging, email marketing, and more.

The training is 100% fantastic.

You learn about all the different ways you can reach people. But here’s the thing they don’t give you (actually can't give you):

A precise, step-by-step manual that says: “This is exactly how you should use all of these tools to engage with your audience.”

And you know what? That’s a good thing.

Same Tools, Different Outcomes: The Pottery Analogy

I use this analogy a lot. Imagine you're in a pottery class.

You've learned the techniques of how to shape clay, throw it on the wheel, glaze it, decorate it.

Now the instructor gives everyone in the room a lump of clay and says, “Make something.”

Twenty people. Twenty completely different sculptures. Some good, some not so good.

That’s what building an online presence is like.

You and I might write blog posts that both do well.

You might crush some content on YouTube, but I might post a video and… nothing. No likes, no views—just total silence. Or vice versa.

We’re all shaping from the same toolkit—but the result depends on you:

Your Topic, Your Style, Your Audience, Your Energy, Your Voice.

That’s why no single “blueprint” can guarantee success.

You’re Not Just Creating Content. You’re Prospecting for Gold.

Building your online business is like prospecting for gold.

You're trying to find your "vein of gold"—that sweet spot where your content, your platform, and your audience all click.

But you won’t know where it is right away. So what do you do?

You dig and you test.

Some efforts will flop—and that’s fine. Because every attempt teaches you something.

Maybe you find that your audience loves quick tips on Pinterest, but they’re ignoring your YouTube channel. That’s valuable info. That’s your gold dust starting to glint.

Don’t Try to Mine the Whole Mountain at Once

And here’s where a lot of us get stuck: we try to do everything at the same time.

Blogging. YouTube. Facebook. Instagram. Email lists. Medium. Reddit. TikTok. Podcasts. All at Once:- It's TOO MUCH!!

And suddenly you’re overwhelmed with all the content you need to create, but underwhelmed by your results, and wondering if this whole thing even works.

Instead: slow down.

Pick one channel. Pick one message. Pick one type of content.

Test it.

Give it room to breathe.

If it works? Great—go deeper.
If it doesn’t? No problem—shift direction and test again.

That’s not failure. That’s strategy.

You’re Not Falling Behind. You’re Building a Foundation.

Let go of the pressure to have everything figured out. The people who succeed with this stuff are the ones who stick around long enough to figure out what works for them.

This is a process of discovery, not execution of a perfect plan.

Think of every piece of content you publish as a signal—a test, a learning opportunity, a foundation brick. Not everything will go viral. It’s not supposed to.

Your Turn: What’s Your Gold Vein?

If you're feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself:

• What have I tried that actually got some traction?
• What felt surprisingly fun or natural to create?
• What platform seems to “get” me and my message?

Double down on those things. Follow the signals. And most of all—stay curious.

Because the gold is there. But you won’t find it by doing everything at once.
You’ll find it by digging steadily, learning constantly, and trusting that your voice—your version—is worth sharing.

Thanks for reading

John

[The ideas in this post are mine - I have used ChatGPT to help with flow and polish]