What if the real growth strategy is... Slowing Down?

Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here 🤙 

🧨QUICK FIRE

• AUSSIES Toni and Ryan win a Webby Award presented by Ilana Glazer for their podcast. This is a BIG DEAL.

• YouTube outlines advanced creator collaboration tools at NewFronts 2025

• Meta asks judge to throw out antitrust case mid-trial

• TikTok breached digital advertising rules, European Commission says

• Sidemen launch VC firm to find the Upside in consumer tech startups

The burnout is real

There is a movement happening amongst creators who are interested in "slow media."

As Meta and other social media platforms make it harder to build a platform (we were just getting to know you, Mr Algorithm), more creators are turning to slow media.

Also, I don’t know about you, but there is only so much scrolling I can take before I realise that I’m helping the platform more than I’m helping myself.

Slow media shift

Think of slow media as the antidote to clickbait-style content. Slow media is more human-curated, longer-form content that demands deeper intention.

There are two growing forms of slow media:

• Newsletters

• Podcasting

You know exactly how we got here because I know you’re feeling fatigued as a consumer, too.

But as a creator? We’re stuck in the cycle:

• Constant output > depth

• Attention > loyalty

• Reach > resonance

We’re on a treadmill of pumping out as much as we can, and it’s turned into a sludge of purposelessness. We’ve forgotten the point of why we started creating in the first place.

Slow, quiet shift

Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science, recently shared that he’s reducing his posting frequency and putting that energy into longer-form projects like his YouTube channel, newsletter, and podcast.

jayclouse

9,872 followers

View more on Instagram

Justin Welsh, who built a business in reaction to hustle culture, has doubled down on his mission to help others build sustainable solo businesses with the "Unsubscribe" newsletter.

(Side note: Both of these creators have launched Substacks alongside their established newsletters.)

There’s also a quiet departure from social media's algorithmic culture that’s happening in more subtle ways. More creators are resisting the urge to post for posting's sake. They’re thinking about what and why they’re posting.

I remember when Adrian Per aka OMG Adrian posted his viral video in 2023 about being sick of seeing the same content on his feed. Two years later, he’s carved out his own corner of the internet. He’s shown you can stay creative and run a successful business without being a slave to the algorithm.

What this means for you

I hate to be that person, but it’s kind of funny that we’re seeing this shift. The pendulum is swinging.

Humans love junk food, but we need nutrients to live. We love a good scroll, but not when it leaves us emotionally numb.

Social media has made us feel a little lost when it comes to connecting with others and ourselves. I get the sense that we’re trying to fix that.

Slow media isn’t just good for the soul; it’s good for business. Audience is currency. If that audience is built through deep, intentional media, that’s a win for everyone involved.

I don’t think attention spans are shrinking; they’re just becoming a better barometer for irrelevant content. Audiences are craving depth, connection, and growth, and slow media delivers that.

How to play the long game

I launched this newsletter at the start of 2024, and I can tell you now, with just 200 subscribers, the value exchange is already higher than anything I get from social media.

You can’t compare that to 200 Instagram followers. It’s a completely different relationship.

The benefits of slow media are clear:

• I focus on return readership, so I put more thought into value.

• When discovery isn't the main incentive, I serve the audience I already have.

• It forces better metrics: replies, shares, watch time, not just likes.

So, ask yourself this week: is what you’re putting out there volume or value?

If you’re looking to build a moat around your career or business, this is the time to start publishing with purpose.

My bet? The future belongs to the creators who build slowly, intentionally, and with care.

Instagram 

• has a new insights metric about when people liked your Reel.

YouTube

• has launched a Weekly Podcast Shows chart, listing the Top 100 Shows in the US.

TikTok 

• upgraded accessibility features, including an automated photo description tool, options to add descriptive text to images, and a new high contrast mode.

READ: If you’re in the podcast space, this is worth a read. Spotify just announced that Plays (not downloads) will soon be a visible metric on podcast pages. It’s a big shift that could change how both sponsors and listeners evaluate your show. For context, a download means the episode was saved to a device (but not necessarily listened to), while a play indicates someone actually hit play (though it doesn’t guarantee they listened all the way through). This update could reshape how podcasters report performance to sponsors and offer listeners more transparency beyond the current chart rankings. Podcast growth strategist Jonas Woost breaks it down further.

LISTEN: I know, don’t get mad at me for suggesting another Diary Of A CEO episode! Look, I actually think this episode is the show’s most important one yet. Steven Bartlett sits down with a panel that represents the three major schools of thought when it comes to the AI debate: an entrepreneur, an AI founder and an evolutionary biologist.

WATCH: Okay, something strange is happening with Apple’s approach to AI. Despite being a multi-trillion-dollar company, their ability to integrate AI feels out of step with the rest of the tech world. Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee asks the question: Does this cause for concern? Hmm, I’m definitely over how basic Siri is, that’s for sure.