Most people overthink this. If I had no followers, no money, and was starting completely fresh, here's exactly what I'd do:

1. Pick ONE platform and go all in

Everyone wants to be on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter at once. Don't. Pick the one where your target audience already hangs out and master it. For most people under 20, that's TikTok or Instagram Reels.

2. Study what's working, then remix it

Find 5 creators in your niche who are growing fast. Screenshot their best-performing content. What patterns do you see? Same hook structures, same visual styles, same topics. Take those patterns and make them yours with your own angle.

3. Monetize with a skill, not just "content"

Views don't pay bills until you hit serious numbers. Instead, use content to showcase a skill — editing, copywriting, running ads, managing accounts — and offer that as a service. You can start making money with under 1,000 followers this way.

The game isn't complicated. It's just consistency + strategy. Most people quit before the strategy kicks in.

If you want to go deeper on any of these, I break it all down inside Marketing Mastery.