8 million views. $0 revenue.

Viral creators don’t tell you an important fact about wide audience content—and why it’s killing your ROI.

I’ve had videos hit 8 million+ views. My longform podcast content used to wrack up hundreds of thousands.

And what did it get me?

Zero customers.

Maybe a few people stopped me on the street. But that doesn’t pay the bills.

Here’s the mistake I made: I fell into the wide TAM (total addressable market) trap.
I was creating “popular” content—dating, personal finance, and general biz tips.
I already played that game. It fed the algorithm. It fed my ego.

But it didn’t feed my business. It only diluted my focus.

Don’t make that mistake, especially if you’re a creator who owns a business.
When you chase views instead of conversions, you’re playing someone else’s game.
You become dependent on advertisers. On platform reach. On constant hustle.
And it’s a treadmill that never stops. It’s as if you’re putting quarters in a slot machine, only to get more views in return.

Business-first creators have an unfair advantage.
You don’t need to chase brand deals or CPMs.
You don’t need to go viral to win.
You just need to reach the right people.

Here’s what actually moves the needle:

• Speak directly to your ideal customer. Your ICP should feel like you’re reading their mind.

• Build for depth, not breadth. 1,000 views from buyers > 1M views from window shoppers.

• Create leverage. Content that drives leads compounds over time. Brand deals don’t.

• Sustainability > virality. You’re not building a following—you’re building a business.

Being a pure content creator is HARD. You’re always at the mercy of the algorithm.
But being a business owner who creates content? That’s a long-term edge.
And the sooner you switch from ego metrics to business metrics, the faster you win.

Don’t chase attention. Chase ROI.

To building leverage,
Eric Siu

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