i got internet famous... if i started again from scratch, here's what I'd do this time
September 16, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe host of My First Million has built a podcast with over 100 million downloads, a million YouTube subscribers, and half a million Twitter followers. But in this episode, he argues that the conventional playbook for building an audience—post consistently, focus on production quality—is wrong. Instead, he lays out a counterintuitive system for becoming a creator that prioritizes feeling over information, depth over polish, and a deep understanding of your own weird obsessions over chasing what the algorithm wants.
The Audience You Want, Not the One You Get
The first and most important shift is to stop caring about how many people follow you and start caring about who follows you. The host recalls Tim Ferriss’s framing: would you rather have 100,000 random people read your book, or the 100 CEOs of the Fortune 100? That smaller, more targeted group is infinitely more valuable. He uses a business analogy to drive the point home: General Motors sells about 2.5 million cars a year and is worth $50 billion. Ferrari sells roughly 13,000 cars a year but is worth $80 billion. Ferrari sells 200 times fewer customers but is more valuable because it attracts high-end, luxury buyers. The lesson for creators is to make "upmarket content" that resonates deeply with a specific, intentional audience, even if it means fewer total views. The goal is to ensure your message is finding the
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What you'll learn
- 1 Timestamped Outline
- 2 (00:00) **Opening Thesis: People Want Feelings, Not Information** - The host frames the episode as non-obvious audience-building advice from someone who has built a podcast with over 100 million downloads, a million YouTube subscribers, and half a million Twitter followers.
- 3 (01:04) **Lesson 1: Who Follows You Matters More Than How Many** - The first non-obvious principle is to get intentional about your target audience, even if it means fewer total followers.
- 4 (02:37) **Lesson 2: Find Your Inner Nerd** - Instead of asking what the audience wants, ask what you nerd out about most — the thing you love to an abnormal degree.
- 5 (05:13) **Lesson 3: The Five Ds — Be Known Well, Not Just Well-Known** - The goal is not fame but being deeply known, which the host breaks into five categories: Done, Deliver, Do, Dreams, and Dork Out.
- 6 (07:41) **Lesson 4: There Is No Such Thing as Too Long, Only Too Boring** - The host acknowledges this episode is getting long but argues that length is never the problem — interest level is.
- 7 (08:25) **Lesson 5: A+ Content with C- Delivery** - When starting out, avoid the trap of obsessing over production quality and instead focus on having interesting things to say.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Shaan's guide on how to build an audience: https://clickhubspot.com/tjsv
Episode 862: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) teaches what it takes to build an audience in 18 minutes.
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Show Notes:
(0:00) Intro
(1:00) Lesson 1: Who, not how many
(2:28) Lesson 2: What should I talk about?
(5:03) Lesson 3: Learn the 5 Ds
(7:12) Lesson 4: OK this is getting long. But you’re still here. Weird, right
(7:55) Lesson 5: Don't worry about writing style or production quality
(9:08) Lesson 6: Create a binge bank
(10:03) Lesson 7: Feeling, not information
(12:05) Lesson 8: “Be so good they can’t ignore you”
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Links:
• My blog post - https://www.shaanpuri.com/essays/i-got-internet-famouse-if-i-started-again-from-scratch-heres-what-id-do-this-time
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Check Out Sam's Stuff:
• Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm
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Check Out Shaan's Stuff:
• Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com
• Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents.
• Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/
Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC
• I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out:
beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge
My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /