✨ the SPARK 225 ~ The One Thing You Need... Regardless of Your Niche

Fortunately, you have options

Mar 20, 2025

One of my closest friends lives in Scotland (I get the irony in saying she’s “close” when, in fact, she’s on another continent 😉).

She’s always surprised when I tell her how long it takes me to get places or how far I drive without thinking twice about it (remember, I’m up in the mountains, but still). Other than fitting things into my schedule, I never mind driving.

I’m rarely in traffic, and even if I am, I always have plenty to listen to (books, podcasts, music). I love being alone in the car to feed my mind & soul.

I’ve never lived anywhere with good public transportation or where most of what I needed was walkable (a big part of why I’m considering living in Spain or Portugal for my next adventure).

The San Francisco Bay Area (where I’m from) is notorious for traffic. It's not quite as bad as Los Angeles… but I do whatever I can to avoid major areas during commute time.

That’s the kind of traffic I can avoid.

It’s the other kind of traffic I need that I can’t avoid… the one thing we ALL need, regardless of our niche.

You'll be hard-pressed to grow a business without traffic to your content, offers, or email opt-ins.

Even though the glory days of tons of free traffic from social have faded, we still have plenty of options for getting traffic.

I don’t know anyone who LOVES being “everywhere” anymore (I never did).

Yes, you can repurpose and post in as many places as you want, but there’s an energetic cost, too. The more places you post, the more places you need to engage.

What if, instead of trying to master every traffic source under the sun, you permitted yourself to choose what actually works for you?

The Three-Lane Highway to Sustainable Traffic

Think of your traffic strategy like a highway with three lanes:

Lane 1: Organic Content – This is the slow lane. It takes time to build, but it's sustainable for the long haul. This includes your blog, SEO, newsletters, podcasts – anything you own that builds gradually. And, of course, this is free (excluding your time).

Lane 2: Social Connection—This is the middle lane where relationships happen. This isn't just posting; it's genuinely connecting on platforms where your people already hang out.

Lane 3: Paid Acceleration – The fast lane. When you need a quick burst of visibility or want to scale something already working (don’t jump into paid traffic unless you already have a converting offer. Unless you have money to burn).

The best part?

You don't need to drive in all three lanes at once.

In fact, trying to do so typically means you're swerving dangerously between lanes, not making meaningful progress in any of them, and probably on the verge of a marketing burnout crash (ok, I’ll try to ease up on the traffic metaphors 🚦- emoji’s don’t count, right?).

How do you know which traffic sources are right for you? Here are some telling signs:

It energizes rather than drains you. If getting on Instagram makes you want to take a nap, but writing long-form content lights you up, that's a clue.
You're naturally consistent with it. The best traffic source is the one you'll actually show up for regularly, without having to drag yourself to do it.
You see results that matter to you. Not vanity metrics, but actual movement toward your goals – whether that's email sign-ups, sales, or meaningful connections.
It aligns with how your ideal people prefer to discover and consume content. If your audience loves Pinterest but hates Twitter, that's valuable information.

The Case for Going Deeper, Not Wider

When I look at the most successful creators and business owners I know, they rarely started by being everywhere. Instead, they:

Picked one primary traffic channel that felt aligned with their strengths
Mastered it completely before adding anything else
Used it to build an audience of actual humans (not just numbers)
Listened to what those humans wanted (sometimes that meant adding another channel, but it was strategic)

It feels counterintuitive in a world screaming "more, more, more!" – but focusing on less creates more meaningful results.

What This Might Look Like For You

Maybe your traffic strategy is:

Going all-in on Substack, creating exceptional newsletter content, and participating in the notes and community features (this place truly is special right now)
Deeply focusing on SEO and creating definitive resources that bring people to your website for years to come
Mastering one social platform that you genuinely enjoy, showing up consistently, and connecting with humans there
Podcast guesting to borrow other people's audiences while sharing your unique perspective

Or perhaps it's a strategic combination of two of these – but with intention and boundaries, not desperate hustle.

If You're Feeling Scattered

If you're currently stretched thin across multiple traffic sources and not seeing the results you want, it might be time for a traffic reset:

Audit what's working. Where are your best clients/customers/subscribers coming from? Not where you're putting in the most effort but where you're getting meaningful results.
Pay attention to what feels good. Which platforms or methods make you feel like "you" when creating content for them?
Simplify ruthlessly. Allow yourself to pause or even let go of traffic sources not serving you right now. They'll still be there if you decide to come back later.
Go deeper into what works. Once you've identified your 1-2 key traffic sources, ask yourself how you could show up even more fully or uniquely there.

What would change in your business if you focused exclusively on mastering just one traffic source for the next three months instead of trying to juggle them all?

Remember, the most effective traffic strategy isn't the one that works for everyone else—it's the one that works for you.

SPARK Spotlight 🔥

Instadoodle

I’ve been using SketchWow for a few years and still love it, but I’ve been looking for a better sketch video AI tool for a while now - here it is. I haven’t started playing with it, but give me a week, and I’ll share a sample with you. It is ideal if you want to explain things in a whiteboard-style video.

Check out Instadoodle here

p.s. I found a lifetime deal and a better discount on the monthly fee after being targeted with a Facebook ad. 😉

A Little Brainpower 🧠

Need a little help with your Substack tag strategy? “Can The Right Substack Tags Really Grow Your Audience 10X?”

I’ll take a good story any day. “Dear Writer—Here’s Why Stories Are Better than Essays.”

I’ve gone down the rabbit hole with the brain + money for my Women, Wisdom, & Wealth Newsletter lately. Here’s why: “Discover Why Willpower Fails Your Money Goals Every Single Time.” (replace money with any goal).

Tool Time 🛠️

AI Agents: The fastest way to build AI Agents. Integrate your agents with your favorite tools. Check out Zeus here.
AI YouTube Notes: Transform YouTube video lectures and PDF documents into detailed, organized notes with AI. Try AI for Notes free here.
AI Surveys: Create an AI-powered conversational Survey to better serve your subscribers and customers. Try TheySaid.io free here.
AI Research: I primarily use Perplexity, but this looks worthwhile for research, especially with the visual report generation. Check out Sider.ai here.