Why You Can't Build Creator Gravity (Pt. 1)
Magnetic online personas are everywhere. What do they have that you don't?
Jay was struggling.
It was April 2022—five years since he’d launched his online business for creators. Five years of late-night writing sessions, of rollercoaster income, of bated breath for his Big Break.
But he still wasn’t getting the traction he’d hoped for.
No matter how hard he tried—no matter how many blog posts he published or Tweets he agonized over—nothing was moving the needle.
People didn’t care for his work. He’d see conversations happening online—conversations about the best podcasts or communities for creators—and people never mentioned his business.
Jay felt frustrated. Invisible. Ignored.
And then it hit him: People didn’t associate him with creators.
It wasn’t just that people didn’t know who he was—it was that they didn’t remember him. He didn’t have a magnetic force that pulled people in and stayed with them long after they’d left his page.
Instead? People would glide past Jay’s planet, like a comet floating through space until it was drawn into the orbit of someone with a stronger gravitational pull.
What Jay needed wasn’t more content.
What Jay needed was gravity.
This Story (Probably) Sounds Familiar
Jay’s story might remind you of your own.
Despite months (even years!) of posting, *nothing* changes. Sure, there’s the occasional burst of activity—a surge in followers here, a mildly viral post there—but it means diddly-squat for your business in the long-run.
The problem is that you, as a creator, do not have gravity.
Without gravity, you can’t attract or retain an audience. The absence of this pull means you can’t turn curious browsers into loyal clients, casual readers into paying subscribers, or followers into true fans who support everything you create.
Shit.
Now what?
In Jay’s case? His inability to build gravity stemmed from Outer Misalignment: The Communication Problem.
While he cared deeply about his mission—to help creators build sturdy businesses—he struggled to *translate* that passion into magnetic content and strong connections.
To better understand this, let’s see how communication plays into each of the three pillars of gravity—and how it can help you increase your own:
Purpose: There is a clear mission.
Health: The content is “nutritionally rich.”
Energy: The work is undeniably yours.
Purpose
Jay’s purpose was to “help creators.” He positioned themselves as their friend with his podcast and newsletter, “Creator Companion.”
It sounded sweet.
But it was also vague.
Companion how? Financially? Emotionally? The “creator” niche is a competitive one—and without a clear positioning, Jay was just another planet in an infinite galaxy.
This is where a crystalline purpose comes in—a simple explanation of what you do, how you do it, and why it matters. It is your unique point of view (POV).
But articulating all of this ⤴ is really hard!
It demands deep introspection, unflinching honesty, and confronting uncomfortable questions that might trigger an existential crisis (“What is my real purpose?). However, you can’t discover your gravity without first wading through this mental mud.
Health
Picture the most nutritious meal—bursting with Vitamin C, iron, 32 grams of protein, and infused with $99 marine collagen. (Side note: Who is buying this stuff?)
Anyways. Imagine you get your plate and it’s…wet dog food.
There is a zero percent chance you’re eating that. (Unless you're a dog.)
This is the equivalent to when you have an awesome idea but can’t properly “serve” it. It could be…
A YouTube video that rambles on for 20 minutes
An Instagram caption that’s just a block of text
An article that is a mishmash of muddled ideas
A LinkedIn post buried in jargon (KPIs! High-performance!)
The content is inedible. Which blows, because you have something valuable to say. But if you can’t present your ideas well—through clear writing, sharp copywriting, and aesthetic design—people won’t “eat” from you.
For example, here is one of my Medium essays from 2020. It was total Wet Dog Food in terms of presentation:
Energy
Energy is that je-ne-sais-quoi. It’s what allows people to take one glance at your posts and go: “Oh yeah that’s definitely [your name here.]”
But energy doesn’t stop at content. It’s how you interact with others and show up. (Communication 101!)
Take Lucy. She’s a fitness creator but is afraid of being “annoying.” She’ll post once a day (if that) and almost never repurposes or reposts. And the mere thought of promoting herself or her services makes her want to crawl into a hole.
Why This is a Problem:
First? This is an egotistical problem. Lucy assumes people remember everything she posts. That she’s being watched—closely.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Most people don’t remember for the life of them what you post. And according to the Rule of 7, people need to see something at least seven times before they remember it (or take action).
Not to mention: If Lucy won’t champion her content…who will?
Next, let’s go to Billy. He’s a chef who wants to go all-in on being a food content creator. He posts gorgeous videos but never replies to comments or reaches out to people in his industry. “It’s too time-consuming,” he shrugs.
Why This is a Problem:
Creator gravity is not a one-sided affair.
People have a limited number of slots in their heads for relationships. (150 to be exact. Shout-out to Dunbar’s Number.)
If you want to enter one of those rare slots, you must connect with others—and reciprocate the attention people give to you.
How to do this:
Message people who leave thoughtful comments on your posts.
Reach out to people you admire (without trying to sell them anything).
Join a community related to your niche and actively participate.
In short: Be active! Message people! Every interaction strengthens your gravitational pull.
So…What Happened to Jay?
Here’s how Jay increased his creator gravity:
Purpose:
Jay first rebranded his podcast and newsletter from “Creator Companion” to “Creator Science.”
He’d discovered a unique angle—blending the structured, experimental world of science with content creation. (His website tagline is “Your growth, down to a science.” *chefs kiss*)
Health:
With his purpose now clear, Jay created unique frameworks for fresh ways to think about the creator sphere. For example: “creator-educators,” discovery platforms versus relationship platforms, and experimentiality.
His ideas went from bland and boring to delicious and distinctive.
Energy:
Lastly, Jay leaned hard into repetition—posting his ideas again and again until they were glued onto his audience’s psyche.
He didn’t worry about being “annoying.” He understood that visibility and persistence are key. And today? Jay’s business is six-figures strong. (He made $69,248 per month as a creator in 2024. Phew.)
While grit and consistency certainly played their part, it was increasing his creator gravity that transformed his digital planet from one that people passed by to one they couldn’t help but orbit—now and forever.
But there’s another reason why you still might not be able to build gravity. I’d know, because I struggled with it personally. Hard.
The culprit? Inner Misalignment: The Passion Problem. If you’re someone who dreads showing up online down to their every iota—this is for you.
(Part 2 coming soon.)
This newsletter is part of a six-part series.
WTF is Creator Gravity? (This Isn’t Your Traditional Influence)
3 Ways to Amplify Your Creator Gravity (For Creators With 5,000 Followers)
How to Have a Lucrative Career From Gravity
1 Jay Clouse
P.S - Jay wasn’t a personal client of mine! I wanted to explore the Creator Gravity lens through his success. If you have further questions for him, you should message him directly.
I might not buy the $99-a-pouch collagen, but I definitely buy the cheap stuff regularly!
I got the chance to interview Jay for a piece I wrote for Thinkific, and he was a joy to talk to. Guy really knows his stuff, and we're lucky that he's driven to share it with us.
Wow, love this! So looking forward to the rest of the series.