Originally published October 4, 2023. Updated June 1, 2026.
I love social media but I've rarely found it brings me paid work. LinkedIn's been a goldmine because it's built around my network, but Instagram was always a lost cause and Bluesky is purely for entertainment. I use social mostly now to keep up with people who've already paid me.
I know I'm not alone. When I was running my Growthtrackers membership for service providers honing their lead gen system, almost none of my members used social as part of their core client finding strategy. It's too unpredictable. Too high effort. Too low payoff.
Even if social media works for you, it's unlikely to be your entire lead gen strategy. And you might find yourself wondering...what else is there?