TikTok is back after going dark last week, but on probation. (Will Microsoft buy it?) Truth Social lost 47% of its active users in a year. Twitter (or X) keeps changing rules about who sees what. Meta recently fired all its fact-checkers.
And millions of businesses built on these platforms keep learning hard lessons about digital sharecropping.
When Meta’s platforms went down for hours in March 2024, countless businesses lost access to their own customers.
Their ads stopped.
Their messages went undelivered.
Their stores sat dark.
All because they built their business on rented land.
Meanwhile, Meta has continued to ratchet up ad prices.
Google keeps tweaking its search rankings and reducing unpaid click-throughs. 30% of searches are now answered without a click, and that’s no accident.
Amazon straight-out buries products that aren’t using its fulfillment centers.
Here’s the harsh truth: When you build your business on rented land, the landlord makes the rules.
And these digital landlords? They’re not in business to help you succeed. They’re in business to make you pay more for access to the same customers.
They really enjoy your money, but honestly don’t give a rat’s arse about YOU.
Think about it:
- Google won’t tell you who searched for your product
- Amazon won’t give you YOUR customers’ email addresses
- Meta charges you to reach people who already follow you
- YouTube can demonetize your channel overnight
This is why your email list is gold.
Pure gold.
It’s the only marketing asset YOU truly OWN. The only direct line to people who’ve actively chosen to hear from you.
The only channel where YOU make the rules.
Except here’s where most product makers mess up: They treat email like a sales channel instead of a relationship builder.
Every time you “borrow” or “rent” someone else’s audience — through ads, marketplaces, or social platforms – your primary goal should be moving those people to YOUR owned media.
Not just to sell them something today, but to earn the right (and ability) to talk to them tomorrow.
It’s not just a little step, or a way to spam them endlessly with your promotions. It’s your own direct connection with the customer that no one can take away.
Not nearly enough product makers see it that way.
Action for today: Audit your marketing channels. How many customers can you actually reach without paying a platform tax? Start building your escape route from digital landlords.
Need help developing your owned media strategy? Let’s talk about building direct customer relationships — hit reply.
Laurier
Product Payoff: Here’s a stark reality check: Dollar Shave Club built an email list of 3.2 million subscribers before its Unilever acquisition. The value of that owned audience? A cool $1 billion in the final purchase price. Like I said, pure gold!