Platforms Come and Go. Community Will Always Stay.

why hello there everyone! we’re only 26 days into the new year and it already feels like we have lived 26 lives. anyone else with me?

switching it up with a sunday night send to start your week off with 5 minutes to sit, scroll, and chill.

between the 12 hours of tiktok being down, recent cultural events, instagram updates no one asked for, and more, there’s surely a lot to catch up on.

however, all of this made one thing clear as day: the best investment you can make is in your community, not just your content.

that takes us into today’s edition where we’re chatting about:

• why you shouldn’t rely on platforms that you don’t own

• ways to improve your community efforts to gain real fans

+ plus the updates that IG and Adam Mosseri so kindly blessed us with (*sarcasm*) while Tiktok was down that you might have missed

The start of the new year means sitting down and figuring out how to manage your influencer marketing, scale your social media efforts, and find a path that allows you to turn your community into your best customers while also trying to run the rest of the company.

As someone who has done it all as one person and some of you who may be reading this are nodding your head, then you know it’s a ton of work. That’s why it’s my goal to introduce you to the tools I’ve lived by and that have helped me and continue to help me stay sane whether I’m a one person show or working within a team.

This week, I am excited and grateful to Andy, Anders, Paul and the rest of the team at SUPERFILIATE for sponsoring this edition of No Filter.

Superfiliate has been in my tech stack for Graza and other clients for over a year now.

If you’re wanting support in running your influencer marketing end to end without a headache and actually give your community an experience they want to share (c’mon it’s 2025, you need to stick out!) then this is might be the platform for you.

If you’re looking for:
A) ways to discover new creators who can join your ambassador program or creator program over time and who will be engaged
B) easy ways to recruit said creators without having to send hundreds of DMs manually and spend time you don’t have
C) have an easy hub to manage all communications with your influencers and creators via e-mail and direct message
D) Handle product seeding in less than 2 clicks
E) Have custom landing pages made for your creators featuring their favorite products so you can increase conversion
F) Track and report on your top creators, data, revenue driven, traffic, etc.
G) Pay out your creators for their hard work or commission they earned easily
H) Have a tool that makes your life easier by integrating with your tech stack (Klayvio, Attentive, Recharge, Shopify, etc)
I) All of the above

Superfiliate is everything you need and nothing you don’t.

With their help, I’ve grown Graza’s program 121% MoM, have a monthly impact on the brand’s revenue, and can track all of our best paid creator partnerships so far with the help of the reporting, but also see an increase in conversion with the custom landing pages (best performer drove $19,000 in 72 hours).

You guys know I care about showing you how and why I use these tools so here is an example of landing pages from ARRAE and GRAZA.

With their help, it’s been so awesome to prove that community is truly everything.

If you want to chat with the team, just tell them I sent you and click the link HERE for a free month on me.

A Strong Community is Forever

We’ve all heard the buzz. Brands are (understandably) nervous with Tiktok being up in the air. A platform responsible for millions of dollars of sales (up to even 90% of revenue for some) and the discovery of brands can be ripped away with a moment’s notice.

If this doesn’t push you to rethink your reliance on platforms, I don’t know what will.

You can pump out content all day long and rack up the numbers, but if you’re simply overlooking the people who are helping you rack up engagement, you’re missing out on what actually matters and makes a long-term difference.

Here’s the thing: Platforms come and go. Algorithms shift. But a strong community? That’s forever ❤️ 

It’s the safety net that ensures your brand won’t crumble when external factors (outages, bans, etc.) change.

Let’s break down why focusing on building community is not just important—it’s essential.

1. Platforms Are Borrowed Land. Your Community Is Home.

Social media platforms are like renting an apartment—you're there as long as someone allows you to stay. But email lists, SMS subscribers, and even private groups? That’s your house. No one can evict you. Try to drive people to the things you own.

If TikTok disappeared tomorrow, do you have another way to reach your followers? If the answer is “no,” it’s time to get intentional about pulling your audience into spaces you actually own.

Are there offers that you, as a brand, can offer to your community to gain more subscribers? For example, if you’re a protein supplement brand, can you make a easy lead generation offer like a free recipe e-book that you can when you submit your email? If you’re a company who can offer a variety or sample pack, can you promote a offer of that they can try the product for free and only pay for shipping when they submit their email? Are there more internal efforts you can do to work with other brands on e-mail focused initiatives that are NOT only giveaways?

2. Community Loyalty Is Built-In Insurance.

You can spend all the money in the world on ads or influencers, but if you don’t have a loyal base of customers and advocates, it’s going to feel like pushing a boulder uphill.

A well-nurtured community doesn’t just stick around—they actively root for your success. They’re the ones hyping you up in comments, telling their friends about you, and forgiving a misstep here and there because they trust you. In a world where acquisition costs are rising, a loyal customer base is gold.

Plus, remember, when you have a good product with good marketing that also helps form community way more than a pretty product that is s***. Sorry.

3. Real Relationships Win Every Time.

Community is about people, not numbers. A number is there for validation, but doesn’t signify that a brand or a creator has an actual engaged community.

And what do people want? To feel seen, heard, and valued. There’s a reason a community manager is a position on social teams. It’s a full-time job to communicate with those supporting you, those who may be having problems, those who have been debating wanting to buy you, and those who may be a future customer.

Think beyond engagement rates and start focusing on actual connection. Reply to comments and DMs and stop just giving them a heart. Encourage conversation with easy Q+A’s on IG Stories. Show the BTS of the brand. Be open when things go wrong or orders are delated.

Build spaces where your audience can talk to each other, not just you. But, also, be sure that you’re being a brand that is talking WITH their community and not AT them.

When people feel like they’re part of something bigger, they’re not just buying your product—they’re buying into your brand.

4. A TikTok Ban Isn’t the Real Problem—Reliance Is.

The problem isn’t just TikTok potentially going away (but tbh i don’t know what i’ll do without it if it ever goes); it’s the overreliance on any one platform. A ban should make you ask: Am I diversifying enough? Am I putting energy into other places (owned or not) that allow our brand to show ourselves differently?

A thriving community gives you options. If TikTok goes, they’ll follow you somewhere else. Instagram, YouTube, your email list—it doesn’t matter. The point is, they’ll follow because they’re invested in you, not just the platform. But, this is also a reminder within a reminder to diversify your platform selection and not put all your eggs in one basket.

So, What’s Next?

Here is a recap and some low-lift things you can do to start building community:

• Create or Invest more energy into owned channels: Start pulling people into your email list, SMS, or a private community space. Offer something valuable in exchange, like a recipe book, exclusive access, or early product drops.

• Show Up, Always: This means responding to comments, reposting UGC, and giving your audience a reason to want to engage with you regularly. Go back on all your old posts where you didn’t engage. Search yourself on platforms to see things you aren’t tagged in and show up. Go back through your tagged photos and make sure you show up. Stop just reposting instagram stories and then not acknowledging the person. SHOW UP.

• Celebrate Your Top Fans: Give your most engaged followers a special experience. Suprise and delight them, just send them a nice message thanking them for your support (ex. a note from the founder), the chance to test new products first, etc.

• Ask for Feedback: If you’re not involving your community in decisions (new flavors, packaging, etc.), you’re missing out on their buy-in and loyalty, but also might be shooting yourself in the foot by making a product no one really even asked for.

TL;DR

If you’ve been putting off building a community, consider this your wake-up call. Social platforms will always come with risk, but the brands that focus on creating real, lasting connections and impactful content are the ones that survive—and thrive.

It’s time for Ahead of The Trend.

A quick, snappy ode to the fun things I’m seeing online across creators, social, and brands. Sometimes, it’s a trend. Sometimes, it’s just a tip I want to share about marketing. Sometimes, it’s things you might have missed around the platforms you create on. TL;DR: just cool things I’m loving right now that you might too or things you should know.

(New) Brand of the Week: Floura, the newest bar on the market brought to you by the queen, Jeni Britton (founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream). I had the honor of working on the social + influencer strategy, but I only work on products I actually like. Their Mango Cardamom is perfectly refreshing and helps you hit your daily fiber goal. You can get free shipping at the moment on their site.

Products I Can’t Stop Using/Eating/Drinking: D.S and Durga’s “I Don’t Know What” is the perfect light and clean scent that will get you a bunch of compliments, Smash Foods Raspberry Jelly is perfect for my daily PBJ, and Koia’s new Elite Protein Shake line allows for the #gains with 32g of plant protein in one bottle.

Creator of the Week: @wenevergetyounger. Seems a bit dangerous, but if you’re a food or beverage brand, could be great to have him make a video for your account. I just need to know how he is doing this.

Random Thing You Should Definitely Know About: If you’re in NYC then you have probably been freezing your butt off, but this jacket from Nike was hands-down one of the best purchases I made in 2024.

The Social Media Updates You May Have Missed: While Tiktok was down, Instagram said “it’s our time to shine” by giving way too many updates to make all social media managers overwhelmed.

• Users can now create three minute Reels in the US.

• Say hi to “Edits” (a CapCut competitor) which allows users to access a suite of creative tools to make video editing easier. Capcut stan 4ever.

• Instagram Highlights are moving to a dedicated tab, instead of the circles underneath your bio. TBD on how I feel about this.

• Your friends can see what Reels you’ve liked as your profile picture will pop up. It’s giving 2014 activity feed.

• The rectangular feed. Sorry to all my aesthetic friends who now have to resent all their cover images. Thinking of you.

That’s a wrap, folks.

We had some new folks join recently so if that’s you be sure to say hi! If you want to catch up past editions, click right here. 

If you have any thing that you want discussed, shoot me a “reply” and if I pick your topic, then coffee on me.

Also, if you’re going to be at E-Tail in Palm Springs, let me know! I’ll be talking on a panel and would be awesome to meet some of you guys and put faces to names.

Other than that, I’ll see you guys on Thursday bright and early.

Peace, Love, and KPIs,

KD

This week’s edition is brought to you by: