If you think you need influencers to build a brand in 2025, you're mistaken.

There's a lot of very successful brands and products, especially on Amazon, that do little

to know influencer marketing. Let's kill the myth, but make it clear right off the bat.

You don't need influencers, a social following, or viral content to build a real business.

But it definitely helps.

Now, I'm a huge fan of using social media and influencers to grow brands and products.

And it's something that I constantly recommend to my students and clients.

But there are hundreds, thousands of products selling online that aren't spending

thousands of dollars on influencer marketing.

So in this episode,

I'm going to show you how the anti-influencer playbook could work and how you can grow a brand without chasing clout, collabs, or fake user-generated content. Whether you're introverted,

bootstrapped, or just tired of creator social media drama, this is a strategy for you.

The influencer era is overrated. In 2023 and 2024, brands got addicted to influencer launches

and social first marketing. But in 2025, cost per post has gone up, especially for mid-tier creators who think they're more special than they probably are.

ROI is dropping unless the content is also high converting.

And here's the truth.

Most of it isn't.

And fake UGC saturation has trained buyers to tune out to the hype.

People are becoming more immune to user-generated content.

Like I said in a recent episode, we know when someone is being paid to promote a product,

whether they say it or not.

We're very skeptical about whether or not the video, the post, is truly authentic.

...