The Hidden Cost of Getting Noticed Too Soon
Why thoughtful work needs thoughtful readers—especially early on.
We all crave traction. But sometimes, getting noticed too early can hurt more than help.
About two years ago, I was helping a client grow his Twitter account when we ran into an unexpected problem.
At the time, his audience was tiny — fewer than 100 followers — so he committed to writing two or three threads a week to build momentum and grow his reach.
Then, out of nowhere, one of his threads took off: over 900 retweets, hundreds of new followers.
Naturally, he was excited. It felt like a breakthrough. But just a few weeks later, something strange happened.
His engagement collapsed.
Fewer comments. Fewer retweets. No traction — even on threads that were objectively better than before.
So what happened?
To understand it, you need to know how Twitter’s algorithm works (and this applies to most platforms).
When you publish something new, Twitter first shows it to a small sample of users — a mix of your followers and others interested in similar topics. Based on how that group responds, the algorithm decides whether to expand the reach or let the post quietly fade.
In other words, your visibility hinges on how that initial group reacts.
And that’s exactly where the problem began.
The thread that went viral? “6 Sales Videos to Help You Become a World-Class Closer.”
It was "on-brand" — my client writes about sales — but the format, a quick list of video links, drew the wrong kind of attention. It attracted people looking for fast answers and dopamine hits — not thoughtful readers who wanted depth or nuance.
So when he returned to writing value-rich, insight-driven content, his new audience tuned out. They scrolled past. The algorithm noticed. And his reach evaporated.
He watched his best ideas fall flat. Posts he was proud of — the ones that actually carried weight — barely moved. The silence was louder than before.
But more than anything, that experience revealed a deeper truth:
When you’re building something from scratch, who you attract early on can shape — or sabotage — everything that comes after.
The Influence of Early Adopters
In 1962, sociologist Everett Rogers introduced the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, which explains how new ideas and technologies spread through society.
He found that adoption typically happens in five stages:
Innovators — those who create before the world believes
Early Adopters — those who see potential and take the risk
Early Majority — who wait for social proof
Late Majority — more skeptical, hesitant
Laggards — resistant until change becomes unavoidable
If you're doing meaningful work — something slightly ahead of the curve — you’re likely speaking first to early adopters. And how you treat them matters.
Take Airbnb.
In the beginning, most people thought the idea of renting out your home to strangers was absurd. But a few early adopters saw the opportunity and leaned in.
Instead of chasing mass adoption, Airbnb focused on serving those early believers. They even sent professional photographers to hosts’ homes so listings looked more attractive.
That small move gave their earliest users a better experience — and gave Airbnb the traction it needed to grow.
They treated their early adopters like co-creators, not just consumers.
Write for the Few Who Already Believe
If you’re exploring unconventional ideas or challenging the status-quo, don’t expect immediate scale.
Most people prefer what's familiar and easy to consume — listicles, hot takes, content that reinforces existing beliefs. That’s what gets rewarded by the algorithm. But early adopters are different.
They’re drawn to what challenges them. They engage not because it’s comfortable, but because it feels true.
So if your writing is sharp, thoughtful, and doesn’t fit neatly into a trending box — that’s a good sign. It means you're not writing for everyone. You're writing for the few who are already leaning in.
And those few matter more than you think.
They’re the ones who will:
Share your work with intention — not just click mindlessly on the “share” button, but forward it to someone they trust
Reflect on your ideas, respond with depth, and help them grow
Become allies, not just followers
Their feedback won’t just stroke your ego — it will sharpen your thinking, surface blind spots, challenge lazy assumptions, and maybe even uncover your next big idea.
This is why it’s worth showing up for them.
That might mean hopping on a call, running a live Q&A, or just holding space for thoughtful conversations.
You don’t need scale to build momentum.
You need trust. And trust starts small.
Because when the masses eventually arrive, they won’t find an empty stage. They’ll find something alive — carried forward by the ones who believed first.