Happy Monday, Creators 👋

Political strategist James Carville is famously credited with the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid.” The line came from Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. Carville posted it as a blunt reminder to the campaign staff: no matter how complex politics gets, voters usually decide based on one thing—the economy.

It became shorthand for a simple truth: one underlying factor often drives everything else. For creators, marketers, and those of us hustling in these internet streets, I’d argue the equivalent is this: It’s the comments.

But I will never call you stupid.

In other words, conversation fuels visibility. The internet rewards interaction. And the data backs this up: “Replying to comments on your Instagram posts boosts engagement. By 21%, no less,” according to social media platform Buffer.

Recently, I had a conversation with Anthony Morrell—known on LinkedIn as the “comment king”—and a few lessons stood out. If you’re building an audience, trying to find your voice, or wondering whether anyone is paying attention yet, these insights are worth carrying into the week.

One of Anthony’s clearest points is that he built his voice in the comments before he built it in posts. That matters. Comments are not just a support activity for creators who “haven’t made it” yet. They are where you learn what people care about, how conversations are moving, and how your natural voice actually sounds in public.

Anthony talked about how his early content was more polished, more professional, and more cookie-cutter. Over time, he realized that what made his content work was not better formatting. It was more of himself. His humor, pauses, sarcasm, and conversational rhythm became what his audience recognized. 

That is a huge lesson for creators. Too many people try to earn credibility by sanding off their personality. But Anthony’s story is a reminder that authenticity is not a branding trick. It is a creative advantage.

Anybody can publish. Fewer people know how to stay in the room long enough for trust to form. Anthony did just that as he commented consistently, checked posts manually, noticed who kept showing up, and treated online interactions like the beginning of real relationships.

This was one of the deepest parts of the conversation. Anthony made it clear that the confidence people see in his content now did not come out of thin air. It came through healing, identity work, faith, and learning not to root his worth in titles, validation, or performance. After navigating three layoffs, he had to confront the difference between who he is and what he does.

Anthony pushed back on the common advice to “just post more.”

His point was not that consistency does not matter. It was that volume alone does not create traction. What matters more is whether people can feel your presence. Do they notice you? Do they remember your voice? Do they experience you as someone who contributes, encourages, challenges, and returns? That is a much better goal than trying to manufacture viral moments.

Presence creates recognition.
Recognition builds trust.
Trust builds opportunity.

If you’re reading this far… I hope this message finds you well. I’m sharing from my heart in hopes that you will be inspired to unearth and live out your God-given purpose. Hopefully, something I said resonated. I would love to hear from you if so. Please feel free to reach out to me on social media.

FYI: I’m mostly active on LinkedIn these days. If you were forwarded this message, you can subscribe here to receive thoughts like this directly in your inbox. And don’t forget to check out the latest episode of my podcast, ConvoRoom with Mark Allen Patterson.