Why does society discourage aspiring artists and entrepreneurs?

[EternalForest]

Anywhere we go to try and promote ourselves, we always get the same pushback 

"No self-promotion" 

"Stop spamming" 

"No one cares".

And this isn't just in random comments sections or public places. Try and chat people up at local business, they don't want to hear about your business. In subreddits for sharing music or making music, they discourage you from sharing your own music or, God for bid, trying to SELL your own music! Try selling your movie to any movie subreddit and see how it works out. Your post will get removed within hours.

It seems so contradictory to me. Like, it would be one thing if society didn't encourage kids to follow their dreams... But c'mon. You can't tell people to follow their dreams and then accuse them of "spamming" the moment we try.

Anyone else upset about this?

Edited August 30 by EternalForest

[Puer Aeternus]

Well, it sort of just opens the flood gates ay!

Because a lot of these places are created with specific intentions in mind. They want to discuss and share already popular/quality media. 

It's frustrating to you, because you don't have as many places to sell/promote. Understandable! But if it were allowed, it wouldn't just be you doing so.. A rush of self-promoters would rush in and it would be a nuisance to the majority that just want to lurk/discuss already known content! 

From the raw numbers of it, most of the promotion will be pretty bad! Maybe a few diamonds in the rough.. but mostly cheeks, and it'll take time to sort through it all.

Would be nice if things had more flexibility though. If there were more avenues to promote and get feedback! To discover new things from lesser known artists. Also because sucking or even being half-decent but not quite there is a very important phase! 

[LordFall]

You must study the skill of marketing and branding. What you name as societal forces being against you although not false I would call victim thinking until you've read 5 marketing books. Being an artist and a business person is not enough. Marketing revolves around the fields of psychology and sociology to understand deeply communication and how to relate to your customer/audience. 

[Lord of Darkness]

Cos its complex. And filled with uncertainty. Extra perks for winners though. Most won't even try.

[BlueOak]

Its probably one of the last barriers to overcome in terms of requiring money to make money.

Advertising.

I am not saying its as bad as it was, or there are not avenues, but there are not many.

So I challenge my assumption (I've hit this problem many times.)

GPT 5.0
 

🧭 1. Claim & Optimize Your Free Google Business Profile

Add your location, photos, hours, and services. It’s one of the top local ranking signals.
👉 https://www.google.com/business/

📘 2. Create a Facebook Page & Post Regularly

Use groups related to your niche (local or interest-based). Share helpful posts, not just promos.
👉 https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/

📍 3. Add Your Business to Apple Maps & Bing Places

Apple Maps drives iPhone users, Bing feeds search results for Alexa and Windows devices.
👉 https://register.apple.com/places-on-maps
👉 https://www.bingplaces.com/

🗺️ 4. Get Listed on Local Directories

Yelp, Nextdoor, and Foursquare are still solid for SEO and discovery.
👉 https://www.yelp.com/
👉 https://nextdoor.com/business/
👉 https://foursquare.com/

✍️ 5. Start a Free Blog

Use WordPress or Medium to post tips, how-tos, or stories related to your niche.
👉 https://wordpress.com/
👉 https://medium.com/

📰 6. Pitch a Local News Story

Local papers love stories about new businesses, community service, or interesting founders.
Find “Contact Us” on their site or tag them on social media.

📸 7. Use Instagram Reels & TikTok

Quick behind-the-scenes clips or customer stories can go far with consistent posting.
👉 https://www.instagram.com/
👉 https://www.tiktok.com/

🧑‍💼 8. Post on LinkedIn (even for local services)

Share short insights or tips weekly — helps build authority and referrals.
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/

🗣️ 9. Join & Contribute to Online Forums

Answer questions genuinely on Reddit, Quora, or niche forums — people notice expertise.
👉 https://www.reddit.com/
👉 https://www.quora.com/

💌 10. Build a Free Email List

Start with friends/customers and use Mailchimp’s free tier for newsletters.
👉 https://mailchimp.com/

🎯 11. Offer a Referral Reward

Create a “refer a friend” deal or discount — spread it via word of mouth.

🎙️ 12. Guest on Podcasts or Local Radio

Reach new audiences by offering short, practical insights in your niche.

🧾 13. Write a Helpful Guide or Checklist

Give away a PDF guide in exchange for email sign-ups — positions you as an expert.

🤝 14. Partner with Other Local Businesses

Cross-promote each other’s products (shared flyers, bundled deals, or shoutouts).

📱 15. Engage in Local Facebook or Reddit Groups

Be helpful — don’t spam. Recommend your services only when relevant.

📍 16. Use Free Classifieds

Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and OfferUp can all bring leads.
👉 https://www.craigslist.org/
👉 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/
👉 https://offerup.com/

🎨 17. Design Simple Graphics for Free

Canva makes social posts and flyers quick and professional.
👉 https://www.canva.com/

📽️ 18. Start a YouTube Channel

Short tutorials, behind-the-scenes videos, or “how we help customers” pieces build trust.
👉 https://www.youtube.com/

📅 19. Attend Free Community Events

Bring flyers or business cards. Offer samples or demos when possible.

🗞️ 20. Use Press Release Distribution (Free Tier)

Sites like PRLog let you post free press releases online.
👉 https://www.prlog.org/

🔁 Bonus Tips

Be consistent — post or engage daily, even for 10 minutes.

Track what brings actual visitors or calls (Google Insights, link clicks).

Focus on helpful visibility, not just shouting “buy now.”

Edited Saturday at 08:58 AM by BlueOak

[Lord of Darkness]

@BlueOak not a bad business model, but it all can fail in execution. For example bad timing for an idea, it can be good idea  but market was not ready for it or it was too late for it... 

[NewKidOnTheBlock]

It is never too late to give up

[Leo Gura]

Spam is a huge problem across the internet. Every website and platform is in a constant and endless battle with hardcore spammers who will exploit any loophole to spam their junk.

Everyone wants to self-promote because it earns big $$$. But it also pollutes the ecosystem for everyone. It's like shitting in the public pool for profit.

[gettoefl]

The first rule of business is customer has to approach you first. They need to seek out and check out your wares. If you put them in front of my eye balls unbeckoned you are unscrupulous and I block you forthwith. Bottom line is I will call you. Don't ever call me.

[Joshe]

@EternalForest Your strategy would highly depend on what you want to sell. You'd need an entirely different strategy for selling something like art than you would for selling a service. 

You could just take cookie-cutter advice, and some of it is necessary, but many others are doing the same thing. You need an original, intelligent strategy. 

Most likey, you need a mix of partnerships, advertising, and self-promotion. Set yourself apart with high-quality branding and a high-quality website. 

A good list of foundational tech skills to acquire: 

• Visual design
• HTML, CSS, and Javascript. 
• Advertising tools like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc. 
• Marketing psychology and copywriting 

Realistically, it would take 2 years to learn these so that you can produce more polished creatives than normies can with something like Canva or ChatGPT, but it would be worth it. 

I just finished a website for a new residential HVAC business. Currently, the business is ranked 33 in Google local map pack. I'm going to get it in the top 6 within 6-12 months. I wouldn't have a shot at this without tech skills.

It all starts with good branding and design. This site I built is possibly the best looking, most polished HVAC website on the entire internet. That's just one way to set yourself apart, but I think it's foundational. I couldn't have produced it with cookie-cutter templates. 

Edited yesterday at 03:14 PM by Joshe

[Basman]

On 25/10/2025 at 10:55 AM, BlueOak said:

Its probably one of the last barriers to overcome in terms of requiring money to make money.

Advertising.

I was part of a course once that taught how to make your own course. The dude spent a solid third of his revenue on Facebook ads.

It of course depends on the industry and your target audience how much advertising you feasibly need to do. 

[Lord of Darkness]

On 10/27/2025 at 0:59 PM, Leo Gura said:

Spam is a huge problem across the internet. Every website and platform is in a constant and endless battle with hardcore spammers who will exploit any loophole to spam their junk.

Everyone wants to self-promote because it earns big $$$. But it also pollutes the ecosystem for everyone. It's like shitting in the public pool for profit.

A simplified Spiral Dynamics Sales model would be like this if this would be societal board meeting of executives and % ESTIMATE of vote capacity

 

1%Turquise_oh world is already perfect(#wisdom and insight)

5%Yellow_if we only get the systems right  (Onto something with many succeses)

10% Green_we must take fair trade and eco care first priority (unpractical)

40%Orange_we exploit what we can the rest will sort itself through trickle down economics (not much introspection)

30%Blue_oh world is already perfect(#the bible says)

15%Red_I conquer! I take! I rape! Oh yeay the life is good...unless you are a looser...

5%Purpule_our tribe is our world and world is a mystery (more interested in shrooms then world markets)

(I know its 106% but its automation extras)

...

Ppl have diffrent values and needs. To make it ethical? Nah... ppl pay for wordly things and immidiate gratification, medival system of keeping peasants down had its wisdom, but then ppl were daying like flies during black plague. ..

World is a mess and tech rooted in orange values is arguably adding as many solutions as problems, permaculture anyone? I thought so... nay ... ppl want buzz and thrill of mindless novelty, Infrastructures sustain that. Verdict:

Top ethics

5% wisdom#privilidge of few

20%tech cos porn needs servers

5%green feel good, cos it sells

...

Moderate to low ethics

Basically everything else, but it can make you cynical over time while paying bills