A Little Goes a Long Way: Let's Support Small Creators 🧡

You spend days creating something… a video, an article, a piece of art that you enjoyed.

You finally share it with the world… and then, nothing. Not even a single reaction from anyone.

Or maybe you’ll get a few likes from supportive friends who like all your posts anyway! But… no comments at all.

If you’ve ever experienced that ache of being unseen, you’re not alone. I know it all too well.

Even now, after creating online since 2009, and considered by some to be an almost-medium-sized creator 😂 …I still have many YouTube videos, or LinkedIn posts, that get no comments at all.

There are days when I wonder… “Why bother creating if no one cares anyway?”

We’ve all been there, and many of us experience that discouragement often…

So here is the turnaround I’d like for us to consider, a perspective shift that can actually empower everyone.

What if each of us becomes — for other small creators — the one who likes, comments, shares?

The Golden Rule. Treat other creators’ work the way you long for your own to be treated. 🧡

What I mean by “small creator”

A small creator is anyone pouring heart and creativity into something they share online, who hasn’t reached a big following yet. A blogger, a podcaster, video maker who shows up faithfully on social media for their few followers.

Perhaps a friend who keeps posting their reflections, even though barely anyone responds.

“Small” doesn’t mean lesser — the same way “small business” doesn’t mean a lesser business. It just means the audience is still small… for now.

Maybe it describes you, and some of your friends.

Nothing wrong with the “big” creators

This isn’t about resenting big influencers. The Gabby Bernsteins and Alex Hormozis of the world got big for good reasons — they were more entertaining, insightful, reliable creators than the vast majority. They earned their reach.

Also, this is not about guilt-tripping… you’re not a bad person for loving the big players — I enjoy plenty of them too!

However, the same little bit of support has a very different effect, depending on who’s on the receiving end.

Why a little goes such a long way

You only have so much energy and attention, and it gets spent throughout the day.

When you leave a comment for someone with a million followers, it’s a drop in an ocean. They’ll probably never see it.

But that same comment, that same energy, given to someone with a few followers? It’s life-giving. It’s water in the desert.

A kind word to someone already overflowing with praise barely registers — they’re already well-fed (in many ways!). That same kindness, given to someone who receives almost none, can nourish them for days.

A little, given where there’s already so little, does a lot indeed.

And… it comes back to you too

It’s how generosity works — there is a natural reciprocity: supporting small creators is also one of the reliable ways to grow your own friendships, collaborations, clients, and referrals!

A big creator is already overloaded. They can’t reciprocate towards the vast majority of their commenters. But a small creator? They’ll notice your comments. They see the few who showed up. They’ll remember you.

That’s the soil that genuine relationships grow in. They start when you show up for someone before they “make it”. Some of my dearest colleagues began exactly this way — one of us simply caring about the other’s work, early, when almost no one else did.

This is a practice I’ve come to call netcaring. If it resonates, you can read more here: What is netcaring?

Four simple ways to support a small creator:

You don’t have to do all of them. Even a single action, done with care, makes a real difference…

1. Give five minutes of care.

You don’t need an hour. Even five minutes once a day can encourage a fellow creator for days!

Consider doing this — the first few minutes of each time you scroll — before the algorithm sweeps you toward the big names and their massive reach. Start by going to one or two small creators’ profiles, with intention, while your attention is still your own.

When you comment, try to be specific. “Nice post!” is nice… but saying a specific aspect of the post that resonated — “I loved when you said ___ about halfway through.” — really shows that you were present.

One more thing — give your love where it’s most scarce. Look for the platform where a friend posts faithfully, but gets almost no response, and leave your comment there. That’s where it heals the most. For example, I rarely get comments on my YouTube videos — most of my engagement lands on Instagram and Substack. So a kind word on YouTube would mean more to me than one where there’s already a crowd. Look for that kind of discrepancy with your friends’ social media presences too.

2. Praise publicly, suggest privately.

When you admire someone’s work, say so out loud — in the comments, where others can see. Public praise is a gift that keeps giving: it encourages them, and it shows everyone else that their work is worth the attention.

But keep any critiques/suggestions private. If you think something could be improved, send a kind, private message. People don’t always know how to grow until someone tells them; we’re all often stuck inside our own heads. Just never offer a critique publicly, in front of their audience.

3. Pay for their work — even the smallest thing.

Don’t expect your friends to give you their books, courses, or services for free. If anyone should buy from a creator, it’s their friend.

A monthly purchase of another small creator’s thing is wonderful. Make it a weekly practice, if you can. It doesn’t have to be much — even a purchase of their smallest offering can be deeply uplifting, especially during a dry spell. (And these days, we all feel a lot of dry spells.) Your single purchase might be the only sale they make that week (or month!). Imagine what that means to them.

4. Leave a review or testimonial — the highest-leverage 15 minutes you’ll spend.

After you’ve used and benefited from their product or service, take 15 minutes of care to write a review. If you do that for a big brand, it’s a drop in the bucket. But to a small creator, your review might be one of few they’ve *ever* received.

Your testimonial could make years of difference. That extra 15 minutes can change someone’s business.

Leave it wherever they’re trying to be found: a Google review, a Facebook recommendation, a LinkedIn endorsement, an Amazon review for their book, a rating on their podcast… and so on.

And… please don’t turn this into one more way to feel behind…

You can’t do this for everyone, not even most of your friends maybe, and you don’t have to! Pick a few friends each month to focus on. Five percent of your attention will already make plenty of a difference.

Simply, shift a little awareness of where your attention flows, and nudge it a bit toward where it gives the most life.

I’ll be the first to admit I still catch myself scrolling past a friend’s post on autopilot, half my mind already on the next thing. This is a practice, and practices are forgiving. Simply return to it gently, again and again.

Where this fits into the bigger picture

Attention is a form of love. And love uplifts the most where it’s been scarce.

Imagine an entire community of soulpreneurs, each aiming just a sliver of their attention toward one another. Everyone will feel a little more seen. They’ll in turn create with more passion and love. It’s a virtuous cycle.

That’s a very different world than the winner-take-all attention economy we currently have. It’s part of what I call the Soulpreneur’s Middle Way — neither hustling desperately for reach, nor sitting back hoping to be discovered, but generously weaving a web of support for one another.

Making it a gentle habit

It works because it’s small enough to keep up. Big campaigns burn out. A gentle rhythm can last for years.

Here’s one way to hold it:

• Daily: start with five minutes of attention — a specific comment for one different small-creator friend, ideally in the first minutes of your typical scroll time.

• Weekly or monthly: buy something from a different small creator. Even their smallest thing.

• Whenever something helps you: write the review, while you’re still feeling grateful.

And because the pull of the big feeds is so strong, give yourself a little nudge. I’ve added a recurring reminder to my own to-do list that simply reads: “First minutes of surfing: support a small creator.” You might set up something similar. Just a tiny nudge each day.

Your turn…

If you’d like to begin, start with the smallest possible step: today, choose one friend who’s a small creator. Find their most recent post. Leave one comment about what you loved about it.

Imagine if we all did this — a kinder, more connected creative world, where showing up for one another is simply how we are.

I’d love to know: who’s one small creator you appreciate? If you’d like, share one thing you love about their work in the comments below — or better yet, go leave it on their post right now. 🧡

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Originally written in 2020, fully updated in 2026.