Earlier this week, I jumped on what is easily the most important call of my entire career.

If you follow my newsletter or received my Patreon vlog this week, you’ll know that I’ve mentioned this a few times already and have done that relentlessly annoying thing of saying “but I can’t tell you who it was with just yet”.

I’m afraid I still can’t tell you who was on the other end of that call, but you’re more than welcome to guess. Suffice it to say, it represents a huge opportunity for my business and personal brand. It’s early days, and absolutely a case of softly-softly, but I feel very grateful to be in this position.

It also confirms something I’ve long thought about content creation: you never know who’s watching or reading your stuff.

To be honest, it’s comforting to know that anyone could be engaging with your hard work. Without publishers, editors, and pre-built audiences, publishing your creations independently can often feel like you’re simply throwing stuff out into the ether. Certainly, when you first start, you really are doing that; it takes time to build a following, and the view count, to begin with, will probably only consist of people you know (including your mum).

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last three years, it’s that this changes, rapidly. The more consistent you are with your content creation, and the more you hone in on your sub-niche, the more likely you are to attract the attention of not only your target audience but some rather big players, too.

I’ve picked up my biggest sponsorships, brand partners, and content creator friendships simply because those people found my stuff. In each case, it has been a natural process, too - I’ve never sent my content to anyone for the purpose of building a relationship from scratch.

What happened this week is the most surprising and sobering example of that. I’ve simply continued to do my thing, follow my nose, and make content which I think best suits my audience. Who’d have thought that lot would have been watching intently too?! More importantly, who’d have thought it would prompt them to contact me directly to see how we can work together?

I promise I’ll reveal more soon, and, because you’re official members of the ‘insider club’ at Mark Ellis Reviews HQ (I’ve just made that up, but you are absolutely a part of it) I’ll dig more into the behind-the-scenes stuff of what happened as soon as it’s safe to do so.

In the meantime, if you’re creating content which you feel is heading nowhere - stick with it. Just one read or view could change the trajectory of your personal brand forever.

You never know who’s watching (or reading…