How to win at anything
An algorithm for creators, entrepreneurs and researchers.
“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% sales and marketing.”
— Thomas Edison
Who this will work for
The Creator
Artists, designers, musicians, decorators
Wants buyers, galleries and commissions
The Entrepreneur
Founders, sellers and sales teams
Wants customers and capital
The Researcher
Academics and industry scientists
Wants readers, citations and acceptance
The algorithm
01
Create
Make your presence look good.
02
Research
Find everyone you need to reach.
03
Connect
Follow them on their socials.
04
Promote
Message them directly.
05
Market
Publish great visual content.
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Build your presence
Creator: portfolio site
Researcher: name.github.io
Everyone: X and LinkedIn with a banner
Creator
Portfolio, shop
Entrepreneur
Product site, demo video, founder profile
Researcher
Homepage, papers, code
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Show your work in context
Art on a gallery wall
Jewelry on a person
Decor in a hotel lobby
Post these on your socials.
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Tips
Ship fast with Cloudflare: its AI plugin buys the domain and deploys the site.
Remove the slop: generic layouts, stock phrases, filler sections.
Use whitespace. Fewer elements look more confident.
Generic AI sites impress at first, then look cheap to people with taste.
Give X and LinkedIn a real banner, a good photo and a one-line bio.
Post your work in context, never on a blank background.
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Find who you need to reach
Creator
Galleries and curators
Collectors
Interior designers
Stylists, influencers
Magazines, blogs
Other artists
Entrepreneur
Target companies
Decision-makers
Partners, resellers
Investors at your stage
Angels, operators
Accelerators
Researcher
Conferences, journals
Professors in your field
Industry labs
Reviewers, editors
Science writers
Podcasts
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Tips
Start with broad searches. Then enrich the contacts with Apollo.
Do not accept the first pass. Search again, and again.
Ask your AI: who else may care, and what other opportunities exist?
Directory behind a login? Get access, then pull it with computer use and browser use.
Score every org and contact 1–10: relevance, chance to reply, chance to buy or invest.
Sort by score. Put most of your effort at the top.
Study competitors and peers. Find out how they got their wins.
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Follow them first
When your message arrives, they already know your name.
ML
maya.lin.studio started following you
Creator → gallery curator
JR
Jordan Reyes wants to connect
Entrepreneur → CTO
X
AK
Ana Kim followed you
Entrepreneur → VC partner
X
DP
Dev Patel followed you
Researcher → professor
More replies
Follow-backs
A bigger network
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Tips
Find each contact's X, LinkedIn and Instagram during research.
Follow and connect in waves, not all at once.
Cap at about 100 per day to stay under anti-spam limits.
Automate your real browser with browser use and computer use.
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Message them directly
One short, specific message to the right person, by email and social DM.
Creator
Your work in their space
A gift, no ask
Entrepreneur
Product in their workflow
Why you fit an investor's focus
One message per segment
Researcher
Two-line paper summary
Submit to the right venues
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Give first
Your painting in their gallery
Your necklace on them
Your installation at their event
Send it privately. No ask. If they love it, they share it.
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Tips
Write one message per category of contact. Keep it very short.
Respect their time. Say only what you need to make the point.
Personalize only when you are sure. Check their current work.
Wrong references backfire: praise for an old project reads as fake.
Offer a gift with no benefit to you. If they love it, they share it.
Show your work in their environment: art, products, software add-ons.
Put custom effort into high-value targets with a good chance to reply.
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Publish visual content
Content reaches the people you did not know to contact.
Creator
Process reels, reveals
Entrepreneur
Product explainers, founder story
Researcher
Paper explainers, threads
01 Create
02 Research
03 Connect
04 Promote
05 Market
Tips
Make motion-graphic explainers and video wherever you can.
Use OpenRouter for video and audio models in one place, at the best price.
Generate at 480p (e.g. Seedance 2.5), then upscale with AI. Cheaper, faster.
Post on your socials and your website.
Iterate until it is not boring. Make it graphic.
Avoid slop and clutter. Use taste in everything.
The longer it lives, the more time it deserves.
The algorithm, again
01
Create
Make your presence look good for your market.
02
Research
Find who you need to reach.
03
Connect
Follow them on socials.
04
Promote
Message them by email and social DM.
05
Market
Publish great visual, graphic and video content.
It works
Tools
Planning and research
ChatGPT, Claude
Image generation
ChatGPT, OpenRouter
Motion graphics & Explainers
Claude
Video and audio
OpenRouter
Video: Seedance, MiniMax · Music: Lyria · Voice: Fish Audio
Contact enrichment
Apollo, Clay, Instantly
These have ChatGPT and Claude connectors.
Social automation and email
ChatGPT or Claude + Gmail
For social, computer use is the best bet.
