I’ve been around long enough to see a lot of marketing theories come and go.
There was a time when we were told that if you had 1,000 people on your email list, you could make $1 million a year.
(I didn’t quite pull that one off — but it sounded good at the time.)
Then there was the era of email them every day.
Which, let’s be honest, mostly just taught people how to unsubscribe faster.
Then it became:
- “You need 7 touchpoints before someone buys.”
- Or “They need to experience you at least 5 times.”
- Or the big one for a while… be omnipresent.
Honestly? That one always sounded exhausting.
Everyone seems to be searching for the next solid gold bullet — the one post, the one reel, the one magical strategy that suddenly turns social content into paying clients.
And then I listened to Daniel Priestley on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, and something finally clicked.
Buyers Are Built, Not Captured
Daniel shared research that reframes the whole conversation.
Not about leads.
But about buyers.
His framework is simple — and surprisingly grounding:
7–11–4
That is:
- 7 hours of time spent with you
- 11 interactions
- Across 4 platforms
Not because people are slow.
But because people are discerning.
What this really tells us is that before someone decides to buy (or not buy), they need three things to happen:
1. Time With You
This is where long-form content matters.
Longer videos.
Podcasts.
Workshops.
Free Q&As.
Places where people can settle in, listen to how you think, and decide whether your way of seeing the world feels safe, useful, and aligned.
(Which is why long-form video has made such a strong comeback.)
2. Repetition Without Pressure
Seeing you once isn’t enough.
Seeing you occasionally — in different contexts — helps people relax.
It’s not about hammering the same message.
It’s about reinforcing your values, your perspective, and your consistency over time.
3. Presence Across Platforms
Not everywhere.
But enough places.
Instagram reels.
YouTube Shorts.
Longer YouTube videos.
LinkedIn posts.
A podcast episode.
A free live session.
Different formats.
Different depths.
Same core message.
And suddenly, it makes sense why the people dominating online aren’t just posting — they’re creating ecosystems of experience.
Trust Is the Real Conversion Strategy
None of this is about manipulation.
It’s about trust.
Every hour spent with you…
Every repeated interaction…
Every platform where someone sees you show up in a way that feels steady and human…
All of it quietly answers the same question:
“Can I trust this person?”
And once trust is established, buying becomes a natural next step — not a pressured one.
So maybe the question isn’t:
“How do I get more leads?”
But something far more useful.
If someone needed 7 hours, 11 interactions, and 4 platforms to truly trust you — what would you need to change (or simplify) about how you show up online to make that possible?