Finding My "People": My Hunt for the "Best" Social Media Platform

If you're trying to build a brand, a project, or just a personal presence, you've heard the advice. It's 2025. You have to be on social media.

That's it. That's the "help" you get. It’s like telling someone to "just get a job" without mentioning what field, what skills, or where to even look.

For months, I was drowning in this advice. I had a passion project I was desperate to grow, and I knew the "followers" were out there. But where?

I felt like I was standing in the middle of a digital food court, with everyone shouting at me to try their platform. "TikTok is where the views are!" "Instagram is the king of aesthetics!" "LinkedIn is for 'real' connections!" "Don't forget X (Twitter) for real-time engagement!"

So, I did what any overwhelmed person would do. I tried to be everywhere at once.

And it was a disaster.

I called it my "Social Media Gauntlet."

On Instagram, I'd spend an hour trying to get the perfect, light-and-airy photo of my desk. My life isn't a pastel-colored, curated flat lay, and trying to pretend it was felt fake and exhausting.

On TikTok, I'd watch the trends, feel impossibly old, and close the app. I'm not a 19-year-old dancing sensation, and my content (which is more niche and thoughtful) felt like a whisper in a nightclub.

On X (Twitter), it felt like walking into a room where 1,000 people are shouting at once. I'd post something I was proud of, and it would vanish into the void, buried by 500 hot takes in 30 seconds.

On LinkedIn, everyone sounded like a corporate robot. "I am thrilled to announce my synergy..." It just wasn't me.

I had a dozen profiles, six followers (three were my mom and two were my best friends), and zero energy. I was getting no "followers" online, let alone any traction in "real life." I was shouting into the void and getting nothing back but an echo.

I was ready to quit. I vented to a mentor, "I'm on every platform, and it's not working. Which one is the best?"

She looked at me and said something that completely changed my perspective: "You're asking the wrong question. There is no 'best' platform. The question is, 'Where are your people?' And just as importantly, 'What do you enjoy making?'"

It was an "aha!" moment.

I stopped looking for the platform with the most users and started thinking about where my ideal person would actually spend their time.

And I stopped trying to force myself to make content I hated.

I sat down and got honest.

Who am I talking to? I'm trying to reach busy professionals in their 30s and 40s who are interested in creative side-hustles.

Where do they hang out? Probably not on TikTok during their lunch break. They're likely on Instagram for inspiration and LinkedIn for professional identity.

What do I like to do? I hate making short-form videos. But I love writing. I love telling the story behind the project.

So, I made a new plan. I deleted the apps I hated. I decided to go all-in on just two platforms, but use them in a way that felt authentic to me.

I started using Instagram, but not for perfect, pretty pictures. I used it as a micro-blog. I'd post a simple, decent photo and write a long, thoughtful, honest caption—the kind of stuff I'd want to read.

And I started using LinkedIn, but I dropped the corporate-speak. I just wrote as... well, me. I shared my struggles, my small wins, and my process.

The change wasn't instant. The numbers didn't explode. But something better happened.

I got my first real comment. Not from a bot, but from a person. "This is exactly how I've been feeling," she wrote. Then, I got a DM. Then another.

I wasn't just collecting "followers" anymore. I was building a community.

Last month, I hosted my first "in-real-life" workshop. I was terrified no one would come. I posted about it to my small, engaged audience on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Twenty people showed up.

They weren't strangers. They were the people I had been talking to for months. They knew my stories. They asked about specific projects I'd posted about. We had real conversations.

I'd finally done it. I'd found my followers, and they'd followed me right into the real world. I stopped searching for the "best" platform and found my platform.