Good news: You're probably doing more right than you think. The problem isn't your effort — it's that the pieces aren't connected. This week, I introduce a framework that changes how you think about everything you're already doing. Plus, see how AI helped me this week and a 60-second marketing idea.

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— Ann Gynn

I’m constantly creating content and promoting online, but I’m not sure how it all connects to actual growth. It feels like I’m throwing spaghetti at the wall with my marketing. Is that just part of being the one who does everything, or is there a more strategic way to think about it?

You’re not alone that spaghetti feeling. It usually means your marketing activities aren't yet connected to a framework. Let's turn that spaghetti into a tasty meal.

To do that, forget the funnel.

Funnels are built for teams — one handles awareness, another handles conversion, and another handles retention. Since you are the throughline at every stage of the relationship, opt for a loop.

I call it the One-Person Marketing Cycle, and it has four stages:

ATTRACT: The ways your brand gets found can fill a long list. Content, social media, and SEO, yes. But also paid ads, in-person events, PR, speaking engagements, networking, and borrowed audiences like podcast guest spots or co-marketing with another creator. 

The channel matters less than what it does: Put you in front of people who are genuinely likely to become clients, subscribers, or even referrals. 

No matter which ATTRACT tactic you use, you are the differentiator. You're not just marketing a product or service. You're marketing your perspective, your voice, your expertise. That's what makes someone stop scrolling, open the email, or walk up to your booth.

CONVERT: Once you gain someone's attention, you must provide a clear path so they become a real lead, a subscriber, or a buyer. This is your call to action, your lead magnet, your welcome sequence, your pitch — but it's also your promotional offer, your event follow-up email, or the proposal you send after meeting someone in person. 

Most solo entrepreneurs underinvest here. You ATTRACT reasonably well but let warm prospects drift away because the next step isn't clear or compelling. If your marketing doesn’t lead to growth, the loop is broken.

RETAIN: Getting someone's attention once isn't marketing. Keeping it is. RETAIN encompasses what you do to stay in relationships with the prospects, clients, and subscribers after that first conversion. These tactics can include your newsletter, personal check-ins, community, follow-ups, and loyalty loops. That consistent presence reminds people you exist even when they're not ready to buy. 

Solo operators have a genuine edge over bigger brands at this stage. A personal touchpoint from a real person beats an automated sequence from a faceless company every time. And here's the thing: Retained clients and subscribers do something funnels can't manufacture.

They tell people.

AMPLIFY: Most solo marketers forget to AMPLIFY intentionally into their marketing. It happens when others market for you — referrals, testimonials, collaborations, repurposed content, word of mouth, and yes, press coverage and PR that gets shared and cited long after it runs. When RETAIN works, AMPLIFY happens naturally. 

But you can also accelerate it: Make it easy for happy customers and subscribers to refer you, ask for testimonials at the right moment, partner with other creators or businesses for cross-promotion. Every person who shares your work, recommends your services, or cites your content is doing ATTRACT work on your behalf — feeding new people into the top of the loop.

And then it starts again.

That's the key difference between a funnel and a cycle. A funnel ends with a transaction. A loop compounds. Each time someone moves through ATTRACT → CONVERT → RETAIN → AMPLIFY, the next rotation becomes easier and more powerful because you've built trust.

The next time you sit down to plan your marketing — whether that's a content calendar, an ad campaign, an event, or a PR pitch — ask yourself: Which stage of the loop am I feeding right now? If the answer is always (or mostly) ATTRACT, you've found your spaghetti problem. 

Got a question you’d like me to answer in a future edition of The Hotline? Call or text Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

This week: Draw the One-Person Marketing Cycle loop. Label each stage and write one thing you're currently doing in each. Then look for the stage with nothing written next to it. That's where to focus next.

I asked Claude (free version) to critique the Marketing By One newsletter from the target reader’s perspective and provided the newsletter home page. 

It provided an overall impression, highlighted what worked well, suggested areas for improvement, and shared big-picture takeaways.

Using a generative AI tool as a sounding board can be helpful, especially when you don’t work with another human who can give their feedback.

Have any AI tricks of your own? Hit reply, call, or text the Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

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Check your website on your phone — does it load quickly and look right?

If it doesn’t work well, get helpful optimization tips in this Bold Media article.

🧮 Test your budget before you spend it: Google’s Scenario Planner allows marketers to experiment with different budget scenarios and see real-time ROI estimates — no coding required.

📊 Rethinking what to measure: A few years ago, I wrote an article for the Content Marketing Institute about how measuring content marketing with PR metrics was a wrong move. As the industries have evolved, I’ve changed my mind. So, here’s the new version that tackles the goals and metrics for the five stages of the content marketing journey.

🛒 More channels ≠ more sales (automatically): It’s a little wordy, but Entrepreneur’s How To Sell More Online in 2026 talks about the value of multichannel e-commerce. But before you buy into the philosophy, read (and reread) this caveat: “only if operations don’t descend into chaos when new channels are added.”

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Got a question you’d like me to answer in The Hotline? Email me or DM me on LinkedIn. Even better: Text or leave a message on the Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.