Horizons Pod with Nate Desmond

Growing A Brand To 1.2M Social Followers with Andrew Littlefield | Horizons Podcast


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Andrew Littlefield is a content marketing veteran who's helped build audiences from scratch at multiple startups and established brands, including the robotic tiny homes company Ori.

Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…

1/ 🎯 Content Success = More At-BatsThe key to content marketing isn't perfection—it's volume of attempts. Like baseball, even Hall of Famers only succeed 1/3 of the time. Focus on getting more "at-bats" by publishing frequently and experimenting constantly, rather than trying to make every piece perfect.2/ 🌱 Early Success Signs MatterWhen something's really working, you'll often see clear positive signals very early—like unexpectedly high engagement or enthusiastic audience feedback. Don't waste months trying to force mediocre results when you could be exploring new directions.3/ 🎨 Hire for Hunger, Not Credentials Look for candidates who show creativity, attention to detail, and drive to succeed—regardless of their educational background. Hidden application instructions (like "use the word 'wiggle' in your cover letter") help identify detail-oriented folks who'll go the extra mile.4/ 📊 Blog Strategy = Compound InterestDon't chase viral hits. Build a library of solid content that each brings in steady traffic. 100 posts getting 5 views/day > 1 post getting 100 views/day. The cumulative effect compounds over time as your content library grows.5/ 🎬 Search > SocialPrioritize platforms where users actively search for solutions (like YouTube) over pure social feeds. Search-based content has longer shelf life and attracts more intentional audiences seeking specific solutions.6/ 🎭 Gate StrategicallySave gating for truly valuable, exclusive content like live events or original research. The bar for what people will trade their contact info for has risen dramatically—make sure you're offering genuine value.7/ 🔄 Adapt or DieWhat works in content marketing constantly evolves. Be ready to abandon strategies that stop working and experiment with new approaches. Success comes from staying flexible and responsive to changing audience behaviors.8/ 🎯 B2B2C MarketingSometimes the path to B2B success requires building consumer demand first. Create broad awareness and desire for your product among end users to drive business customer adoption.

Where to find Andrew Littlefield:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlittlefield/

* X: https://x.com/fsuandrew

In this episode, we cover:

00:00 Introduction and Background 05:26 Early Successes in Marketing 09:05 The Recipe for Success in Content Marketing 15:18 Iterating and Adapting Strategies 16:08 The Addiction of Content Creation 19:50 Navigating the Content Marketing Landscape 22:43 The Art of Experimentation in Marketing 27:01 Overcoming Barriers to Creativity 29:47 Accountability in Pursuing Dreams 35:36 The Early Days of Marketing at We Did It 44:04 The Persistence of Ideas 45:24 Identifying Winning Strategies 47:21 Building a Talented Team 49:34 Innovative Hiring Practices 52:30 The Value of Hunger in Candidates 57:18 Gated vs. Ungated Content 01:03:24 The B2B2C Approach to Marketing 01:03:53 Lightning Round Insights

Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them.



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Horizons Pod with Nate DesmondBy Marketing insights from the cutting edge of growth