Context

This “repurpose for every platform” advice shows up anytime you Google “content strategy,” watch creator tutorials, or follow marketing Twitter. It resurfaced for me while configuring my Ghost blog’s auto-sharing: with one publish, I can push to Threads, X, LinkedIn, and Facebook; I can also repost long-form to Medium, put long video on YouTube, and share shortform to TikTok and Instagram.

Here’s my real constraint: I’m a 48-year-old single mom, ADHD, zero-to-one solo founder aiming for $1M business revenue by Jan 2, 2027. I’m building, learning, and experimenting in public. Consistency is hard; friction kills me. So I’m asking: Do I actually need to tailor content per platform right now—or is copy/paste distribution the better move for my stage and brain?

Principle/Advice Being Tested

“You must customize or repurpose your content for each platform; never just cross-post.”

Variations I hear:

• “LinkedIn ≠ TikTok; change tone, structure, and hook.”
• “Algorithms punish duplicate content.”
• “If you don’t go native, you’ll look lazy and won’t grow.”

Which Stage of Business This Applies To

• Mostly Wilderness → Struggling Boutique. You’ve got traction, a cadence, maybe helpers; you’re squeezing more juice via optimization.
• Rarely critical in Startup / Zero-to-One. Shipping and pipeline formation matter more than platform-specific polish at this stage.
• Lifestyle Boutique. Optimization becomes ops—teams tailor content as a standard practice.

(I’m at Zero-to-One with a 15-month clock.)

Principles (what this advice is trying to protect)

• Audience Fit. Different platforms cultivate different norms and expectations (vibe, length, tone, “what belongs here”).
• Native Format. Platforms privilege formats that feel built for them (e.g., short vertical video cadence; text-first threads; link friction).
• Optimization & Opportunity Cost. Tailoring can raise engagement/retention while respecting your finite attention.
• Signal Clarity. Tweaks can make the core idea clearer for that platform’s mental model (e.g., a numbered hook on LinkedIn vs. a pattern-interrupt visual on TikTok).

Realities (Global / Local / Personal)

• Global reality. Some level of platform difference exists: norms, UX, and feed mechanics aren’t identical. Tailoring can improve outcomes.
• Local reality (industry culture). Marketing pros teach repurposing as a best practice and often present it as mandatory—partly because their context includes teams, SOPs, and throughput targets.
• Personal reality (mine). I’m a solo ADHD founder with limited bandwidth and a high-urgency goal. For me, friction > optimization. A “copy/paste first” system keeps the pipeline alive and compounds assets. Tailoring is a later-stage lever.

Truth vs. Belief

• Likely true: Native formatting and platform-appropriate framing can increase reach and engagement.
• Belief (often smuggled in): “If you don’t tailor for every platform, you’ll fail.” That’s a blanket claim that ignores stage, capacity, and goal tradeoffs.
• What would make it true for me right now: Data showing that copy/paste materially underperforms and that tailoring doesn’t meaningfully raise friction.

Assumptions Baked In

• You have time, energy, or help to tailor every post.
• Marginal engagement gains matter more than publishing cadence.
• Your brand voice benefits from splitting into multiple micro-voices.
• The added complexity won’t jeopardize your consistency.
• Your goal is “maximize per-post reach,” not “maximize total shipped assets into a pipeline.”

Scripts Associated (what this advice can silently carry)

• “Cross-posting is lazy.”
• “Serious creators go native.”
• “The algorithm will punish you for duplicates.”
• “Every platform is a different universe; treat them as separate careers.”
  These scripts can induce shame and stall action—especially for neurodivergent founders who already battle friction.

How This Applies to Me (my PGQ/context lens)

• Stage: Zero-to-One with a 15-month moonshot.
• Anchor offer: $5/mo paid newsletter (translation layer).
• Pipeline spine: Blog → Free newsletter → Paid newsletter → Micro-products → Apps.
• Executive function reality: My success depends on small loops that are easy to repeat.
• Conclusion for now: Copy/paste distribution is signal because it reduces friction and increases total shipped assets. Tailoring across platforms is optional until data proves it’s worth the cost.

What I Can Pull From This (practical heuristics)

• Heuristic 1: At Zero-to-One, consistency beats optimization. Publish first; refine later.
• Heuristic 2: Every asset should point somewhere (always include a pipeline CTA).
• Heuristic 3: If tailoring happens, make it lightweight rules, not bespoke rewrites (e.g., add 1 line on LinkedIn for context; keep the asset the same).
• Heuristic 4: Revisit tailoring once I’m reliably shipping and seeing clear constraints (e.g., a channel systematically underperforms copy/paste).

Noise vs. Signal (for me, right now)

• Signal:
  • Copy/paste keeps the pipeline alive with minimal friction.
  • One CTA everywhere: “New here? Join the free newsletter → try the $5/mo translation layer.”
  • Batch on high-energy days; drip content out.
• Noise:
  • Feeling obligated to craft a unique post for every platform.
  • Delaying publication to “optimize.”
  • Shame language about cross-posting.

Decision / Conclusion (my take)

For my stage and constraints, copy/paste distribution is the right default. My job is to ship assets and move people along the pipeline. Tailoring per platform is a later upgrade I’ll only adopt if my own data makes a strong case.

Risks & Mitigations

• Risk: Lower engagement on certain platforms.
  • Mitigation: Accept lower per-post metrics if total shipped volume and pipeline conversions rise.
• Risk: Perception of “generic.”
  • Mitigation: Keep the content human, story-first, and mission-anchored; the voice carries.
• Risk: Missing platform-specific cultural moments.
  • Mitigation: Allow occasional manual tweaks when it’s easy and obvious (no complex workflows).

Minimum-Friction Distribution Rules (so I actually do it)

• Rule 1: Publish to blog first.
• Rule 2: Auto-share to Threads/X/LinkedIn/Facebook via Ghost.
• Rule 3: Post the same short video to TikTok & IG; same caption skeleton; one CTA.
• Rule 4: Repost long-form to Medium unchanged.
• Rule 5: Every post includes a single next step:
  • Free newsletter → Paid newsletter → (when ready) micro-product/app.

(This keeps “assets → pipeline” automatic.)

Success Signals I’ll Track (lightweight)

• Outputs: posts and videos shipped per week.
• Friction score: 0–5 after each publish (aim for downward trend).
• Pipeline moves: free subs gained, paid subs gained.
• Channel deltas: any platform consistently underperforming (to revisit later).
• Identity shift: monthly note—did this system make me feel more like Future Me?