The Quiet Cult of You

Hey honeys and hustlers,

Most writers do not want to become on-camera personalities. Many do not even want to be perceived as such. Yet across newsrooms, digital magazines, and creator businesses, there is a growing expectation that every byline should also be a face, and that every story should be “packaged” into short-form video to compete with video-first platforms. That pressure is understandable. Video is rewarded by algorithms. Video is sticky. Video can feel like the fastest path to scale. But it is not the only path to parasocial closeness. I’ve written the non-video creator’s guide to digital marketing, and this feels like a part 2 to that discussion.

Parasocial relationships are not created by cameras. They are created by consistent proximity and meaningful specificity. They happen when audiences feel like they know the mind behind the work, when they recognize patterns of taste and values, and when they can reliably return for another “dose” of the writer’s perspective. Text and audio can do this extremely well, often with less performance anxiety and more control than video.

If you are a writer trying to build a fandom without becoming a short-form creator, the goal is not to imitate the vibe of TikTok. The goal is to build the conditions that make a reader think:

That is the parasocial engine. And it can be built through newsletters, essays, podcasts, and community touchpoints such as social media posts and events.

Below are realistic ways writers can do this, plus what makes people like Simon Owens, Lia Haberman, and Danielle Corbett (Grants for Creators) so effective.

People often describe parasocial relationships as if they are purely emotional. In practice, they are built through craft. There are 5 elements that (I think) reliably create closeness without video.

One of the fastest ways to become “someone people follow” is not to share more of your life. It is to become a trustworthy filter. A filter is a repeatable pattern:

Simon Owens is a great example here because the work is not “about Simon.” It is about Simon’s media brain. Readers return because they want that brain to process the media industry for them. He writes The Long Story, a weekly newsletter that curates the “best long-form journalism he read that week.” When the format is consistent, the personality becomes legible.

Closeness is often just reliability over time. Not because readers are entitled to you, but because humans bond with what they can count on. A weekly newsletter sent at the same time each day of the week builds familiarity. A monthly audio episode builds ritual. Even a quarterly “big essay” can build anticipation if you signal it clearly. Choose a cadence you can keep on your worst week. Then keep it long enough for people to form the habit.

A lot of “content” feels disposable because it is generic. Parasocial attachment grows when someone writes with sharp, lived-in specificity. Lia Haberman’s newsletter, ICYMI, is useful because it is concrete. It helps people do something and understand shifts in social platforms with enough detail to feel grounded.

Many writers resist parasocial dynamics because they associate them with oversharing. You do not have to overshare to feel accessible. The trick is to offer a window:

Danielle Corbett’s Grants for Creators succeeds because it gives creators access to a world that is usually opaque. It is not just information. It is a window into the logic of grants, applications, eligibility, and strategy. Share your process, not your private life.

This creates intimacy without vulnerability hangovers.

Video platforms have built-in feedback loops: comments, duets, stitches, and rapid iteration. Newsletters can feel one-way unless you deliberately design a loop. The simplest parasocial superpower for writers is: answering people back. You won’t believe how many people simply don’t respond to comments or emails. Not every email. Not forever. But enough that readers feel like there is a living person on the other side. Once readers see you respond, they begin to write to you, not just at you. That shift is a relationship.

Think of parasocial closeness as a system with inputs you control. A repeatable voice. A predictable cadence (daily or weekly). A clear point of view. A sense of access, not intimacy, access. A feedback loop that makes readers feel seen. Video is just one format that can deliver these inputs. Text and audio can also deliver all five. The “stack” that tends to work best for non-video creators looks like this:

You don’t have to do everything. You can start with one home base and then add one amplifier. Simon Owens, Lia Haberman, and Danielle Corbett show that fandom is not reserved for entertainers. It is available to anyone who can become a trusted guide. If video is not how you show up best, that is not a liability. It is a constraint that can sharpen your system. Text and audio can still make people feel like they know you. And when people feel like they know you, they stick around.