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Why Most Creators Quit Right Before Growth (And How to Avoid It)
Why do most creators quit right before growth? Learn why social media growth feels slow, how plateaus work, and what to do before giving up.
Nikhil Wad
January 16, 2026
In partnership with
Most creators don’t fail.
They leave too early.
Not because they’re bad.
Not because their content is useless.
But because growth didn’t arrive when they expected it to.
And social media is very good at testing patience.
Why AI Isn’t Replacing Affiliate Marketing After All
“AI will make affiliate marketing irrelevant.”
Our new research shows the opposite.
Levanta surveyed 1,000 US consumers to understand how AI is influencing the buying journey. The findings reveal a clear pattern: shoppers use AI tools to explore options, but they continue to rely on human-driven content before making a purchase.
Here is what the data shows:
Less than 10% of shoppers click AI-recommended links
Nearly 87% discover products on social platforms or blogs before purchasing on marketplaces
Review sites rank higher in trust than AI assistants
Growth Is Quiet Before It’s Obvious
We’re conditioned to expect instant feedback:
Post → likes
Effort → results
Work → validation
But real growth doesn’t work like that.
On social media:
Progress is invisible first
Momentum builds silently
Results show up after consistency
Most creators quit in the silent phase.
The “Nothing Is Working” Phase Is Normal
There’s a stage every creator hits:
Views feel stuck
Engagement plateaus
Motivation dips
Self-doubt rises
This phase feels like failure—but it’s actually incubation.
Algorithms are still:
Learning your audience
Testing distribution
Collecting behavior data
Leaving now resets everything.
Consistency Creates Delayed Rewards
Social media growth is non-linear.
You don’t grow a little every day.
You grow slowly—then suddenly.
Why?
Because:
Familiarity compounds
Trust stacks
Distribution expands in batches
Quitting early cuts off compounding right before it pays.
Comparison Speeds Up Quitting
Creators quit faster when they compare:
Day 30 vs someone’s year 3
Their behind-the-scenes vs others’ highlights
Their learning curve vs others’ results
You don’t see:
How long others struggled
How many posts failed
How many times they wanted to quit
Comparison makes patience feel pointless.
The Algorithm Tests Commitment
Algorithms don’t reward potential.
They reward signals.
Consistency signals:
Seriousness
Predictability
Audience alignment
When creators disappear during slow phases, platforms assume:
“This creator isn’t reliable.”
Staying is what earns trust.
Why “Almost There” Feels the Worst
Right before growth:
Effort feels high
Rewards feel low
Progress feels invisible
That tension pushes creators to:
Switch niches
Change platforms
Start over
Quit completely
But “almost” is often closer than it feels.
The Only Question That Matters
Not:
“Why isn’t this working?”
But:
“Am I willing to stay long enough for it to work?”
Most creators answer “no” too soon.
How to Avoid Quitting Too Early
Do three simple things:
Commit to a time frame, not results (90 days minimum)
Track consistency, not metrics
Focus on improving clarity, not chasing virality
Growth rewards endurance.
The Takeaway
Most creators don’t lose because they lack talent.
They lose because they quit during the boring middle.
If you’re in that phase right now:
You’re not behind.
You’re early.
Stay.
See you in the next edition of Social Media Growth Guide 🚀
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