The Netflix Blueprint for Content

Netflix co-founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph figured out something profound about human psychology: we don't just want good content—we want connected content. Content that pulls us into a larger story.

Here's the problem: most creators publish like they're curating a playlist. Individual songs with no connecting theme. There's no connecting thread, no narrative building, no reason to stick around for what comes next.

But the creators who build a loyal audience? They think like series writers. Every piece of content serves a larger story that makes the next piece feel necessary. We call this—content magnetism.

Content Magnetism

When your audience feels drawn to your next piece, you've created content magnetism. Netflix discovered this early on—viewers who watched three episodes of a series almost always finished the entire season.

The key insight: binge behavior wasn't just about episode quality. Quality got people watching, but emotional investment kept them watching. Once viewers cared about the characters and outcomes, stopping felt unnatural.

You see this everywhere now, most notably with clips. Creators and entrepreneurs are clipping their long-form content to build engagement and create anticipation. Watch a 60-second clip and suddenly you need to see the full video. The clip was designed for you to desire more.

Your content needs to create this same pull. Every piece should make the next piece feel necessary.

The Psychology of Content Magnetism

Most creators focus entirely on making each piece excellent in isolation.

This creates a hidden problem: when everything stands alone, nothing connects.

The fix: keep creating excellent content, but start weaving it together.

Joe Rogan does this instinctively. He'll reference a guest from episodes back, build on points from last month, mention ideas developing across multiple shows. His audience becomes insiders in an ongoing conversation.

Ali Abdaal does this across his entire content ecosystem. His productivity videos reference his medical school experience, connect to his entrepreneurship journey, and build on previous experiments. Each piece works alone but gains power from the larger narrative of "doctor turned creator testing what actually works in real life."

Your content needs this same magnetic pull.

Build Your Content World

Information is everywhere. Your evolving perspective isn't.

Alex Hormozi gets this. His content isn't just business advice—it's real-time documentation of someone learning. The broke gym owner who figured out acquisitions, scaled to $100M, made new mistakes at that level. His audience follows the thinking as it develops.

Shopify scales this approach with their merchant spotlights. Instead of generic e-commerce tips, they follow actual store owners across months. Sarah's jewelry business grows from $1K to $100K monthly. David pivots his drop-shipping strategy after two failed attempts. The audience gets invested in real outcomes.

This works because we're wired for narrative. When content builds toward something larger, we need to know what comes next.

Put It Into Practice

Three immediate changes you can make:

Reference your own content. When you mention a principle, say "like I talked about last week" or "remember that client story from Tuesday." Most creators act like each piece exists in a vacuum. Stop doing that.

End with open loops. Don't wrap everything up neatly. "This raises an interesting question about team dynamics that I'll explore next week" or "But there's one problem with this approach I learned the hard way." Give people a reason to come back.

Document your thinking in real time. Share the process, not just the result. "I used to believe X, but this client made me realize Y" or "Here's what I'm testing now and why." Let people see your mind change.

The goal: make your next piece feel necessary, not optional.

— Sir Earnsworth, Earnie, & all your friends at Earn the Click

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