Shanae argues that limited funds forced MedSnake Media to build an organic audience, which became an advantage rather than a handicap. Paid advertising can be layered onto an organic brand, but a business dependent only on ads must keep paying to retain attention.

Lack of advertising money forced resourceful organic growth
Organic content accumulated trust and community
Paid advertising can amplify an existing organic brand
Paid-only acquisition stops when spending stops
Customer focus and adaptation matter more than expensive launch polish

“it's very difficult to sustain something with only paid ads”
Shanae Murray · 30:00

#organic marketing#paid ads#brand trust#community

Explainer· 2

Explainer31:30

Why Growth Academy Became More Than a Video Course

Research convinced Shanae that videos alone would not ensure implementation. Growth Academy therefore combined more than 40 lessons with weekly live training, recordings, a Slack community, daily tips, growth tracking, and peer networking in English and Spanish groups.

A video library transfers knowledge but does not ensure action
Weekly live sessions provide direct guidance
Recordings preserve access for members who cannot attend
Growth tracking and daily tips add accountability
A private community adds peer learning and networking

“people buy courses but what's a course like you really watch videos and stuff and like who's going to be there telling you to apply”
Shanae Murray · 31:30

#online course#accountability#community#education

Explainer40:30

Why Relatable Stories Travel Further Than Information

Shanae receives stories from people who want workplace experiences shared without being identified. She says a simple, relatable conflict can connect widely because narrative is more memorable than information and lets creators add perspective without pretending every experience happened to them.

Community members submit workplace experiences for anonymous sharing
Creators can use other people's stories with appropriate privacy
Relatability matters more than extraordinary circumstances
A creator can add perspective and a call to action
Narrative improves memory and connection

“i get probably hundreds of messages a week with people being like hey can you please share this story on my behalf”
Shanae Murray · 41:00

“if you position something as a story it's gonna be more likely to be remembered”
Shanae Murray · 42:30

#storytelling#relatability#workplace#content

Story· 4

Story04:00

Why Shanae's Mother Refused to Treat Her as Sick

Shanae describes hospitals as places of healing because cancer treatment was normal during her earliest years. She credits her mother's decision to discipline and encourage her like a healthy child with strengthening her psychologically through treatment.

Shanae was diagnosed so young that treatment felt normal
Her lead doctor advised her mother not to treat her as sick
Her mother hid her devastation and emphasized that the condition was temporary
Shanae believes physical health is connected to mental outlook

“the doctor that was on my case the lead doctor he advised her to not treat me like i was sick”
Shanae Murray · 05:30

“she would always kind of tell me like okay this is like temporary you're gonna get stronger”
Shanae Murray · 06:00

#childhood cancer#parenting#resilience#mindset

Story09:30

The Hospital Ultimatum That Ended Shanae's Job

While Shanae's premature daughter spent 14 days in hospital with influenza complications, her boss demanded that she find someone else to stay or lose her job. Shanae chose her daughter and decided to pursue work she could do from home, accepting that the worst case was moving in with her mother and finding another job.

Her daughter had been in daycare for roughly 12 hours a day
Her boss pushed for her return while she was the primary caretaker
The ultimatum exposed the limits of her job and finances
She defined the downside and committed to testing an online path

“find somebody that can stay with her like you know return or like lose lose your job”
Shanae Murray · 10:30

“i'm tired of like the limitations of my life”
Shanae Murray · 11:00

#career change#single parent#risk#entrepreneurship

Story25:00

Recurring Referrals Revealed a One-Stop-Shop Opportunity

Shanae's future co-founder handled medical billing and credentialing, then repeatedly received marketing requests from facilities becoming operational. She referred those prospects to Shanae until they recognized that the adjacent services could form a single business.

The co-founders first connected through LinkedIn content
Medical billing clients repeatedly asked for marketing help
The future co-founder initially referred those requests to Shanae
The recurring handoff inspired a combined service

“they would always ask her like okay we're ready for marketing do you do that too”
Shanae Murray · 25:00

“why isn't there like a one-stop shop for all this so that's what we created”
Shanae Murray · 25:30

#cofounder#partnership#service design#healthcare

Story38:30

The Gen Z Post Went Viral for an Unexpected Reason

Shanae initially assumed younger people drove the reach of her post about giving an inexperienced intern a chance. Share commentary showed that older readers were also spreading it to thank the managers who gave them their first opportunity, giving the message cross-generational meaning.

The LinkedIn post earned more than 12 million views
A screenshot later spread widely on Facebook
Shanae's first explanation focused only on Gen Z sharing
Older readers reframed it as gratitude toward their first managers
Share commentary revealed the broader emotional mechanism

“i thought it was because it was like about gen z”
Shanae Murray · 38:30

“a lot of the older people were resharing it and saying i'll never forget my first manager that gave me an opportunity”
Shanae Murray · 39:00

#virality#gen z#opportunity#audience insight

Takeaway· 3

Takeaway19:30

Personal Experience Became Shanae's Healthcare Advantage

Shanae combined her love of writing with firsthand familiarity with healthcare to differentiate her agency. That domain understanding mattered because patient acquisition changes significantly across Medicaid, private-pay, and private-insurance audiences.

She moved from pre-med toward writing and marketing
Her healthcare story made the niche memorable
Facilities disliked having to educate generalist marketers about healthcare
Different payment groups require different marketing approaches
Domain understanding opened doors before sales meetings proved proficiency

“with copywriting you have to write what you know what you're passionate about”
Shanae Murray · 21:30

“i really understood healthcare when a lot of marketers and stuff didn't”
Shanae Murray · 21:30

#healthcare marketing#positioning#domain expertise#copywriting

Takeaway26:00

You Do Not Need a Perfect Brand to Win the First Client

Shanae's first significant LinkedIn client arrived before she was sure the business even had a website. The initial copy project impressed the client's wife and expanded into a retainer, showing that demonstrated work can matter more than polished launch assets.

The prospect initiated contact through LinkedIn
A website was not necessary to begin the engagement
The first deliverable created internal word of mouth
Strong work expanded a project into a retainer
Branding assets are not the same as a trusted brand

“i don't even know if we had a website already”
Shanae Murray · 26:00

“that's how they got us on retainer because she loved it”
Shanae Murray · 26:30

#first client#branding#execution#client work

Takeaway46:00

Viral Reach Does Not Become Revenue by Itself

LinkedIn does not directly pay creators for a viral post in the way YouTube can. Revenue comes when creators identify relevant viewers, respond promptly, optimize the profile for the intended buyer, and move qualified interest into a sales conversation off-platform.

LinkedIn virality primarily creates lead volume rather than platform income
Only a tiny fraction of a large audience needs to be qualified
Profile optimization gives visitors a reason to inquire
Fast replies preserve the opportunity
Phone and business-development skills determine conversion

“it's mostly from leads it's not like youtube where they're gonna pay”
Shanae Murray · 46:00

“you have to really take it off of linkedin”
Shanae Murray · 47:00

#lead generation#linkedin#sales#conversion

Frameworks in this episode

Audience Feedback Doubling Loop

Consistency-to-Virality Ladder

Empowering Vulnerability Boundary

Expectation-Referral Flywheel

Proof-Before-Pitch Launch

Recurring-Need Demand Test

Insights & moments

◆Hot Take· 1

An Organic Brand Is Harder to Replace Than Paid Reach

✶Explainer· 2