Apply "Network Infiltration" on Substack Growth
"Like When you Scroll" is NOT my style
Enough is enough.
I feel nauseous. I’m not being dramatic. If you do something you know isn’t for you, you’ve probably felt this same sick feeling.
This is day three of me practicing the “proven” Substack growth playbook:
“Stay present. Write Notes. Interact with people. Like as you scroll. Ask for rec swaps. Ask for subscriptions…”
And it makes me feel like I’m walking into a random room of strangers, saying hi, and begging for attention. That is exactly what I hate. Exactly what I’m worst at since I was fertilized egg.
I’m usually the quietest Asian guy in the room.
But put me in a 1v1, deep conversation? Different animal. I can talk to anybody-nobody to billionaire, sports elites to top bananas. And when I’m on stage, I’m top of the top.
So yes: I believe the “like while you scroll” method is useful and practical. It’s just not for me. I’ll still do some “like while you scroll” (and yes, I might ask my poor assistant to do it sometimes).
But I want to try my way.
Network Infiltration—originally from Simon Black (2009). I got my Ph.D. in 2010, and I’ve been applying this since 2012.
As a dealmaker in my 20s and 30s, I usually didn’t have much in resources. So how do you land the best deals—and work with top guns (smart, sharp, and genuinely tough)? I wrote about how I practiced network infiltration across Europe, the U.S., LatAm, and Asia in my book in 2018.
What is Network Infiltration
Most “networking” advice is about being liked and collecting contacts. That’s small game. If you want real leverage, you don’t “network.” You enter a network and become a welcomed insider—by being valuable and trusted, not needy.
It’s a quantum leap from:
“I know people”
to“I’m inside the room where opportunities happen.”
The core model: Network → Nodes → Open Door
The model
1) Network
A network is a loose tribe of like-minded people/entities with mutual respect + shared traits (wealth/power/fame/knowledge/professional association, etc.).
2) Nodes
A few powerful members are the “nodes”—the centers of gravity.
3) Open door
To get in, you find the node’s “open door”: the normal way that node interacts with outsiders (often business).
Step-by-step (“infiltration” route)
Step 1 — Pick the right network, find the node, enter through the open door
Choose the target network carefully: shared interests, and you genuinely want to be around these people. DO NOT try to enter any network, which is full of shitty people only because they are rich and impactful. That is called suicide. Open doors often involve “pay to play” (time/money/attendance/fees). The author calls it an investment, not a bribe.
Nobody owes you anything.
You have to take action.
Sometimes you invest.
Step 2 — Get noticed via differentiation
Once you’re “through the door,” attention is not guaranteed.
The #1 factor is differentiation.
Key twist: you’re not trying to look “special.” You’re trying to look different from the general public—and sometimes similar to insiders.
Confidence + authenticity (be real; don’t cosplay a personality; don’t act like a fan)
Interesting experiences/stories that aren’t generic
Step 3 — Add value like it’s currency
This is the heart. Treats value as “the currency of karma.” Add value and you attract value. Be extractive and you get avoided.
Try against the “insurance salesman” vibe—people who hijack attention, extract, and disappear. Nodes run from that energy.
How to add value:
Be a problem solver
Show respect for the network; be respectable yourself; be trusted
Offer help casually, peer-to-peer. If it feels like ingratiation, it fails
Reliability: do what you say; don’t overpromise
Flexibility: operate without guaranteed outcomes; signal you can keep up
The goal is to become the kind of person where the node naturally says:
“I have a friend you should meet.”
Step 4 — Use the first node to reach more nodes
Once a key node trusts you, introductions start.
Then the process repeats—faster—because you’re vouched for.
Over time, you become a bona fide member.
Step 5 — Maintain presence, and be careful how you “use your bullet”
Relationships require maintenance. Once you’re in, you can’t disappear.
Also: don’t immediately start asking for stuff. Keep creating value, and opportunities show up organically.
And when opportunities arrive, choose carefully. The first big “yes” can lock your role/status in that network (employee vs partner, subordinate vs peer). Don’t jump at the first shiny thing.
The whole method collapses into three skills:
Find the node with the open door
Differentiate
Consistently add value
I am good at find right people who is extremely good, differetiate myself, and add value, keep add value, until someone throw the magic sentence:
“I have a friend called Billy H.“
If this doesn’t work, I’ll buy stomach medicine and go back to the “like while you scroll” method.
Cheers,
Billy.