Why Linktree Pimps Your Audience & Why Go HighLevel Wins
If you’re an artist, creator, or entrepreneur still rocking Linktree in your bio—stop. You’re being pimped, and you don’t even know it. In the latest Scale to Sale x Purpose Chasers crossover, Bud Heaton interviews Mark Crandall on why Linktree is dangerous, why Go HighLevel is still the greatest all-in-one marketing platform, and the exact strategies Mark is running right now with Produced by Nef’s digital assets .
Mark’s journey took him from scaling roofing and solar companies to helping hip-hop producers, engineers, and artists escape digital sharecropping. When he entered the music industry, he was shocked: 90%+ of creators were using Linktree. That’s when the mission became clear—help artists own their names, domains, and data .
Watch the FULL Interview on YouTube:
The Anti-Linktree Warning
Here’s the blunt truth:
Linktree owns your traffic. They track your audience, not you. They sell that data to ticketing companies, venues, and ad platforms.
In other words—you’re doing the work, they’re cashing the check .
Mark puts it plainly: “You’re being pimped.”
Why a “Junk Drawer” Bio Fails
A confused mind says no. When your bio has 10+ random links, you’re overwhelming your audience. Instead of guiding them toward one action—buying merch, signing up for your email list, or streaming your new track—you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall .
The Solution: Own Your Domain
Owning your own website isn’t complicated. For the cost of a coffee and a sandwich, you can:
Buy yourname.com
Connect it to a landing page or funnel
Start collecting data you actually own
With Go HighLevel, Scale to Sale can transition you off Linktree in under 72 hours—with blogs, email automations, and tracking pixels baked in .
Want to see how this plays out in real life? I break down why showing up first in Google for your own name is non-negotiable, and how to make it happen even if you’re not an SEO nerd, in Own Your Name Online: Musician SEO.
Ready to stop renting eyeballs? Spin up your own landing page, email automations, and CRM under one roof. Start your 14-day free trial of Go HighLevel here and see how fast you can take control of your traffic.
Why Go HighLevel Wins
Mark has been inside Go HighLevel since day one and has even interviewed the founder . Here’s why he still calls it the best all-in-one:
Drag-and-drop landing pages (goodbye Linktree)
Built-in CRM and automations
Email and text marketing under one roof
SEO-friendly blogging for authority building
This isn’t theory—it’s how Produced by Nef is building his music brand online right now .
The Produced by Nef MarketingPlaybook
Mark shares what’s working in real time with Produced by Nef:
Moving from Linktree to a custom domain funnel
Embedding YouTube reels and Spotify players
Running giveaways inside fan communities that double as data-collection engines
Converting that traffic into long-term SEO authority
This strategy shifts artists from “renting eyeballs” to owning digital real estate.
See how this strategy has launched Produced by Nef. And if you’re in hip-hop, or any genre that lives online—you need a blueprint you can actually swipe. That’s exactly what I put together in Artist SEO Blueprint: Hip Hop.
This isn’t theory—it’s the exact system Produced by Nef is using to build his brand online. You can do the same. Test drive the platform with a 14-day free trial of Go HighLevel right here.
Why Small Email Lists Beat Big Follows
Bud and Mark agree: an email list of 50 can make you more money than 10,000 untracked followers . Email = trust. Trust = sales. You can’t cash in likes, but you can sell albums, merch, and tickets to a nurtured email list.
Distribution Is the New Record Label
Record labels controlled distribution. Now? SEO + owned domains = modern distribution.
When you own your traffic and data, you can:
Retarget fans with ads
Launch albums without begging for playlist spots
Build a career without getting pimped by platforms .
A Simpler SEO Rule
Open Google. Type in “elephants making muffins.” Whoever shows up first wins. That’s SEO.
Your name should be the one showing up—not Linktree’s .
Real Strategies You Can Swipe
Here’s what to implement today:
Step 1: Buy your domain (cheap and fast). Move your bio link traffic to your own landing page.
Step 2: Add a single CTA: join your email list, stream your single, buy your merch.
Step 3: Set up tracking (Google Analytics, FB Pixel).
Step 4: Drop blogs and embeds to rank for your name and projects
Step 5: Run retargeting ads from your collected data for launches!
Your website/landing page is your stage, it’s where fans decide whether to lean in or bounce. If you’re still sending people to a digital junk drawer, you’re losing conversions.
Check out my breakdown of how to design a simple, money-making page in Own Your Turf: Artist Landing Page.
When you OWN your site data. You can use it to contact your fans on command.
The Giveaway Hack
Want to hype your next release? Run a giveaway inside your fan Facebook group where entry requires clicking through a blog or landing page. This builds excitement and collects data at the same time .
The Purpose Chasers Distribution Channel
When artists don’t care about owning their data, Mark does. That’s why the Purpose Chasers platform is becoming its own distribution channel, capturing and repurposing audience data to grow reach across music and entrepreneurship .
If you’re ready to stop getting pimped by Linktree and start owning your digital assets, book a free Organic Audit with Scale to Sale Consulting.
🎧 Listen to the full episode: Bud Heaton Interviews Mark Crandall on the Dangers of Linktree & Why Go HighLevel Wins (embed Spotify/YouTube here).
Linktree isn’t a tool, it’s a trap. Stop renting eyeballs. Start owning your brand.
LinkTree pimps your audience. Go HighLevel gives you the keys. Take control today with a free 14-day trial through my link and watch how quickly you can flip the switch on your own digital empire.
