In 2024, my Meta ad account got hacked. Someone ran $4,000 in fraudulent ads in a matter of minutes. Gone. And Meta's response was essentially: sorry, not our problem.
I haven't run a paid ad since.
That decision has cost me some growth, no question. But something else happened too. Without ads as a crutch, I had to think differently about how to build this brand. And the answer I kept coming back to was the same one: the community. The Hunky Tribe.
Every dollar I would have handed to Zuckerberg, I'd rather put directly in your pocket.
Last May I tested that idea with the Flexathon. One month, flex poses, the Tribe showed up. This year I'm making it a permanent, monthly thing.
Introducing: Hunky of the Month
Every month, I'll pick one published photo from that month's submissions and name that person Hunky of the Month. The winner gets $50 in store credit toward their next Hunky Top. That's a real shirt, basically on the house.
At the start of each new month, I'll announce the winner right here on the blog and reveal the theme for the new month. That's the cadence, every month, on repeat.
How do I pick? Three things:
Hunky Tribe Energy: Does this photo feel like the Tribe? Does it have that thing? You know it when you see it.
Authenticity: Are you showing up as yourself? Confidence, realness, presence. That's what this community is built on.
Theme: How well, and how creatively, did you interpret the month's theme?
And just for getting published
Every photo that makes it onto the gallery earns you $1 in store credit. Submit every month, keep getting published, and that balance adds up. There are no losers in the Hunky Tribe.
May's Theme: Outdoor Season
The theme for May is simple: get outside. Park, rooftop, backyard, beach, wherever. Show me your Hunky Top in its natural summer habitat. Submissions are open through May 31.
How to Enter
- Put on your Hunky Tops gear.
- Head outside — anywhere works. Your backyard, the park, a rooftop, the beach.
- Take a photo. Selfie, friend shot, whatever feels natural.
- Go to the Hunky Tribe Gallery and hit Submit.
That's it. No hashtags, no tagging, no algorithm games. Just you, your shirt, and the sun.
Full contest rules are here.
Stay Hunky.
