Ending months of speculation, Palin announced Wednesday she would not seek the GOP nomination, but would work instead to support conservative candidates for the House, the Senate and the White House.

“Really, you don’t need a title to make a difference in this country. I think I’m proof of that,” she told Fox News host Greta Van Susteren.

{mosads}Palin said she chose to make her announcement in a low-key manner – releasing a statement through radio host Mark Levin – instead of holding a big news conference because she didn’t want a repeat of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) high-profile announcement on Tuesday that he was not running for president.

“This is not about me, and it’s not about Chris Christie,” she said.

Many of Palin’s fans took to social networks and the Internet after word broke Wednesday to express hurt and frustration that after keeping them waiting on a decision for months, she declined to announce her decision directly to supporters.

Palin also said she wasn’t surprised at presidential candidate and businessman Herman Cain’s recent rise in the polls.

“He has the business acumen. He’s pulled himself up from the bootstraps,” she said. “That’s the American story that so many of us our intrigued with and impressed with.”