Hello Friends,
Back in September I decided to post one reel/video/whatever every day to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and (occasionally) to Twitter/X and Threads.
Why?
Because I create content for a ton of social media accounts (for lots of different people) and one of the things I ALWAYS hear is that in order to “grow” an account and “be successful” (whatever that means), you need to post videos multiple times a week … even every day, if possible. There are lots of reasons, but the main idea is that videos are more popular than static images and that the more consistently you post those videos the more the algorithms will work in your favor AND the more likely your content will get in front of …
More.
And more.
And more.
And more.
… People.
Hm.
And so I realized I had a TON of content sitting on my computer (well over 200 podcast videos that are around 50 minutes a piece) that I could pull clips from to share to Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Would the theory be correct?
Would my content get in front of more people?
Would I see incredible growth?
Would my social media presence skyrocket?
Everybody asks me these questions all the time, so I set out to do what all the influencers say you need to do not so much to grow my accounts, mind you, but to have answers for people’s questions based upon my own experiences. Rather than give people theories and ideas about what this person says and that book or article says, I wanted to be able to say “this is what I did - not for a week or a month, but for 90 days in a row … for 1/4 of a year.”
And so what did I find out?
I found out that it’s all a bunch of bull, honestly; and that taking the time to create 90 videos to post over the course of 90 days was (honestly) a waste of my time and my energy - time and energy I could have put into creating other, newer content.
Did my accounts grow? Sure, but they didn’t ALL grow - Instagram grew a bit, Facebook not so much, Twitter/X/Threads saw the same sort of growth rate as before.
Did engagement go up? Yeah, but same as above - it varied on all the accounts, there was no real consistency.
Were there more likes as time went on? Kind of, but same - not much consistency across the board, it varied from platform to platform.
Did it all skyrocket like some of those “post 30 reels in 30 days” challenges promise? Not at all.
Was it all that different than what I normally see? Not dramatically or (as I said above) consistently.
And here’s the biggest thing - all the success that a handful of videos saw in terms of views and shares (for real - only 5 or 6 of the 90 “blew up” more so than usual) … it was all 100% random AND those videos did NOT perform the same on each platform.
For instance, about a month ago I chopped up a video I did with Elaine Pagels on the book of Revelation. I chose this one because it spoke to the Israel/Palestine conflict and how the book of Revelation is often manipulated and twisted in a way that encourages people to support Israel at all costs, no matter what, and justify “war on God’s behalf.”
Anyways.
So, I took THREE CLIPS from the same FIVE MINUTE SEGMENT of the video and posted them on THREE DIFFERENT DAYS to ALL the platforms.
So …
3 clips.
Taken from the same video.
From the same segment of the video.
Emphasizing the same idea.
… and only ONE OF the videos “took off” (if you can even call it that) to see over 2,000 views (on only 1 platform) whereas the other 2 hovered around 200 for a few weeks before seeing even a slight uptick.
AND.
(Get this.)
On Instagram I have 3,500 followers (the video got 2,000 views). On TikTok I have 1,400 followers (the video got 710 views). On Facebook I have 1,000 followers (the video got 104 views). On Twitter/X I have 15,100 followers (the video got 97 views). You do the math, right? Even though the video “blew up” in some ways on Instagram and even slightly so on TikTok … it didn’t come anywhere close to touching the amount of people who ALREADY follow me and SHOULD be able to see my content.
Why is this? It’s so irritating, isn’t it? Putting in the work to “grow” an account (like Twitter/X, for instance) to over 15,000 followers AND THEN have a video get seen by only 97 people.
After observing and digging and reading and watching other bigger and more popular accounts and asking the virtual gods the big questions of viritual life, what I learned is that the algorithms don’t really work in our favor - especially in the favor of those of us who are creating things.
This is because the algorithm’s main goal is to keep the VIEWER on the app and so it’s programmed to put content in front of them that will keep them scrolling to the next video over and over and over again so that they lose track of time and find that they’ve been on the app for 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, etc. This is how algorithms work, after all - this is why each social media platform has their own in place that “decides” what content gets put in front of its users (not to mention why each platform seems to operate differently and at random - they are all programmed differently, none are the same … AND they are always changing!).
My content, though?
And probably yours too?
We are creating content that will ultimately point people AWAY from the app. Am I right? My podcast clips, for instance, all invite people to click a link to go view the FULL video on YouTube or listen to the FULL episode on Spotify - my goal is to give people a snippet of what I’ve created and then invite them to go elsewhere to view more of it.
The same is true of musicians - “here’s a clip of my song, go HERE to listen to the whole thing or buy my record.”
And authors - “here’s a blurb about my book, go HERE to purchase it.”
Bloggers - “here’s a snippet of my post, go HERE to read the rest.”
Artists - “here’s a painting I made, go HERE to view my others!”
Small business owners - “here’s something I’m selling in my shop, go HERE to buy it.”
Realtors - “here’s a house I’m selling, click HERE to book an appointment with me.”
And so the algorithm, I discovered, works AGAINST us creators, not for us - if you’re pointing people AWAY from the app and TOWARDS a website that hosts the larger part of your work, the algorithm is designed to steer people away from your work because your work will direct people away from the app it’s designed to glue them to.
Phew.
Still following me?
In short, if you want to grow your account (number-wise, to get followers, likes, etc.) - don’t direct people away from the social media platform you’re sharing on. Do it occasionally, sure, but make sure the majority of your posts feed the Algorithm Monster a steady diet of what it’s looking for - content that will keep people scrolling.
Don’t consistently direct people AWAY from Instagram to buy your book.
Don’t consistently direct people AWAY from Facebook to your website.
Don’t consistently direct people AWAY from TikTok to your vlog.
Don’t consistently direct people anywhere except (maybe) to your profile page where they can engage more of your content on that same app.
And honestly, that works pretty well. I have a few reels that I posted NO links with and occasionally I will even post a regular/static image with NO links attached … and those posts always seem to “do better” when it comes to views, etc.
OH, and one more thing - lots of these platforms now allow you to “buy” a verification badge or give a certain amount of money every month to become an “insider-of-sorts” on that platform; and if you read the fine print of the agreements they usually promise that the stuff you post will magically get in front of more people if you sign up for their monthly subscription - “give us $15/month and we’ll make sure your content rises to the top of everyone else’s!”
Eh?
For instance, here’s a short blurb from Twitter/X’s website explaining the prioritization of subscriber content …
BUT.
And this is important (for me, anyway).
I mean … what’s the point of all of that, right? If you think about it, the algorithm is little more than a Digital Monster that is out to eat up the time of the creator who loves to create content all the while making sure his/her/their users are held in a virtual prison of sorts where they keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling - it wants nothing to do with creative heroes like you and me who are out to break the bars on those prison doors and free users from endless scrolling, inviting them into the world of something that we’ve poured our hearts into creating.
And I don’t know about you, but (honestly - and this is just for me, it DOES NOT need to be the same for you) I have little interest in battling a Digital Monster.
Amen?
For me, the world is filled with enough monsters that I’m trying to overcome (Monsters of Toxic Theology, Monsters of Hate, Monsters of Trauma, Monsters of Anxiety, Monsters of Depression, Monsters of Wars and Climate Crisis, and … you name it), and so a Digital Monster that is designed to hide my content and (ultimately) make me feel bad about my work because it’s not getting as many views as the next person’s … that isn’t a monster I’m interested in trying to defeat, especially when there is ZERO guarantee that my efforts will defeat it (even if I dedicate as much as 90+ days to doing what all the “influencers” say I need to do).
In other words, I have little interest in trying to create material that may or may not make my social media accounts bigger, BUT I do have a never-ending amount of desire to create content that comes from a holy place within me that will possibly help someone, somewhere feel less alone in their world and more confident in their existence.
Yes.
And so after 90 days I was faced with a decision that (perhaps) you are/will be faced with too …
Do you want to grow your accounts OR do want to thrive in the joy of creating things that come from the deepest place of your being?
Are you creating things just to see your follower count go up OR are you creating things because it comes from a joyful place within you, and brings you a sense of joy to see it set free into the world where it has the potential to set other people free from the things that ail them?
Are you creating things because you want to go viral OR are you creating things because you want to see it make an impact on someone, somewhere … whether it be 1 person who genuinely needs it or 10,000 who need it?
Do you want to invest energy in trying to manipulate the algorithm OR do you want to invest energy in creating things that bring YOU immense joy along with FREEDOM and HOPE and WONDER to the people who will come across it?
For me, I don’t really care about follower counts and views and likes and all the things. I used to, but I don’t anymore. If a post gets 1 like or 1,000 likes or 10 views or 10,000 views … it’s irrelevant to me because my goal isn’t to see a higher follower or like count, but to create content that comes from my heart and will (hopefully) inspire someone else in the same way that it inspired me.
1000x yes - I want to embrace the freedom to create without the pressure of feeling like I need to “grow” or “get more likes” or “be popular” or “go viral” or whatever.
And you know what? Maybe you’ll get lucky and go viral.
OR.
Maybe you’ll post 10,000 things over the course of years and years and years and barely see any movement in your follower count.
BUT, either way - you’ve gotta know what you want, what your goals are; and you’ve gotta know that (whatever you choose) the algorithm isn’t going to work in your favor if you point people away from it’s platform, but will do it’s best to wear you down and make you cave to the pressure of keeping people on it’s app so that you can get more followers, more likes, and more things that do little more than give you a temporary dopamine high (as science has proven that “likes” and an “uptick in followers” does).
Anyways.
That’s what I’ve learned from my 90 videos in 90 days experiment. And this isn’t everyone’s experience, I realize - everyone is different. Some people are creators who point people away from apps and DO have a massive following - authors, musicians, etc. Those people were able to ride the wave of the algorithm (combined, in many instances, with people already being familiar with their work outside of social media - already having read their books, heard them speak, etc.) and slay the beast and … good for them, right? I have lots of friends who find themselves in that place and I’m happy for them.
BUT.
That’s not the norm, it will not happen for everyone, it likely won’t happen for you and me … and it is in NO WAY a reflection on your work, but on the algorithm that is designed to keep your work in the background and keep users on it’s app.
All that to say: know the thing inside of you that brings you joy to create and then work from that place to create things that will help other people and make the world a better place, regardless of how many people follow you, like it, etc. - that’s my advice.
Don't sweat the followers and likes and views and all the things; create what makes YOU happy because the joy it brings you is magnetic and will draw people in - people will find your work and be drawn to your work and be changed and impacted by your work, regardless of how strong the algorithm may be.
Much love.
Glenn || SUPPORT
“Know the thing inside of you that brings you joy to create and then work from that place to create things that will help other people and make the world a better place, regardless of how many people follow you, like it, etc.” ... Amen