The Algorithm Doesn’t Hate You
But don’t send it mixed signals, be direct with your intentions.
My recent post just got… 14 Likes?!
You poured your heart into a reel, hit “post” and proceeded to watch it tank. What’s really going on here?
Your first thought might be to point fingers at the algorithm, but the algorithm is doing what it’s supposed to do. It’s designed to deliver content to the relevant audience.
Social media apps want you to stay on their platform. If your content isn’t helping the platform keep the user on it, then it’s not going to be prioritized.
How the Algorithm ACTUALLY Works
Platforms like to focus on attention and interaction. We focus on a few key metrics: comments, shares, saves, and watch time/retention. Also consider how many DMs or messages you get from a piece of content.
The platforms reward attention. If you can hook a viewer, you’re winning.
What You Might Be Doing Wrong
You’re posting for yourself, not the people. It’s easy to get caught up in what you want to share and what you want to create. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to sell a product, sell services, or simply grow your personal brand, growth involves building community, and community consists of the people.
You’re inconsistent. Think of your favorite coffee shop. Would you still love it if the coffee was inconsistent - one day it’s a 10/10, the next it’s a 2/10, then a 6/10? People naturally gravitate towards consistency and showing up every time, so you must consider this when posting. The platforms like it too because it shows it that you came to play.
You’re creating “empty” content. This point might sting a little, but you might be posting content that’s exclusively following trends, not driving any conversation, or has no share-ability. Watch your recent videos from the perspective of someone not in your company or business, and really ask yourself - why should people care?
Do This Instead (This Stuff Works)
Focus on your retention and watch time. The longer someone watches your video, the more invested they are in it. That’s a good thing! If people aren’t making it past the first three seconds in your video, consider changing up your hooks.
Say less, be straight-up. Don’t ramble on, get straight to the point and cut the fluff. The fluff could be driving your audience away.
Encourage people to share or save. Have a call-to-action. “Share this post with someone who needs to check this out!” “Save this post and use it as inspo later!”
Be consistent, not perfect. I always tell my team to not let perfection get in the way of progress. Showing up, even if you’re at 60% what you usually are, is better than skipping completely (0%).
Become obsessed with your analytics. It’s hard to measure word-of-mouth impact with your content, but your analytics are true data that you can refer to. Your comments, your shares, your saves, your retention, your audience metrics - it’s all valuable when coming up with your ideas.
Here’s a Simple Strategy (Your Homework).
Each blog post, I give you all some homework to work on until our next session. This is a simple, straightforward strategy that is effective.
Step 1: Pick a few styles of content to create. Our content buckets are educational, entertainment, and behind-the-scenes, you can look at my personal Instagram account and see what I mean.
Step 2: Use a 4-3-2 system. 4 stories, 3 reels, and 2 carousels a week. Space these out so you have content to hit the entire week.
Step 3: Share across all platforms!
Want More Help With That?
The truth? The algorithm doesn’t hate you. But it’s not going to love you unless you start thinking like a creator and a strategist.
If you’re stuck trying to figure out why your content isn’t hitting, let’s talk. We help creators and brands build smarter content strategies that actually work — not just go viral once.
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