Read on Twitter
I've been part of the #WritingCommunity for 14 months. It's been a great experience, and it's awesome how people here work so hard to support each other. But what if, despite our best intentions, our hard work here is actually counter-productive? Let's talk about #WriterLifts. 1/
I'll admit it, I've played the numbers game. I'm just as guilty as anyone else. It's addicting trying to add followers and hit milestones. And we all want to build our platform, as well as make genuine connections. I'm not here to point fingers or shame anyone. 2/
Lately I've been doing some research on how social media platforms function, what makes their algorithms work, and how best to utilize these systems. And the fact of the matter is, #WritingCommunity, we're doing it wrong. As it turns out, WriterLifts are not very helpful. 3/
Let me explain: Platforms like Twitter and Instagram use algorithms to decide which posts appear on your feed, and while complex, those algorithms heavily prioritize user interactions. Engagement. Every time you Like, Comment, or RT a post, the system logs that connection. 4/
The algorithm sees which users you interact with the most, and it prioritizes their posts on your feed. Computers can keep up with huge amounts of data, but there's a limit to how many people we humans can engage with online each day. Keep that in mind, I'll get back to this. 5/
Now think about how WriterLifts function. It's a quid pro quo. You go out and follow thousands of people in the hope they follow you back in return. Using this method, over time, you can grow your Follower list substantially. But there's a fatal flaw in this strategy. 6/
While growing your followER count, you're also, simultaneously, greatly increasing your followING count. Do you see the problem yet? Think back to how the algorithm works, based heavily on engagement. 7/
The end result of your months and months of hard work on WriterLifts to build up your followers is... the creation of thousands of "ghost followers." 8/
If you're following 12k people, like I am, it becomes impossible to keep up with everyone. It's too many people to maintain engagement with. And with no connections being logged by the algorithm, you become essentially invisible to your followers. They stop seeing your posts. 9/
Adding thousands of followers with this method is, essentially, useless. As I have come to discover first hand. I've seen virtually no increase in my Impressions/Analytics since I crossed 5K followers, and I'm at 16.4k now. I likely have 10 to 12K ghost followers, at least. 10/
So, you're probably asking, if WriterLifts don't actually help people build platforms, what should we do instead? Below I'll list out some tips and steps that I'm beginning to implement on my account. 11/
The end goal is to have a vibrant, active account, with followers who are highly engaged with your content. There is no shortcut to this, it has to be achieved organically. 12/
So the first step is: unfollow a lot of people. Ideally you don't want to follow more than a couple thousand people, in order to maintain engagement. So who should you unfollow? 13/
Unfollow ppl who follow drastically more people than they have following them. If someone is spamming the forum with follow-requests and is following multi-thousands, chances are they'll never see your posts anyway. Dump them. 14/
Unfollow anyone whose content doesn't actually interest you. If you're never going to Like or Comment on someone's posts, there's no point in following them, because they algorithm will make them invisible to you anyway. 15/
Unfollow inactive accounts. If it's been several weeks or months since someone has posted, dump them. 16/
Unfollow anyone who isn't following you back. Unless you're a celebrity or an influencer, if it's just a one-way connection, chances are there won't be enough engagement to stimulate the algorithm anyway, so dump your non-followers. 17/
Once you have your Following list purged of everyone but your most frequent engagers, shift your account away from the WriterLifts and FollowFridays, and focus heavily on content and interactions. The more you interact with others, the more likely they are to see your posts. 18/
And once your posts start generating organic impressions, it will attract people to your account naturally. You won't have to do the work, it'll happen on its own. And don't feel like you have to follow all your followers back. Be selective. 19/
I posted this out of love for the #WritingCommunity, not as an attack. I can't force change, but I think a shift away from Lifts and toward genuine engagement will be healthy for the community. 20/
I hope you find my advice helpful, since it's based on over a year of trial and error on my part, and I'm only now beginning to figure out what really works and implementing these steps myself. Thanks, everyone! 21/21
