And while I've talked in the past about how absolutely necessary it is for fans of a creator to lift them up and boost their signal, this week I wanted to provide a look behind the scenes, and explain why the actions you take matter to the creators you follow. And how you can help them succeed, even if you don't have the money to toss patronage their way.
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| Because numbers really do matter in this game. |
Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!
Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more!
Actions, and The Algorithm
Social media is a major component of a professional creator's toolbox these days. Sure, a lot of us will go to conventions, or appear in more traditional venues like talk shows, TV slots, etc., but most of us don't have the fame or budget for that. So most of us use social media as a way to get our work into the hands of people who like it.
Unfortunately, this means that we have to contend with the dreaded algorithm.
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| We are algorithm, and we are many. |
Algorithms are, generally defined, just systems that crunch numbers, and process data. In other words, it's the formula that tries to figure out what you want to see, and what is going to get more interaction/attention from people on a given site. As a caveat, it's important to remember that not all algorithms are the same, and they are constantly shifting and changing depending on what alterations are being made by the various sites that use them. Because of this I'm going to try to keep the following advice as general as I can, while still giving folks directions that can actually be followed.
Okay? Okay.
So what are the things you need to do to help the creators you like get seen so that we can get an audience large enough that we can pay rent, eat, and keep making stuff you want to see? It's pretty simple, actually.
#1: Subscribe
It sounds like the most obvious thing possible, but algorithms weight your posts (at least partially) based on how many people you have following you. This is why people with 5 million followers will have their updates show up across a given website, and those with 5k will barely be seen by their own friends. So even if the only thing you do is act as a warm body by subscribing to a channel, profile, etc., that helps in and of itself. Especially when you consider that subscribing means you'll see a creator's content more often, making the following steps easier for you.
#2: React
Most social media sites have some form of react option. If you're on Reddit, it's an upvote. If you're on Twitter, it's a heart. If you're on Facebook... well, you have a slew of options there. Generally speaking, the more reacts a post gets, the more popular it's considered, and the more likely the algorithm is to boost the signal to other users who wouldn't normally see it.
As a side note for Facebook, the different reactions are weighted differently. While it's hard to nail down exactly which ones are more valuable at any given time since the algorithm is often changing, the general wisdom seems to be that if you want to add as much value to a post as you can, use the Love, Laugh, Wow, or Care react. Like is significantly less weighted, and while it was heavily endorsed when it first came out (according to The Washington Post) the Angry react actually seems to be a negative thing to have on your posts these days. Again, this is subject to change at a moment's notice, and your reaction is only one part of the formula... but if you want to min-max your engagement to help a creator, keep this in mind; loving is better than liking.
#3: Comment
Commenting is particularly important when it comes to telling the algorithm what you want to see. I've been told that the general rule of thumb is to have at least 5 words in your comments to get the algorithm's attention, but different sites have different takes on this in my experience.
Regardless, when you leave a comment on a post, it can help generate more interaction from other people (especially if your comment creates a discussion). This is particularly true on sites like Facebook and YouTube, where users can talk for hours (or sometimes days), keeping a post at the top of a group page, or drawing in lots of outside viewers who wouldn't have seen the content on their own, but whose friends are engaged in talking about it.
#4: Share
Sharing a post seems like the most obvious way to get it more traction, and it sort of is. Because on the one hand, you are boosting the signal directly by showing it specifically to your audience. And whether you have a hundred friends and family on your social media profiles, or 50K followers who hang on your every word, that is a direct signal boost that can make a big difference.
However, sharing a post is also counted into how popular it is, and how much engagement it's receiving when the algorithm crunches its numbers. So if you see a post someone made, don't just copy and paste it if you can avoid it, because then your new post will be starting from zero. If you share it from the original creator, though, then all subsequent shares will count toward making that original post bigger and more important in the eyes of the algorithm.
That said, if it's just easier for you to share a link to a video, or a new book, or an article in a group, forum, or Discord channel, it's definitely better for you to do that than to do nothing in terms of finding fresh eyes for a creator's work.
#5: Consistency
This is the step that a lot of folks overlook, or don't think about. Because even if you go through all 4 of the previous steps for a post that you saw a creator make, that's a drop in the bucket for us when it comes to actually getting noticed (barring some strange zeitgeist that makes us explode because the right people all performed the right actions at the right time). But as they say in the gym, consistency is what gets results.
So while creators are always grateful for your help, if you want to make a difference then you need to start making these kinds of behaviors a habit. You don't have to do it on every post, or leave some kind of boilerplate commentary on everything a creator you like puts out, but try to regularly boost up those whose work you like. The more often you do it, the more often it gets seen, and the better it looks to the algorithm... and even more importantly, the more other people are going to see it, and get a chance to do the same.
Lastly, I Have a New(ish) Release!
Before I sign off today, I wanted to let folks know that my novel Old Soldiers is getting a re-release with a sexy new cover, and an inclusion of the original short story Heart of The Myrmidon that inspired the whole thing! I'll likely to a more involved blog on that in the near future, but if you're interested (or just want to help me look good to my new publisher), go preorder your copy of Old Soldiers today!
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| It's definitely worth a read if you haven't checked it out yet! |
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Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!
That's all for this week's Business of Writing!
If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects! You can also check out my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary for free audio dramas!
If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!
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