Are you relying on an algorithm to be seen as a writer?
Here’s why that won’t work & what actually will
In September last year, I wrote a brief note on Medium about how you can beat the social media algorithm.
Yesterday, when I was thinking about writing a post on my Instagram page, I had to pause because I’d be writing about something a bit different from what I usually talk about on my business page.
That, my friends, was the topic of cooking. No, I’m not a food blogger; not even close.
But I wanted to share an insight into how 2020 had shaped my view of cooking. More importantly, I believed there was a lesson in there that could benefit my business and by extension, my audience.
And that’s what I did. Here’s the post on Instagram and I’ve reproduced the text below:
Can you zoom in and see the picture on the bottom left of this post? Can you tell what it is?⠀
Probably not. But it’s a picture of a dish I cooked earlier today. It’s called ‘Baingan Bharta’ and there isn’t a literal translation of it but the closest I can conjure up from Google is ‘Roasted Aubergine/Eggplant Mash’, which you can tell isn’t remotely as comforting as the original name.⠀
(Seriously, Google? ‘Mash’? For a dish that is a heady combination of flavours, spices and a delightful cooking process?) 😑⠀
But the dish isn’t as important as the story behind it. It tells the story of a woman who, during the pandemic of 2020, fell in love with the idea of cooking as a way of seeking comfort.⠀
I grew up in a home where mom and sis cooked with a lot of gusto while dad and I contented ourselves with eating it all. In that sense, I was never a fussy eater. But put me in the kitchen and I’d turn into a helpless mess of measuring cups and spoons and salt tasting until I gave up out of sheer frustration.⠀
I then married into a home where everyone cooked! What’s more: They enjoyed it and were splendid at it too. Talk about pressure.⠀
Everything I cooked was always placed under my own scanner of ‘not up to the mark’ or ‘not as good as what my husband made’. I had forgotten something very important: That cooking, like anything else, is a journey.⠀
When the lockdown in 2020 pushed us to stay home and cook more meals regularly, my husband and I shared the cooking load. But a strange thing happened.⠀
I started looking into the cooking process as a way to learn. To savour every moment that I was spending in the kitchen. To infuse joyful productivity into the art of slicing vegetables, reading the recipes and then changing them up just a bit to suit my taste.⠀
When I began to share my experiments on my private FB profile, it brought me closer to family and friends who watched me foray into the kitchen with the eagerness of a child.⠀
It’s in the sharing of stories that we connect with people. Much like food removes boundaries, stories build bridges. Build your own bridge today.❤️
Instead of just sharing a picture of the dish I’d made, I turned it into something my audience could actually relate to: A story.
Storytelling is the secret weapon in a writer’s arsenal
You can turn anything into a story
The interesting thing is that storytelling is not niche-specific. You can take any piece of content and turn it into a story.
Why does this work?
Because people don’t just want solutions; they want to know how to get there and how you did it.
They don’t want a roadmap, but a sneak peek into the process which they can then try and adapt to their own circumstances.
They don’t just want cold, hard facts; they want the drive and energy that went into getting those facts in the first place.
Why targeting algorithms is not the solution
The bigger challenge, though, is getting the written work seen. Most content creators will give you tricks to circumvent the algorithm.
But even if you do post at the right time, when your audience is active and ready and willing, you ignore a very important fact.
Is your audience following you for the right reasons?
See, the reason most creators are trying to fight the algorithm and get visibility is because they are fighting to be seen in an ocean of creators.
Focus on the tiny audience that you have
Do you have 10 people who show up and read what you create?
And I mean really read what you write; not just hit ‘like’ because they saw it in passing on their feeds and timelines.
Those are the people who will help you gain confidence as a writer. When those people consistently engage with your content, they not only see your content regularly but they will search for it and stay updated.
Consistency is key to writer growth
The more regularly you show up and write, the more likely it is that your writing will reach the right people.
I try and write everyday. Even if I don’t publish the content online, I write every single day, for at least 20 minutes.
You can join the #Write21in21 challenge, if you’re interested. It comes with a free tracker to help you stay accountable.
As you write and fall in love with writing for its own sake, a strange thing happens.
That audience you’re seeking? They start seeking you.
