Businesses named 'ABC Cleaners' once dominated the Yellow Pages by appearing first alphabetically. Today's version is exploiting platform algorithms. Winning is less about having the best service and more about understanding the distribution mechanics of dominant platforms like TikTok to get seen first.

Chasing followers leads to short-term hacks. Asking what makes your content worth following forces a focus on long-term value creation. It shifts your perspective from what you can get (a follow) to what you must give your audience (a reason to follow).

Social media algorithms are "separators," showing content to a fraction of your audience to maximize on-platform time. Pinterest's algorithm is a "connector," aligning its goal (giving users the best answer) with your goal (reaching ideal clients), effectively matching you with people actively searching for your solutions.

In an AI-driven world, optimizing for website traffic is a losing game. A better long-term strategy is to create high-value content (podcasts, videos, newsletters) across various platforms. This approach helps people directly and simultaneously feeds the large language models that are increasingly becoming information gatekeepers.

Social media algorithms value time spent more than passive engagement like "likes." To increase your visibility with target prospects, engage in back-and-forth conversations in their direct messages. This signals to the algorithm that your relationship is important, making it more likely your content will appear in their feed.

In the 'interest media' era, algorithms prioritize content based on user interests, not just their social graph. A collectible campaign featuring specific IP acts as a creative overlay, allowing a brand’s content to be organically surfaced to relevant niche audiences who otherwise wouldn't see it.

As feeds become saturated, relying on shares for discovery is insufficient. Your ideal followers are actively searching for solutions. Optimizing profiles and posts with keywords to answer their questions is a more reliable and underrated path to being discovered.

Instead of treating social media as a long-term home, use it as a strategic tool to get your audience onto platforms you own, like an email list. The primary goal is to capture attention and immediately guide followers into your ecosystem, building a more resilient business off-platform.

When social media reach and engagement decline, it's easy to blame the platform's algorithm. However, the more productive mindset is to see it as a reflection of your content's declining quality or relevance. The algorithm isn't hurting everyone, it's hurting those who aren't good. The solution is to improve your craft, innovate, and adapt to cultural trends.