If You Want Readers to Follow You, Stop Posting (So Much)

For a while now, I’ve maintained three different publication branches — Takingdictation (my business), Faithful on the Clock (my faith-based podcast), and Unstealing Joy (my trauma recovery work).

Having multiple irons in the fire means that I consistently post many messages per week across my accounts. But I don’t post superfluously. Each post either 1) offers an honest insight or thought, or 2) connects to my work and directs people on the platforms to my websites and/or Substack publications.

Yet, what can authors and the general public still hear from marketers?

Post often. Like…a lot. Like…as often as possible.

A shift in what people look for and tolerate

The rationale marketers have given for their traditional advice is that feeds are temporary. Posting often gives you more opportunities to be seen.

But in a guest post on Jane Friedman’s blog, Lacy Phillips, Digital and Social Media Coordinator for P.S. Literary Agency, advised something different:

“Audiences reward creators who go deeper than surface level. Prioritize depth over frequency. The days of posting just anything 10 times a day to gain traction are in the past. Get with the “only speak when you have something to say” program.”

Phillips noted that “audiences reward creators who go deeper than surface level.” This points to two things: People are craving posts with substance — the rise of AI, along with the deepening desire to be seen within real problems and mental health concerns, may be contributing to the intolerance for superficial writing. And people are so flooded with posts that they want to slow down and reduce overwhelm.

Carrots, Yerson Retamal from Pixabay

People do need to see an author consistently show up. But most people have a natural rhythm to how often they feel compelled to communicate, and they automatically develop a consistent pace readers can feel safe in if they post based on that rhythm. People can sense when you are just filling the expectations of a content calendar to build a brand, too.

The mission you write for

“Something to say” doesn’t mean what you think people need to hear based on templated formulas for reaching audiences (i.e., early in the campaign, do this, later, do that). It means you feel obligated and have a sense of urgency, not for your own growth, but for the growth of the audience.

Where would people potentially be worse off if you didn’t publish your post? What piece of knowledge do you have that, even in a small way, could change the life of someone else?

Ultimately, this means you write out of mission. In fiction, that mission might be to let people get a little joy by entering part of the world you’re creating at the right time. In non-fiction, it might be to help people heal or present a social solution. But there ought to be a through-line that connects at least the majority of your posts.

Conviction, not hot takes

There’s authenticity in posts that are published because a person has a sense of conviction about the content. You can have this sense of conviction even in lighthearted writing. But the best posts are the ones where readers know exactly where the author stands and how the author feels. They’re not the same as “hot take” posts, which 1) tend to be more trendy than evergreen, 2) often offer plenty of opinion but no sense of obligation or urgency, and 3) are usually disconnected from the larger through-line of the writer’s content.

Remember, teeth are efficient

Even in conversation, we tend to try to fill empty space to avoid discomfort. It’s a knee-jerk reaction that comes from our fear we won’t be understood or seen if we stay quiet. On top of that, we tend to think we alone have to distribute our content, when in reality, readers can be trusted to participate in that job with us and accelerate distribution by sharing posts they enjoy and relate to.

But trying to build an audience by frequently posting calendar-directed content that lacks real substance or conviction is like trying to dig a ditch with a spoon. You might eventually get the job done, but it’s exhausting and far less efficient than a single scoop from an excavator post that digs in with real teeth.

Open your mouth. Write. But focus on doing heavy lifting.