Challenging the "post consistently" mantra, I question whether algorithms should dictate our creative rhythm. Consistency feeds the algorithm and often sacrifices quality. I'm choosing to post when inspiration strikes, not when the calendar demands it.
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“For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.” – Newton’s Third Law of Motion
If we replaced reaction with action, the law would read thus:
“For every action, there’s an equal and opposite action.”
I don’t have plans to disprove Isaac Newton. First, I am not a physicist. I don’t plan to become one. You will get where I am going with this in a bit.
Social media strategists and Internet publishing gurus have saturated the World Wide Web with this advice. Always post consistently.
I believe there are no silver bullets. I also believe that many roads lead to the market. If you believe any of these, why then do we believe this advice as an unshakable truth?
We are all different and unique. No set of factors surrounding a human being’s existence is the same with another human being.
I understand the concept of consistency and the power of habit. The more you do a thing the more you get better at it. A beginner writer or someone new to video content gets better with every iteration they publish. That’s a fact. However, posting consistently primarily favours the algorithms first before it favours you.
Think about this.
What if the person who sees this advice is not a newbie? What if they have a full-time engagement? What if publishing on the Internet is a side thing for them?
Should they follow the advice to post consistently?
Instagram has one of the harshest algorithms out there. Whenever I post after a long break I get a measly amount of views from my followers.
I have started several things and abandoned a lot more. Every time I abandoned a thing, it was connected to an impossible rule of being consistent. Most times, I over plan as far as the hundredth post. I have subconsciously told my brain that I have achieved nothing. I believe that only crossing the hundredth iteration qualifies as an achievement. This is why I am beginning to believe that there is an equal and opposite thing to posting consistently.
“Anything worth doing is worth doing well”
Right?
Posting consistently ensures that the quality of your releases suffers. This happens while you strive to meet the cycle you set for yourself. The cycle is usually a short one aimed at achieving consistency.
My whole point is this:
I will be going in the other direction of this popular advice.
I will post when I have cooked a good thing.
I will post when an idea rings in my head.
I will post when I have something to say.
Quite tricky, but I have other things to do with my life. Besides, it is the unplanned things that go viral (and get deserved attention).