4 builders who never spoke to each other

Learn what the ranking code rewards, then aim

Every network leaks or publishes enough about its weighting to work out which signal actually counts, and the answer is rarely the like. One platform values a single reply at more than a dozen reshares, another rewards substantive comments from people with a history in the topic, which is why a friend's comment is worth asking for and easier to grant than a share.

The method

1. 01

   Learn how each platform's algorithm works at a high level and then find where its incentives happen to line up with your own goals.

2. 02

   Give the platform the thing it actually wants, which is content that stops people leaving it.

3. 03

   Optimise specifically for replies rather than likes or reshares, because the published ranking code weights them far more heavily.

4. 04

   Ask friends for a comment or a like on your post rather than a reshare, since the algorithms reward a mix of engagement signals and a like is a far easier favour to grant.

What it returned

• 13.5

  Since the algorithm was open-sourced it is visible that a single reply counts for about 13.5 retweets or 27 likes.

• He spent a great deal of time studying what the Twitter algorithm rewards before deciding what to publish.

• LinkedIn weights substantive comments from people with a history of interest in the topic, and Threads treats abandoning a video partway through as a negative signal.

Sources

• What I learned from Sahil Bloom about building a creator flywheel – Jakob GreenfeldSahil Bloom · jakobgreenfeld.com · Twitter · 2022-08-07
• 70% of Calvin Klein's tweets are questionsHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · 70% of Calvin Klein's tweets are questions · undated
• 3 Common Social Media Mistakes That We Don't Talk About EnoughSparkToro · sparktoro.com · 2024-12-16
• Amanda Natividad — Mastering Content Creation and Audience Engagement – The Bootstrapped FounderAmanda Natividad · thebootstrappedfounder.com · 2023-12-06