“Just Creating Content” Is a Privilege We Don’t Have (if We Want an Engaged Audience)

I succeeded only when I spent time studying what works.

Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash

As a child, I was the device whisperer of the family. No one else knew how to program the VCR. And I assure you that the manufacturer did its best to make it an insurmountable feat.

In case you’re wondering, yes, I was a nerd.

I still am. I like to understand how things work. I carried this instinct in my content creator career. I always try to decipher what works on the channels I use for my content. I study the technical aspects, the best practices, and the success stories.

This helped me bring my first blog to 300,000 page views per month. And now it has earned me 100 subscribers in a month on Substack.

We can’t “just create”

We become creators because we want to create. It's in the name.

So, writers want to “just write”. YouTubers want to “just make videos”. Podcasters want to “just interview”.

I enjoy every part of the writing process. So I’d love to spend every minute immersed in it. But I recognize the importance of other activities. They help us reach our audiences. I’m an introvert, so I have to force myself to interact with articles and posts from other creators. But this brings attention to my thinking and my profile.

I didn't have fun doing SEO for my first blog, I just wanted to teach photography. But without it, my articles wouldn’t have reached the top of Google.

Without this “non-creative” activities, growth becomes slow. Or it doesn’t even happen.

For example, if you want to grow on X nowadays, you must spend most of your time interacting with posts from other profiles. I tried it, but found it exhausting, so I spent less than an hour on it every day. As a result, my follower number didn’t move.

So, you must decide what is less fun: studying how to grow on the channel you chose, or seeing very slow growth, if any?

Good things happen when you do it right

I started publishing on Medium in 2022. The algorithm was rewarding my efforts. Then, in 2023, they introduced a manual curation system called Boost. Now, it's hard to get views and earnings if your articles aren’t selected.

So, I became obsessed with Boost:

• I read all the guidelines and their updates,

• I dissected articles that received the Boost,

• I listened to interviews with Boost nominators,

• I read the advice of editors summarizing what worked for dozens of Boosted articles,

• I looked for obscure publications (Medium’s “magazines”) that nominated for the Boost.

All this investigation led me to interact with nominators. I built relationships with them that got me free reviews of my articles, some nominations, and even some Boosts. In addition, the lessons I learned interacting with them will help me improve my future articles, too.

I don't know how many hours I spent studying everything about Boost, I prefer not to think about it, but it definitely paid off. I constantly talk to other authors who would like to get Boosted, but they are surprised when I share the information I have learned over time.

This wouldn’t have been possible if I cultivated the illusion that I could “just write”.

How do you study the platforms without stealing while protecting your creative time?

I think all creators need to develop a deep knowledge of the channels they’re using for their content. But you can limit the hours you sacrifice.

Truth is, we don't need to learn everything at once. In fact, it's better to put theory in to practice while you acquire it, to see how well it works and make it your own.

So, here’s how I do it:

• set aside some time each day to study the channel (15-30 minutes),

• learn first the features of the platform, like the dashboard, the guidelines, and so on,

• if you find a free or very cheap quickstart course, use it to learn the ropes,

• study successful content, dissecting its success factors,

• study successful creators, especially those closest to you, in terms of topics, subject genre, or style,

• follow 1-3 of experts, the most generous and relatable ones,

• listen to interviews with creators doing well on the platform.

If you can access content in audio format, you'll save time. Listen to interviews and courses in the background while you're taking a walk or doing chores. You'll continue to deepen your understanding of the platform while saving your best moments for content creation.

You'll gain the most from this habit if you carry it on for at least a few weeks. Without too much effort, you'll find yourself accumulating a wealth of knowledge.

I like to think of it as “positive brainwashing”. Stories and lessons about the platform permeate your life, it becomes your second home.

Most importantly, at some point, you'll recognize patterns. You’ll see the same success factors connecting seemingly different stories.

For example, I watched multiple successful authors on Medium for months, writing in different genres, about different topics. It made evident that publishing articles frequently is the first commandment.

And I was able to expand this observation to other platforms. On Substack there are established authors who publish only once a week. But publishing much more often significantly accelerates growth.

It won’t be forever

After some time, you will have internalized the best practices. You won’t need to spend as much time studying what works anymore. You’ll just need less frequent updates.

So, even if this activity bothers you, don’t worry. The effort will be limited in time, but the results will be permanent.

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The closest thing I know to growing by “just creating content” is guest posting. By finding creators with overlapping audiences and offering valuable guest posts, you gain exposure to new readers and expand your reach.

Here’s my ultimate guide to find guest posting opportunities and make the most of them:

The Ultimate Guide to Guest Posting: Just Write and Grow Your Audience