Most people with a desire to create struggle with this. Especially if they have any sense of integrity.
I've had a couple of popular moments (I don't think they'd qualify as viral) and most of them happened with content that caved to "the machine." And the impressions and engagement were nice, sure, but ultimately they meant nothing.
The few that did matter to me weren't planned. I once got an article randomly picked up in Hacker News and it went to 40k views. And another time I went semi-viral on Twitter because I denounced Product Hunt's injustice system–earning #1 product of the day as a result.
I've been on a content hiatus for a long time because I'm reconciling with the same thing you are. Because I don't want to create content for algorithms. I want to write content that matters to me one way or another.
And I have to believe that that will reach who it has to. And that that will be enough, and it will matter to some.
Humanity has lost so much creative drive on individuals because we're all slaves to the metrics. Most great thinkers and writers of the past put pen to paper because they needed it, not because they wanted to become some overnight success.
Your words and your initiatives matter Daniel. If you keep doing it long enough, sticking to your truth, I believe it will pay off. We have to believe it. We have to.
"Humanity has lost so much creative drive on individuals because we're all slaves to the metrics."
This resonates so much. As someone who's worked in marketing for years now and was always drawn to the psychological aspect of it, it feels like everything has shifted to clinical analysis, resulting in just lots of boredom.
A lot of us are facing this struggle right now in creative fields. I spent years focused on how to write content that engages people, but the last years have been consumed with SEO, and it's ultimately left me feeling empty. I'm trying to rediscover myself and figuring out my place as a writer, or perhaps something else. This entire article feels like it could be a page from my diary.
I mean, i just got started on SubStack, and I have so many ideas or angles for newsletters that I could create based on interests or experience, but I'm plagued with indecision, because I can't get over the hump of "will it work?"
The “will it work” question plagues all of us. It’s absolutely the key blocker to overcome. Love that this resonated and fell like a diary entry because it essentially was for me. I just freewrote, did some light editing, and hit the publish button.
Great piece, Daniel. I struggle with this same thought a lot and I'm not sure I've come to the a great conclusion yet.
I do love writing, I know that much, but I really love connecting with and impacting people through my writing. It easy to measure impact in eyeballs, likes, comments, etc., and unfortunately that's my default to know if I am impacting folks. It's almost impossible to ever know which pieces will achieve that goal
Appreciate it man. What’s so wild is you and I both know better lol, yet the struggle remains. Community and accountability partners are probably the sensible solution. I think my ego gets in the way sometimes and I convince myself that I don’t need either… almost like I don’t need to exercise because I have a high metabolism.
Most people with a desire to create struggle with this. Especially if they have any sense of integrity.
I've had a couple of popular moments (I don't think they'd qualify as viral) and most of them happened with content that caved to "the machine." And the impressions and engagement were nice, sure, but ultimately they meant nothing.
The few that did matter to me weren't planned. I once got an article randomly picked up in Hacker News and it went to 40k views. And another time I went semi-viral on Twitter because I denounced Product Hunt's injustice system–earning #1 product of the day as a result.
I've been on a content hiatus for a long time because I'm reconciling with the same thing you are. Because I don't want to create content for algorithms. I want to write content that matters to me one way or another.
And I have to believe that that will reach who it has to. And that that will be enough, and it will matter to some.
Humanity has lost so much creative drive on individuals because we're all slaves to the metrics. Most great thinkers and writers of the past put pen to paper because they needed it, not because they wanted to become some overnight success.
Your words and your initiatives matter Daniel. If you keep doing it long enough, sticking to your truth, I believe it will pay off. We have to believe it. We have to.
How are we going to move forward if we don't?
Man... I really appreciate this.
This part is so easy to forget: "the impressions and engagement were nice, sure, but ultimately they meant nothing."
It's usually empty calories that we're eating.
I will definitely keep going, and I'm excited that I have rediscovered my identity.
"Humanity has lost so much creative drive on individuals because we're all slaves to the metrics."
This resonates so much. As someone who's worked in marketing for years now and was always drawn to the psychological aspect of it, it feels like everything has shifted to clinical analysis, resulting in just lots of boredom.
I'm so ready for the pendulum to swing the other way 💀
I think it’s ok to write something to fill search demand, but not if that’s the only reason you’re writing it.
This is a hell of a line 😮💨👏🏽
"The problem, for all of us, isn’t that we can’t get distribution; it’s that we can’t guarantee it, and that uncertainty is paralyzing."
Trying to catch up to you sir!
A lot of us are facing this struggle right now in creative fields. I spent years focused on how to write content that engages people, but the last years have been consumed with SEO, and it's ultimately left me feeling empty. I'm trying to rediscover myself and figuring out my place as a writer, or perhaps something else. This entire article feels like it could be a page from my diary.
I mean, i just got started on SubStack, and I have so many ideas or angles for newsletters that I could create based on interests or experience, but I'm plagued with indecision, because I can't get over the hump of "will it work?"
The “will it work” question plagues all of us. It’s absolutely the key blocker to overcome. Love that this resonated and fell like a diary entry because it essentially was for me. I just freewrote, did some light editing, and hit the publish button.
Great piece, Daniel. I struggle with this same thought a lot and I'm not sure I've come to the a great conclusion yet.
I do love writing, I know that much, but I really love connecting with and impacting people through my writing. It easy to measure impact in eyeballs, likes, comments, etc., and unfortunately that's my default to know if I am impacting folks. It's almost impossible to ever know which pieces will achieve that goal
Appreciate it man. What’s so wild is you and I both know better lol, yet the struggle remains. Community and accountability partners are probably the sensible solution. I think my ego gets in the way sometimes and I convince myself that I don’t need either… almost like I don’t need to exercise because I have a high metabolism.