I've written and rewritten this blog post, I don't know how many times. The early iterations oscillated between rage bait and doom and gloom. In each rewrite, I had to be honest with myself and ask, What am I really trying to say? So, let's try this again...
In the fast-paced world of social media, consistency isn’t just a buzzword; it’s gospel. Our content feeds the algorithm, and the reward is more views, followers, and engagement. What happens when you need to take a break?
I've been really transparent that I've been struggling to keep up since 2023, but I have been able to push through. However, at the beginning of 2025, my life felt very unstable. I could not focus on posting because I was inundated with worst-case scenarios. Even though I had created enough content to take me through the summer, scheduling/posting or engaging felt like a Herculean ask. I just needed space, like in the worst way. Unfortunately, I did the thing where I posted vaguely that I needed to take a step back (very dramatic of me, but I wanted ya'll to know and not worry). With the thought that I could start posting again, it would be fine. Maybe it was naive of me to think I could just jump right back into posting and my engagement would be the same. Spoiler: it was!
I was gone for only a month, and nothing has been the same since. Between mutuals saying they don't see my content to a complete slowdown in any momentum, poof, all gone, and it feels like I'm starting all over again.
Image credit: ImgflipWhat is the lesson here? Don't take a break? Aht aht, hold on one second and walk with me.
My initial reaction was I was replaced with other book content. Bookish accounts with trending audio, funny videos, TikTokers, and those who were relevant. You know the algorithm's preference. To make matters worse, this reel kinda reinforced that I might not recover because I lost y'alls trust. The spiral was intense by this point.
No shade to either of these posters, but it's a stark reminder there ARE consequences when you aren't "consistent".
So yeah, early March I moved from panic to something akin to resentment. My friends had to hear me screaming how "I worked so hard to get here" and "you mean to tell me a break would mean I have to start over". Wdym my break could be considered a betrayal? Is engagement so fragile, I can't take a break? Queue the anger. *Anger at who is still up for debate*.
Thankfully, I didn't stay angry or didn't blossom to resentment, because I have friends who talk life into me. What came next was clarity. There is the algorithim that reinforces more and then there's a community that isn't just here for entertianment; I mean I am funny, but you get what I'm trying to say.
What I've created is an ecosystem of followers who I consider my people and ARE still liking/engaging with my posts, and that's what matters. It also occurred to me that this bookish content is a hobby that's supposed to be a creative outlet. Somewhere along the way, I started focusing on keeping up with the algorithm rather than just posting.
And maybe just maybe, the burnout was the first sign of why I was struggling for so long.
Maybe the quiet part was the threat of being replaced?
The unwritten agreement is that you have to continue to grow, go viral, and influence. I got so caught up in having a 3-5% engagement ratio, growing my platform, and the list goes on. That anger phase may have been rooted in ego? So much so that I completely looked past my mutuals were literally there when I returned. Why was I ever concerned with non-follower behavior? They are not my audience! Ya'll are!
To bring this to a close, my advice is that if the penalty for taking care of the real human behind the account means starting over, I will take that any day. I would rather that than work myself into the ground, so the arbitrary and very temporary gratification of likes, shares, and follows supercede taking care of myself. You can have it. Maybe I'll never get to 5,000 or 10,000 followers. But what I do have are people who are interested in my content. What we've co-created is something much more special and sustainable😭
Now, take my advice with a grain of salt because I don't financially rely on my content. Nevertheless, I would still encourage you to take a break, BUT be prepared for something different upon your return. Though I'm here to tell you there's some freedom in knowing my core mutuals will hang in there with me. So, trust in what you've built and do what's best for you.
Anywhoodles, I plan to reestablish albeit a bare bones schedule. You can plan for Thursday posts and weekend TBRs. I'm still tweaking projects, but the focus is to work on things that bring my joy, that I hope you enjoy too 😘.
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