X has been marking some of my posts as spam.
0.05% of them, to be exact 🥴
I know because X just added an “Under the Hood” page where you can see what the algorithm actually thinks of your account. I’ll show you how to check yours in a second.
But the page is a side effect of something bigger.
X updated its algorithm, and for once the changes favour the little guy:
Small accounts get a fair shot at the feed.
Replies and shares got a big boost (likes barely matter now).
A model that ranks posts by reading time is next.
X is now paying $1,000s through creator rewards for the exact stuff I keep telling you to do.
So if you’re thinking of taking X seriously, here’s my best advice.
Steal this.
1. Reply like a human first.
Spend 15 minutes replying thoughtfully before you post anything today.
If it helps, you can think of X as the biggest party in the world.
Stop and talk to people instead of preaching at them.
2. Post things worth saving.
Make your next post something a stranger would save or send.
It could be about something you’ve been working on, a breakdown with real numbers, a demo, a before and after.
Just start hitting post!
3. Slow readers down.
Tell the story in the post instead of linking out, and put text in screenshots (people read longer and tap the image, and both count).
Reading time is about to become the score (although in a way, it always has been).
If you want a good example of a story I wrote that got 70k views with just a few hundred characters of text and 2 photos, read this.
4. Check your report card.
Open my post, tap through to “Under the Hood”, and see what X thinks of your account.
Here’s mine:
And if you want the long version of how the feed actually decides who sees your post, that’s Module 1 of The Attention Playbook.
Two of the lessons are free with a free account, no card: the feed is a per-post test, not a follower broadcast (12 min) and why story is the spine (16 min).
The algorithm has never been friendlier to an account with 10 followers than it is this week.
So make the most of it :D
Question for you: what % of your posts are marked as spam? Check Under the Hood and reply with your number, I read every one (and if yours beats my 0.05% I’ll be only be a little bit sad).
See you next Tuesday.
You’ve got this.
- Rob
