Most creators won’t tell you this, but you should stop creating for the algorithm.

Here's the brutal truth.

The algorithm doesn't care about your ideas. It cares about follower behavior. If your followers are not clicking, the algorithm won't either. But there is some good news. Mastering the algorithm isn't complicated. These rules flip everything you've been told on its head.

I will show you how to stop making content for the algorithm. Instead, you'll create content viewers can't resist clicking, consuming, and loving.

If they don’t click, they'll never care. Your first job is to earn the first second.

Create your title or headline before you do anything else.

The money in content creation is in the research. Most content creators publish unproven ideas. Before you do anything else, go and prove that your idea is worth publishing in the first place. If you can find other creators publishing successful, similar content, then go for it.

This is how we can find better angles for our content.

Suppose you wanted to create content on a meatball recipe. Your first idea may be "Grandma's best meatball recipe." After researching, you find that "Top 5 party meatball recipes" are going viral. That is what you should create.

Create what is working right now. Not what you hope will work.

The algorithm doesn’t care about your ideas; it cares about viewer behavior.

Almost every platform has a retention metric.

Your job is to get your followers to watch, watch more, view, and stay on your page longer. The best way to do that is to create a quality experience. This is much easier than you think. Get straight to the point with your content. Deliver what you promised in your title/headline without the fluff.

Provide your audience with the easy button it has been looking for.

Good packaging isn’t clickbait, it’s a promise. But you better deliver on it.

Your content must create a need to finish to get answers. No tension = no retention.

Your first point of contact is your title, headline, or hook. I have published well over 20k pieces of content in the last 11 years. I've learned that if I'm not a bit nervous about my audience calling me out for clickbait, I need to make the title bolder. As long as you deliver, the followers that matter won't care.

Embrace the clickbait.

The algorithm is a mirror. It's what your viewers really want. Create for them, and the algorithm gods will smile upon you.