Nothing hurts more than spending hours creating a Twitter thread, only to see it receive little or no engagement.
When that happens, it's easy to blame the algorithm or something out of my control, but that would be a mistake. Instead, I remember what Jerry Seinfeld once said about the democracy of stand up comedy:
"If it doesn't get laughs, you're not gonna get work, and you're not gonna be comedian. So the audience ultimately decides. It's a very democratic system."
If a Twitter thread doesn't resonate, I realize the audience has spoken, and I need to look inward. I ask myself the following questions:
- Did my content deliver what the title promised?
- Did my tone match my authority?
- Does the subject matter interest my target audience?
After answering those questions, the truth often slaps me across the face; my work was not as good as I thought.
After a piece fails, I choose one of two positive outcomes:
- Rewrite & republish, attempting to make it better, or
- Write down my mistakes and be sure not to repeat them.
Either way, I realize my audience has spoken and in order to grow as a writer, I need to listen.