Even Your Least Viewed Content Has Value

When you are a content creator, you systematically become a metrics addict. We watch them religiously hoping to unlock the secret of creating viral content.

When it’s time to take stock, we are often surprised

A large part of the views come from a few contents. It’s as if some content is destined to shine and others to remain in the shadows.

Pareto’s law comes to play a trick on us even in our creations.

Obviously, we attach much more importance to the contents which work than to those which were not successful … those, we try to forget them.

Yes but… It’s not that simple.

In my career as a writer on twitter, I’ve had my ups and downs. At the moment, it’s more like a low since my threads are not performing as well as they used to.

My growth which was constant on twitter has come to a serious stop. And it’s the kind of stop that seriously questions what you do on a daily basis.

I used to measure the effectiveness of a thread by the number of likes and now that we have the views counter, it’s much easier.
While most of my threads used to reach 100 likes, now it’s hard to reach 50 when I have more audience.

It’s possible that my content is less good, less well done, less attractive for the reader. One of my last threads did less than 5000 views, which is nothing compared to my usual results which are supposed to be ten times better.

But … because there is a but …

After this thread didn’t work, I got a few DMs telling me that this particular thread helped them. And that’s something you should never forget. If your writing helps even one person: you win.

You have to ask yourself: why do you write?
To get views? Or to help people?
This is not a trick question.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to make as many views as possible and earn a living with your writing.

But what I’ve noticed after two years of writing online is that the more specific what you write is, the fewer views you’ll get.

Because it’s content that is intended to help a target niche.
In summary, the equation of only replicating content that works may not be the right one. You need everything. Content that is intended for a wide audience that has the potential to make you known.
Extremely niche content that will create a deeper connection with your audience and those … they can never go viral.

Your content may have flopped in the number of views, but if it helped people: is it a flop?

I was really disappointed with the results of this thread and when I received those private messages, it reminded me that we have to stop looking only at vanity metrics.

If you write for yourself and to help others, whatever you produce has value and just because it hasn’t been liked and shared doesn’t mean it’s worth less.

As a content creator, you have to make peace with those contents that didn’t work. If you wrote it, there’s a reason. Before you clicked publish, you thought it was useful for your readers. That they would find something in it, a little treasure.

I’m going to tell you a secret. Every time I write something I love … it doesn’t work. Before I click to publish, I get all excited thinking that people will find it fantastic and … flat encephalogram.

The reason is simple: the content resonates with me and not with many people.

After a month of posting every day on medium, I have a clearer and clearer idea of what works and what doesn’t. Patterns are emerging. I could only try to build “potential” posts but that’s not the way I’m going to go. I like to write to please myself. And I refuse to lock myself into a box to get more views.

How am I going to sell novels if the only thing I know how to write is the same thing over and over again?

For twitter, I don’t know. I’m going to continue my routine because I’m not one to give up. But maybe it’s an alert to tell me: “Success is never a given. You have to keep working. As soon as the quality goes down, you will lose your audience. You have to be rigorous. Every post has to be the best.”

At the end of the day, your content that gets the least views is also a part of you like all your other content.

Cherish them. Because they are the proof that you are passionate. That you don’t give up even if it flopped. That you are brave in the face of adversity and that you don’t give up.

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