I became a click bait wanker, wanking off the ol’ algorithm.
Look, soz, I’ll admit, after the World Cup I wrote a totally click-bait wankery salacious headline
Fucked people off. Especially Three Lions on their shit, Three Lines up their Honker recruiters from Basildon, Essex.
What’s REALLY scary is I didn’t even realise I was doing it.
I genuinely thought it was a well-dece post. And I still have the courage of my convictions.
BUT…
The pursuit of views and clicks like cancer slowly, silently, creeps and whispers, swims into the backwaters of mind.
We’ve confused views and clicks for BRAND.
Brand is INTANGIBLE.
Brand is feeling.
Brand is promise.
Brand is reputation.
Brand is story.
The algorithm is TANGIBLE.
Algorithm is numbers.
Algorithm is clicks.
Algorithm is views.
Algorithm is watch time.
The algorithm incentives short term views.
The brand incentives long term trust.
Brand is ALWAYS long term TRUST.
Food Reviewers are facing a backlash from Hospitality Operators.
Creators purposefully slag off restaurants purely to drive views, engagement, virility.
Tonnes of creators think they’ve got an amazing “brand” because they’ve got attention.
Consumers are NOT stupid, creating content PURELY to go viral kills long term brand integrity.
Attention and Brand are NOT the same thing.
Like comparing Apples to Hoovers.
The pursuit of The Tangible Algorithm, silently kills The Intangible Brand.
I know a Food Creator who purposefully did things drive engagement and smash the algorithm.
Millions of views on TikTok and IG, yet couldn’t sell a single t shirt when they launched merch. Couldn’t sell a single ticket when they put on an event.
What’s more valuable, honestly?
40 million views of a 30 sec TikTok reel because someone slagged off a restaurant or left mayonnaise on the side of their face.
or
400 views of a 3 hour podcast where the audeince feel they ACTUALLY know the creator and guest.
I CATEGORICALLY believe the latter from a BRAND perspective.
Creating content is a tension, a nuanced fine line.
Views <> Integrity.
Instead of asking:
How do I go viral today?
Ask:
How will I still be around in 10 years time selling out events?
COMPLETELY changes what sort of content you create.
That’s all folks
If you liked this… please and thank you forward this onto someone you know
JAH BLESS
P X
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