Every social media channel is flooded with content and getting someone to follow or subscribe to your account, channel, or whatever it might be is becoming harder and harder. With all of the memes, videos, and posts bombarding us every scroll, it’s no wonder why viewers are more selective about hitting that “follow” button.
When you last followed someone on social media, the chances are you didn’t just hit “follow” after watching just one video or reading a single post. Most likely, you came across someone’s content a few times before making that decision. We follow people and creators based on the future content they’re bound to push out – not because we liked one piece of content.
Across all platforms, the story remains true. If a creator’s video is showing up non stop on your feed and it continues to capture your attention, you’re more inclined to subscribe or follow. It’s like the purpose of a retargeting ad; the more you see the ad, company, offer, the more likely you are to buy. Seeing someone’s content once doesn’t mean you feel invested, but seeing it multiple times, AND enjoying what they put out consistently builds that connection. The more often you’re exposed to their content, the more familiar they become, and with familiarity comes the decision to follow.
Among all content creators, they share a predominant misconception, which is that because they have higher views, they should have the followers to match. Many YouTubers, for example, have pointed out that 90-95% of their repeat viewers are not subscribers. It’s a good thought experiment to wonder about how much of your “loyal” audience isn’t even officially subscribed or following you. And this behavior is likely mirrored on other platforms, such as TikTok, where even with millions of views, the conversion to followers remain lower than expected.
Why? Well, following has become a larger commitment in the eyes of viewers. People are more cautious about cluttering their feeds, and they’re less likely to follow someone unless they’re confident that they’ll continue enjoying content. Plus, with endless algorithmic changes, users know they can still see your content without following as long as they just engage with it.
The cliche to this all is that even if someone doesn’t follow you after the first, second, or this encounter, there’s still some sort of hope. The more your content continues to appear on their feed, the greater the chance they’ll eventually follow you. It’s all about staying in the mind of the follower. That’s why engagement – likes, shares, comments, or even prompting your audience to follow you – is important. The more interaction, the more often your content shows up.
Some social media research shows that people need to encounter something (video, image, brand, or story) 10 times before they feel the urge to take action, whether it’s making a purchase, subscribing to a channel, or following an account. If they keep watching your content until the end, multiple times, they’ll eventually hit the follow button.
A lot of people have tied a phenomenon to this known as the “Dead Internet Theory.” According to this theory, a significant portion of the internet’s traffic consists of bots rather than people. So, the number of impressions on your content isn’t even coming from real people, but more so from large-scale bot farms. With them getting taken down and banned, you’re seeing the smaller-scale real audience you’re left with.
This could be an explanation for why some creators are noticing changes in their conversation rates – less bot traffic means more authentic engagement, but it also means creators have to put in overtime to appeal to the actual human audience. It’s a reality check for many influencers and marketers alike. As bots are being wiped out, the quality of content and real-world engagement matters more than ever.
You have to play the long game. People don’t just follow you on a whim anymore, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to grow your audience. Consistently putting out high-quality content, engaging with viewers, and making it easily natural for them to follow makes the most sense now. Understanding this process, just like understanding algorithms, takes time. However, it pays off.
So, while the algorithms may be unpredictable, your ability to create meaningful, engaging content and build genuine connections with real people remains the cornerstone of success.