Don't Go Chasing Followers!

Have you seen those articles, too?

The ones encouraging people to subscribe to them on Vocal and promising a reciprocal subscription? They are chasing the vision of 10k followers that drive wanna-be influencers.

The ones blathering about the rush to achieve a THOUSAND subscribers in a month... or a year! The ones going on about the glories of TEN THOUSAND followers as the next hill to climb!

If you’ve missed any of this hootenanny shenanigans and snake oil, do a key word search on your favorite search engine for “10K +followers” and see what the fuss is all about. There are pages and pages of them. I’ve added a link below to one of the results so you don’t have to do the typing yourself, because that’s just the type of writer I am… even if you aren’t a subscriber/follower….

What’s With 10k Followers?

If you are an influencer on social media you already know this, but for those readers in the back: there is a Tier System for influencers. Nano-and Micro-influencers are consumed with adding followers so they can start making money on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Because I love my readers and just KNOW that some of you aren't going to click the links I share; here's what you'd find regarding these tiers:

A micro-influencer is an influencer with a follower count within the range of 10,000–100,000 followers.

Influencers are typically broken down into four main types based on their follower count:

• Nano-influencers: 1K–10K followers.
• Micro-influencers: 10K–100K followers.
• Macro-influencers:100k-1M followers.
• Mega or Celebrity influencers: 1M+ followers

Don’t get me wrong; there is serious money for -some- people to make in this manner. And if that’s your jam then chasing the followers make sense.

So Are You Saying I DON’T Want 10k Follower/Subscribers on Vocal?

No; I’m not saying that at all. Vocal’s platform is wonderful, and part of the satisfaction I receive as a writer is having more people subscribe, read, and engage with what I write.

But; that’s the thing: the rush for subscribers ignores the importance of the reading and engaging with content.

Follow for follow (a different way of stating subscribe for subscribe... and a heck of a lot easier to spell/type) is nothing but a rush of dopamine and an illusion of making money.

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Subscribers. Readers. What’s the Difference?

There’s a BIG difference, and it’s important for many reasons:

SUBSCRIBERS are tracked on your stats page.

• You know the number, but (currently, that is. Hello, Vocal?) have no way of knowing who they are.
• They get Notifications (that little bell icon at the top right of the Vocal pages) whenever your content is posted/live.

READERS can be Vocal members or not.

• ALL Readers contribute to a writer’s earning when they read content on the website, even if they aren't Vocal members. They can also share your content on their social media.
• They can be friends and family, but can't leave you comments or hearts unless they are Vocal members.
• Readers that ARE Vocal Members can provide comments on your content, click on the heart, and give you tips and/or pledges.

Here’s the thing, the BIG thing, the HUGE thing:

A subscriber that is not a reader has no positive financial impact on a writer.

Here’s the same sentence, just not italicized:

A subscriber that is not a reader has no positive financial impact on a writer.

My Advice

• Keep your eye on writing quality content, and do so as often as makes sense for you.
• Interact with the comments readers leave on your content.
• Interact with other writers that encourage you, challenge you, and motivate you.
• Share your content thoughtfully. Use your own posts to do that: don't hijack someone else's work with a curt 'Nice!' and add a link to your own stuff. Not on social media, and not here on the Vocal platform.

Unless you are seeking that dopamine hit, chasing the numbers, notching your belt, or inflating your resume by seeking 10k followers in a get-big-quick scheme; you may find these articles of mine useful to help you maximize the Vocal platform and social media:

Did you know that I wrote the updated content in Creator 101? There's a LOT there, so if you haven't read it before, please check it out. here's a link to the page that has them all:

and because that is 'BLAH' and looks like a mistake, and I certainly would never blame you for not clicking on it: here's the link to the FAQs, which is (slightly) more colorful and the last of the 10 articles:

And because, in the United States, next week is Thanksgiving and maybe you love new recipes, too: here is something that can happen when Vocal Creators work together. I think you'll recognize some familiar names and find some new favorites. It's one of the things I'm most proud of creating on Vocal, made possible once they introduced Quick Edit for Vocal+ members.

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Whew! That's a lot! Still with me? If so, please leave a comment. What did I miss? What would you have added?