54: Algorithm Fatigue? What ACTUALLY Makes People Follow & Unfollow (For Solopreneurs)

Tired of feeling like the algorithm is punishing you for showing up? Same. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm sharing the data-backed truth about what actually makes people follow, unfollow, and stop watching your content—and honestly, it's not what you think. Spoiler alert: it's not about posting more or having a perfectly polished feed. I'm breaking down five major myths that are keeping you stuck in the content creation hamster wheel, and I'm giving you the real numbers (from ManyChat's 2025 Creator Report) that prove useful, authentic content wins every single time. If you're exhausted from chasing trends and playing the algorithm games, this episode is your permission slip to stop performing and start connecting.

Check out the full show notes for this episode HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why long intros are killing your engagement—and the exact way to lead with the answer instead
• The real reason people hit follow (hint: it's not your aesthetic, and 73% of people agree)
• What actually makes people unfollow you—and why posting frequency didn't even make the list
• Why trends aren't the only growth strategy (and what 53% of people wish you'd do instead)
• How to choose content formats that give you energy instead of draining the life out of you

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• ManyChat "Algorithm Fatigue: A 2025 Creator Report" - the full data-backed report I reference throughout this episode, with all the juicy stats on what makes people follow, unfollow, and engage

Connect with me:
🫶🏼 Follow me on Instagram for daily insights
🫶🏼 Join my 321 Create Newsletter for weekly content tips
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Transcript

Emily Connors 0:00

you're allowed to choose a format that fits your energy and still grow. I do not believe that if content is draining the life out of you, that you should push harder. All right. Today we are talking about myth busting, the algorithm, and what really actually makes people follow, unfollow or stop watching your content. And I'm really excited, to dive into this. I actually just very randomly got an email from someone who said, I think you might find this report fascinating. And I was like, huh. And if you know me, my inbox is, if it's in my inbox, it's something that I still need to follow up with or do or refer back to. Otherwise it's deleted or filed. So if you're in my inbox, it's a very special place. so I opened this email and I thought, huh, I wonder what they're sharing with me. And what opened up was a page, a landing page from ManyChat, and it was a report titled from Algorithm Fatigue. A 2025 creator report, and clearly I was immediately interested because I have algorithm fatigue. I, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a business owner who doesn't. The amount of shifts in the algorithm in the past five years since I became a creator or a small business owner on Instagram is, pretty mind blowing. And you gotta have thick skin. And, because in the heyday, back when I started in 20 20, 20 21, 20 22, things were good. Like the algorithm pushed me out and I got so many new followers and now it is a slog. It is an uphill battle and I actually feel sometimes that I am punished for having as many followers as I do, and I joke about it in my stories a lot, that I'm gonna start a new account and just start over because when I tell you I miss the days of having 10,000 followers, I really shit you not like. I remember when I had 10,000 followers. I remember when I reached that milestone and how proud I was. And remember, I don't do ads, so none of my growth to, I'm at like 120 4K right now. None of it is from ads. It is from just me, right? Putting myself out there and people finding me and following me. But, I miss the engagement that I had when my account was smaller and it just felt more intimate, you know, and it felt more high touch and that makes me feel good. And, so anyways, it's algorithm fatigue. And first of all, I'm gonna put this link in the show notes. it is a beautiful site landing page report to read. It's really cool. Basically it like. There's some icons across the top, like eight of them, and you're kind of moving through those. But what you're moving through are actually, like Instagram story size graphics with all these facts and figures on them. So it's a, it's a data backed pep talk that I'm, I'm coming in hot with today. And, you know, so many tell you like you're tired of guessing what the algorithm wants and listen, like same, same, same, same, same. And. I sort of read this report and it sort of felt like a permission slip to like stop chasing the trends and to really go all in on value and real connection. And that is what I have built the creative bodega on. I am never one to be like, here are the trends to try this week. You know what I mean? I, it's just not me. I, I, I don't love following trends. If anything, I'm hopping on some kind of real trend like once every other week maybe, but otherwise, I always joke just can I just show up and teach? Like that's what I love. That's what I wanna do. I just wanna share my knowledge and help people. I don't want to play the games. The games are exhausting. So. I've really felt like this report validated a lot of what I've taught over the years. whether it's on my Instagram or in the coven or in one of my signature courses, the messaging edit or the visual edit. So, here's the plan. We're gonna, we're gonna bust some myths, right? Using numbers from this report, and it's, I think it's gonna feel really good. Okay, so let's go. Ah, one of the biggest takeaways from the report is that people are really over like performy content. Where you feel you're watching a full on performance. instead, I think people want useful, they want honest, they want human content that respects their time. And if you've ever felt weird about click Beatty hooks or doing the most like dramatic intro ever, like you're not wrong in trusting that intuition and this data I'm gonna share has your back, which I think is. So cool. So, let's go. Myth number one, you need a long intro to hook people in, so just, that's just not true at all. The report actually asked what makes you instantly stop watching a video, and the answer was super clear. 58% of people said. It felt fake or scripted. And so they were out. Right? 47% said, because it has a slow intro, I am so guilty of that. 45% said it's overly clickbait with the title or the hook or the headline. So it just was very obvious that it was bait. Right. And, and click bait's like a bait and switch. it's like somebody shows up on the reel and they're like, you guys online courses are dead. But then they're like, not really, like I'm, and and they don't actually believe that and they kind of explain why. But that hook was click beat. You started watching'cause you thought that they were saying that online courses were dead, when in fact they completely go back on what they said and, and explain their stance. So it's just kind of false advertising in a way, to get people to stop scrolling.'cause again, games, it's all games. And then 39% said, uh, low quality. So. That's actually kinda low. Like people don't super care about your quality as long as there's, you know, some decent lighting and we can see your face and you're in focus, like you're good, right? So if you've been spending like 30 seconds just trying to set the scene for your reels or apologizing for your hair or your makeup and then like finally getting to the point of your re. You, almost half your audience is gone at that point. And again, I'm, I'm like raising my hand over here and reading this, and I'm like, yeah, m you gotta, you gotta get better at that. So what's working instead is like leading with the answer. So instead of, so, Hey guys, like m here today, I'm going to share, you know, three tips that really helps me after I blah blah, like boring. Instead you're like. You are losing clients'cause your bio says everything you do and nothing your client needs. Here is the quick three step fix. So leading with the answer, and I, I gotta try this, I really gotta lean into this. So that's number one. the myth is that you need a long intro. The truth is no. You just really need to make sure you're not fake. It's not scripted or we can't tell that it is. You don't have a slow intro and your title is not click baby. Otherwise proceed. Myth number two follows come from flashy aesthetics or a perfectly polished feed could not be further than the truth. this report asked? What are the top reasons you hit follow? So meaning you choose to follow someone. 73%. And this is far and away the winner. The next one has 25%. There's nothing in between. 73%. You guys said they post content I find consistently useful or entertaining. That made me wanna jump for joy. So I couldn't agree more with this. Like I follow somebody when I find their information to be really useful or I follow'em'cause I think they're funny and it brings a smile to my face and lightens up my day. so I, I loved that answer. That's why people are gonna follow you. But in our area of expertise, it's probably gonna be more that they found you consistently useful. and then it drops down to 25% and that's just, they feel relatable or real. 24% say their content's super high quality, so that's very low. 21%. I like their personality. Like again, 73% far and away the winner, consistently useful content. so that useful is doing the heavy lifting, right, and the quality matters, but not at the expense of the usefulness or the realness. So. Like your, you know, office being lit perfectly is, is not a growth strategy. And it's really not a hundred percent necessarily. Your usefulness is what is necessary and a non-negotiable. Okay. Myth number three. people unfollow you because you don't post enough. Get ready for this. I can hear the collective sigh of relief. Here are the top five reasons that people unfollow you. 27% said. They seemed fake or inauthentic. There's a theme going on here where they want realness, they want authenticity. They do not want scripted. They do not want fake, they do not want inauthentic. Okay? So for sure lean into who you are, and be true to yourself. 14% said political views. I disagree with. this is actually, I guess it's not that surprising. These past couple years have been insanely polarizing when it comes to the political climate, and a lot of creators are putting it out there and saying how they feel. Another reason, someone unfollows, another 14% said too many ads or sponsored posts and 10% said,'cause they're constantly selling something. that's actually a pretty low percentage, I'm not gonna lie, 10%. So the top winner there of why people unfollow is faker inauthentic. So. frequency posting frequency did not make the list. You guys, what did feeling sold to? All the time. Content that feels fake or repetitive, or constantly selling the lesson is here. Like you don't have to post more, you just have to post more meaningfully and, um, that is definitely something I teach and preach in all that I do. Purposeful posting. Myth number four, trends are the only way to grow your account. So I know a lot of people that are just seriously constantly hopping on trends. it's like their fe is just filled with trending real ideas and it's just not the only way to grow. So the report actually asks, what do you wish more creators? Would do. Meaning like what? What type of content do you wish more creators would provide or create? And the answers 53% said, teach something useful. Hi, that's US service-based solo entrepreneurs teach something tangible and useful. 42% said Be more honest or vulnerable. So. Share when things are hard, share a lesson you learned. don't gate. Keep it and make us feel like you just literally run this perfect business. You have the perfect life. You've got the perfect life, work life balance. Like when you show up and you're like, you know, I'm struggling, or I struggled, or, this is my learning arc. Right? People love that. what do you wish creators would do? more of. stop chasing trends was 36%. Another 36% share more failures and not just wins. So that falls along with the 42% of being more honest or vulnerable. And another, 36%. I know there's 3 36 s in a row. Don't ask me, I didn't do this, but it's true. post less often, but higher quality. Oof. I love that one. So listen, trends can be fun, but it's not a strategy to grow teaching honesty and, you know, focused, quality, purposeful posting. Those are the growth levers in my opinion. Myth number five, and this is our last one. If content drains you. You just gotta push through and try harder. It sounds like my nightmare. Basically. a line from the report that they shared that I loved. Somebody said, ask yourself this. Did making this piece of content give me energy? Or did it take it away? And then stop making the content that drains the life out of you and double down on what lights you up. So you guys, you're allowed to choose a format that fits your energy and still grow. You know, for many of my clients, that's carousels and, or it's talking head reels. because we have so many different types of consumers and learners out there. You know, I don't make it a secret that I love carousels. I, I love making'em, but I also love consuming them. I wanna swipe on my own time, read at my pace, save it, if it really is something I don't wanna forget. Reels kind of overwhelm my nervous system a little bit. I'm not gonna lie. And I, I, you know, it's hard to keep up and so I prefer carousels. Um, but I know there's people who love reels. So I teach and preach, you know, having a mix of all of it. But I do not believe that if content is draining the life out of you, that you should push harder. I think you should find a good solution, even if that means somebody else doing it for you. So yeah, guys, those are the quick myths. and we busted them. So here's the recap. myth long intros, hook people the truth. Slow intros and scripted vibes make people leave. So lead with the answer. Try leading with the answer and getting to the point immediately and see how that goes. myth. Perfect. Polished accounts. Bring in the followers. That's not true. Usefulness is gonna win. Remember that was the 73% one and the next one down was like in the twenties. So people want useful content, so be helpful and then worry about the quality myth. You're losing followers'cause you don't post enough praise. Be za. This is not true. The truth is that people leave when they feel like you're being fake, or salesy. And we're not gonna do that. We're not, we're not, we're definitely not gonna roll that way. The myth is trends are the strategy, but the truth is teaching. Being honest, sharing failures and focusing on quality content over volume is gonna be the winner every time. Myth. If the content drains, you just grind harder. No, the truth is, choosing formats that give you energy. That's what's gonna be sustainable to you. And, and that's where you're gonna win every time. So reading this report for me felt like a nice little, like, you're not crazy. and if ManyChat is creating a report, and the name of it was algorithm fatigue, I mean that in and of itself tells me that. Oof. We are far from alone in feeling that vibe. but I hope these numbers helped you. I hope that there's some insights that make you feel a little more grounded or a little more free and showing up exactly, you know, as who you are and sharing useful content. if you want help turning this data into an easy weekly plan, you know, with templates or feedback or accountability, so you're not. Guessing your way to success. This is exactly what we do inside the content Coven. my membership, will help you build a repeatable system so you can show up consistently without turning content into a full-time job. So if you're curious coming out with us, I'll put a link in the show notes. And, that's today's episode. I hope you found it helpful, and I, hope to see you on next week's episode of the Creative Bodega Podcast.