_{Day 98/100}

Hey—It's Tim.

Not to brag, but last Tuesday I posted to 36k followers and got 806 views.

Eight. Hundred.

A few weeks earlier? Same account. Same me. 110k views.

Social media is wild.

One day it's the best thing you've ever done:
Dopamine through the roof,
Dopamine in your coffee,
Dopamine in your veins screaming "WE'RE SO FUCKING BACK!"

Next day?
You're staring at a screen, 800 views deep, questioning life choices, and wondering if it's finally time to go outside, touch grass, and never log in again.

Platforms aren’t killing your reach - they’re giving it life support.
Let's talk about who's pulling the plug (and how to plug it back in).

The Slow Fade (by the numbers)

Here’s the thing.

Platforms don’t kill your reach in one go.
They suffocate it slowly, while smiling at you through a dashboard.

It’s not just you. It’s everyone:

• Instagram dropped from 13.9% → 4% average reach (2021 → 2024)

• Facebook halved from 6.5% → 2.6%

• LinkedIn creators are reporting:

  • 30–45% fewer impressions

  • 70–80% drop in engagement

  • Some company pages make up just 1.5% of the feed

Even Twitter/X is throttling unverified accounts.
YouTube punishes uploads that aren’t Shorts, Premium, or playlists from Logan Paul’s cousin.

Shadowbanned so hard even my mum stopped seeing my posts

Let’s get into what triggers The Throttle™.

What you (accidentally) did wrong:

The platforms never say it out loud.
But the rules are there. And they're watching.

How they quietly kill your post:

1. Engagement gating:

   • First 60 minutes = the Hunger Games.

   • If no one bites? No one else sees it.
     

2. Paid priority:

   • Want your followers to actually see your post?

   • That’ll be $49, please.
     

3. Friend > Founder:

   • Platforms prioritize personal over promotional.

   • Your cousin’s brunch selfie is beating your best content.
     

4. Shadowban Lite™:

   • Still shows up in your feed.

   • Invisible to everyone else.

Reverse-Engineering the Dimmer Switch

Alright. You’re in the penalty box.
But this ain’t prison. It’s a puzzle.

Here’s how I’ve been testing the system:

A. Change one variable at a time

You don’t need a strategy. You need a spreadsheet.

It’s not just what you post.
It’s when, how often, and how much platform behavior you mimic.

B. Cross-post like a thief

Post on LinkedIn and Threads at the same time.
See what pops. One of them will always treat you better.

(I’ve had LinkedIn posts do numbers, and get nothing. And the same post on Twitter look like it do nothing, but start DM’s with the most interesting people)

C. Do what the algorithm loves - but on your terms

• First 30 minutes? Be in the comments.

• Ask a question, not a mic drop.

• Resurface an old post that crushed.
  Platforms forget. Let them.

This is not about beating the algorithm.
It’s about understanding the dance - and knowing when to sit one out.

Do we care?

Yeah.
Kinda.
Sometimes.

I care when I put hours into something meaningful and it dies in the feed like a fly on a windshield.

I don’t care when I remember:
It’s not reach that matters. It’s resonance.

500 views that turn into 5 DMs from real humans?
That’s a win.
110k views and zero memory of the post?
That’s just noise with a number.
 

What to do about it (the honest version)

Choose what winning is to you.
If you need to build reach. There is your north star.
If you want to talk to people. You measure in DM’s.

Forget everything else.

Building for the algo is cool.
Building for people is arguably cooler.
Grass, I’ve been told is cooler than that. I can’t wait for the day I get to go outside.

1. Build a list.

Your list > their feed.
I know it’s cliché. I also know it’s true.
Why do you think I write a newsletter every day?

2. Pick your main character platform.

You can’t win everywhere. Choose one. Study it. Break it. Rebuild.

3. Treat social like a spark, not a strategy.

Use it to get attention.
Move people somewhere deeper.
Newsletter. Podcast. Community.
Don’t live and die on the timeline.

4. Post with conviction.

Don’t write for the algorithm.
Write for the person who’s going to hit reply, say “that hit,” and forward it to their team.

The algo might bury you.

They won’t.

✌️ Tim "Shadowbanned but Still Vibin’" Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

Same brain, different platforms: X, Threads, LinkedIn.

P.S. Think your reach is bad? Send me your most criminally ignored post. I will go comment on it.

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Made by content marketers. Used by better ones.