Growing Impressions And Engagement

Growing Impressions And Engagement

Introduction

  • Growing impressions and engagement on X is our main goal—it makes our accounts more effective and boosts our /Reach level. Impressions is a measure of the visibility of our content on X, and engagement is other people interacting (likes, shares, replies, etc) with our content.
  • We will look at why these metrics matter, and explore several techniques that grow them. We’ve already looked at one—replies—in terms of how it can increase follower numbers, but we will examine it more broadly here.
  • We will also discuss how your non-reply posts and threads, lists and communities, and the management of your profile content can boost your impressions and engagement.
  • As we go through these topics we will look at tools and techniques, both on and off X, that can be used to make the work easier and faster—including the /Reach protocol.



A Moment to Grow

  • X wants to show popular content to people who might be interested in it, and X algorithms will show a post that people have stopped to read and watch, rather than scrolling past, to a wider selection of people. This isn’t just the case for people following an account—widely seen content also appears more often in the “For You” tab, which is a mix between posts from accounts you follow and posts from accounts that X thinks you might be interested in.
  • In the past, small accounts had to fight very hard to get visibility, but according to owner Elon Musk, X algorithms have changed since his takeover—if posts are gaining traction, more people will see them, even if they are from a small account.
  • This means that right now there is no better moment to dedicate time to growing your impressions and engagement!
  • Don’t worry about implementing all the suggestions here—try them out and see what works for your account, audience, skills and preferences. You can check on your analytics for a post and see what’s most effective, leaning into the strategies that are more successful.
  • Experiment with strategies for enjoyment, also—if you’re really having a good time replying or making videos, keep it up, even if you’ve got room for improvement. Enjoyment makes any effort a lot easier.



Be A “Reply Guy”

  • We’ve discussed posting in the replies of big and rising accounts that are likely to engage in conversation with you and maybe follow you—that strategy is also a good thing to do for boosting your impressions and engagement as well, as being replied to by the prestigious original poster gets you a big boost in the algorithm.
  • More broadly, probably the best thing you can do to increase the number of views you receive is to be a reply guy—reply to the posts of big accounts, even if there is no chance they will ever answer you back or follow you!
  • Your goal here is a little bit different than the replying you’re doing to grow your followers: it’s replying for its own sake, thoughtful, relevant and with high effort, but on a broader array of accounts—even those where it is very unlikely the original poster will follow you, but it is likely that many people will encounter your reply.
  • Thoughtful and relevant means exactly what it says—not three sentences of vaguely on-topic word salad! Something demonstrating more than a superficial understanding of the original post’s subject matter is best.



Finn: “$2.00” Daily

  • Alex Finn’s explorations of the publicly available X algorithm code underscore what he calls his $2.00 strategy: posting your “two cents worth” in response to 100 highly visible posts, totalling 100 thoughtful, relevant replies daily.
  • This number includes the replies you’re already doing to encourage follower growth; in addition, it means replying more broadly, on the posts of big accounts where they will be be seen and interacted with, and of a quality and relevance that means people will stop to read/watch them, not quickly scroll past.
  • According to Finn, new updates to the X algorithm code in Spring 2024 mean that replies are pushed to users timelines even more than before, because getting viewers interested in replies means they stay on X longer, making the platform more valuable to advertisers.



Replying Well At Scale

  • 100 replies a day can seem like a big ask if you’re not used to it! Let’s look at Finn’s strategy in a bit more detail, including time-saving tips.
  • This is an ambitious target—but remember that Finn’s strategy is trying to really supercharge growth to quite a high level! Doing even half or a quarter of this number daily will boost your impressions and engagement, so don’t be intimidated. The most important thing is to reply daily, keeping your account current, as daily activity is favoured by X algorithms.
  • You can also start small and ramp up your replying pace over time once you get the hang of it.
  • Along with having notifications on for your target accounts to reply to, you can make Lists (set them to private to avoid spamming the notifications of the people you add) of all the people you aim to reply to daily.
  • In the past, the posts of even the biggest accounts have faded from being shown on users’ feeds after a few hours—now, posts can keep showing up even if they’re a day or two old, so replying from a list can work (although a very early reply still works better).
  • The post author replying to your reply boosts it, as does a reply that people linger over, so content that intrigues the reader—even a controversial reply, as long as it is polite, can work great for this.
  • As low effort replies are penalised, it’s better to skip replying to a post than reply with a throwaway comment.



Prompts For Replying

Some ideas to get your thoughts flowing for replies:

  • How does the original post (OP) relate to something in my life?
  • Why do I agree/disagree with the OP?
  • What knowledge is new to me from the OP?
  • What will I be able to do with the information in the OP?
  • What’s something that the OP might not be taking into account?
  • Who else is considering what the OP is talking about?

You can also ask questions, even if the OP is quite famous and it’s very unlikely they will answer—often this gets dialogue with other replyers going.



Web3 Accounts

Your account’s impressions and engagement can grow, of course, by replying to any big account, such as major news sites, politicians, and celebrities. But you’re not only trying to rack up views—you’re trying to make an account that grows organically and feels natural to humans that encounter its content! So, keeping a coherent focus on a few areas of interest for your replies makes sense. Areas where you have some knowledge and want to learn more are best, as you’ll be able to reply naturally and from a place of your own unique experience.

If you’re interested in /Reach, you’re likely interested in crypto, Web3 and NFTs, so this is a great place to start when you’re building your replying lists. In replying to accounts in these areas, you’ll also be in some of the most active communities on X, so that’s an added benefit. And, while it isn’t necessary, if you also add in a few accounts that focus on non-crypto interests (and even non-tech!) it really helps your individuality stand out for human viewers who are checking out your account. Consider topics like sports, fitness, travel, fashion, history and nature. Topics like politics or religion can be very risky as they attract disingenuous users and bots.



Accounts To Reply To

Here’s some Web3 accounts to get you started. You can also find great accounts to reply to in the replies of big accounts—remember to choose accounts that you’re actually interested in and this will make your daily replying easier and more fun.

In addition to these, add accounts that talk about your non-crypto interests!



Your Own Timeline/Activity

Your own posts are just as important as replies! You don’t need to do loads and loads of them daily, but you should do a few at least every day to boost your account in the algorithm, and to give humans a sense of who you (and/or your brand) are. Posts that people spend time with, rather than scrolling past, give you an X algorithm boost.

Additionally, making sure your profile is well-composed and clear, with a good profile image, cover, bio, pinned post, and highlights makes it easy and fast for humans to get a sense of you. Users clicking through to your profile and spending time there gives you a visibility boost from X’s algorithm.

Finally, we will look at how to use other X tools that can boost engagement, including Spaces and public Lists.



Posts for Growth - Part I

Recent examinations of the public X algorithm code by Finn offer a few strategies to improve the visibility of your original posts:

  • Post meaningful content, and don’t be afraid to go long. Content can now stay live (being actively offered by the X algorithm to users’ For You and Following tabs) for several days, and it tends to be content that people have spent time looking at, rather than scrolling by.
  • The algorithm also favours trending stories—so if you have something to say about trending news (the search terms showing in the Trending tab on Search, and on your Home Screen) that gets a big boost from the algorithm. (The trending news that X prepares for you is tailored to what’s interesting to you and your community—for example, focusing on crypto, NFTs and tech.)
  • Finn’s look at the algorithm indicates that video content will be especially favoured—so uploading video content for a post, even if it’s just a quick video of you talking to your camera phone about a trending topic.
  • Don’t force it if you’ve got nothing to write or say about a trending topic! Other options are to share your own hard-earned wisdom and experience on topics you are passionate about.
  • If you’re getting meaningful replies to a post, engage with the best ones, and those from active, growing accounts. Even a word of thanks can build relationships and incentivise people to reply in future!



Posts for Growth - Part II

The algorithm looks at how long users “dwell” on a post, so there’s a few ways you can encourage readers to stay longer, rather than scrolling by.

  • Be intriguing from the beginning! State a question, or introduce the topic you’re going to share information about, but make sure that the post is longer than 280 characters and that the most valuable parts of the post are viewable after “Show more”. “Show more” appears for posts by Premium subscribers, who can create posts with multiple images and up to 4,000 characters.
  • Another option to encourage readers to linger on your content is to create a thread; X allows threads of up to 25 posts in one go, and you can always add more posts after publishing the thread. Any user can do this, but it’s still strongly encouraged to subscribe to X as Premium users get a visibility boost for all their content.
  • While a long post means readers dwell on it for a long time, a wall of text can be intimidating, so threads are recommended. Threads also mean that if you say something in one of its posts that is particularly engaging to other users, they are likely to share that post, drawing more people to the thread.
  • If you want to include a link from outside X, it’s important not to put it in the first post of a thread! X wants to keep people on its platform, not clicking away. Post your link at the bottom of your thread. Even if you’ve got a long single post, links should go in a reply.
  • Once you’ve posted a thread you can get the direct link to the first post. Add it to the bottom of your thread, and encourage readers who enjoyed the thread to like and share its first post.
  • Avoid mentioning and/or linking to X competitors like Threads, Bluesky, Farcaster and Instagram. The algorithm deboosts the visibility of posts mentioning and linking to these!



Polls, Streams, Spaces, Articles

X algorithms also prioritize accounts creating content that is interactive and keeps people on the platform—including polls, Spaces and live-streaming video.

  • Polls can be created as part of an original post, with two or more options and running for up to seven days. An intriguing question with strong arguments on multiple sides is great for a poll. Encourage people to share their reasoning in your replies for more engagement. Once the poll is complete, you can even make another post about it, exploring anything interesting about the results and conversation.
  • Live-streaming on X, whether it’s video game content, an in-person event, or simply you talking or sharing your activities gets a big algorithm boost. A stream is shown in its own post, so people’s interactions with your stream show up as replies, and the finished stream-post then behaves as a video post, so you get engagement during and after.
  • Hosting Spaces regularly will get your account’s overall content a boost from the algorithm. Even if you have few attendees for your Spaces as you get started, doing them regularly (even short ones!) will get your overall content shown to more X users.
  • Instead of creating a long-form essay on another website and linking to it in your X post or thread, you can also create an Article directly on X if you’re a Premium subscriber. They support text, images and video embeds and posts including links to Articles are given a boost in the algorithm. They also appear on the Articles tab on your timeline.



Shares, Quotes and Posts

While shares don’t harm your account’s visibility from the point of view of X’s algorithm, it’s worth being conscious of how your timeline looks to humans! Let’s look first at posts on your timeline, and then other profile features.

  • A timeline that is entirely shares looks thoughtless or even spammy. A healthy mix of shares and original posts is ideal. Avoid too many spammy or giveaway shares as this looks bad to human viewers (and these type of posts also aren’t preferred by the X algorithm).
  • Although quoted posts, when you share a post but with your own comment on the top, are not highly ranked in the algorithm, they do at least add a personal touch when you’re sharing another person’s post.
  • Make sure you have the ability for others to reply turned on, at least for accounts you follow, for all your original posts. Restricted-commenting posts are often used by scammers! The X algorithm favours engagement, so posts that invite engagement from all audiences will work better.
  • As discussed earlier, /Reach rewards likes on mission posts, plus either a share or a reply—not both! If you’re completing all available /Reach missions daily, you’ll have a lot of shares, so balance that out with thoughtful replies as well as some of your own original posts in order to have a great timeline.


Profile Brush-Up

Your profile looking great helps algorithmically (people reading your profile boosts its visibility) and organically (readers interested in what you have to offer will connect).

  • Cover Image and Profile Photo: These should be unique, not stolen content, and personalised. For example, simply reusing the image of your favourite nft collection for your cover could look spammy, but creating a cover image featuring your own holdings from the collection, along with your ENS, sticks out. Your profile can be unique art, an NFT you hold (don’t use one you don’t own!), or a tasteful photo of you!
  • Pinned Post: This is one of your own posts, that you can pin to appear at the top of your profile. A high-engagement recent post, the top of a thread about your achievements in the space, info about an upcoming drop, Space or event you’re involved in, or a particularly insightful or witty post are great ideas for this.
  • You can also add any of your posts to your Highlights tab (and your formerly pinned posts automatically appear here, but can be removed manually). It’s a good place to curate your most popular posts, a collection of posts promoting your work, etc.
  • Your videos/photos also appear in their own tabs on your profile. Don’t post anything that could alienate people—they’re always easily findable here!
  • Your profile text should be short and clear, not filled with lots of @s and hashtags, and your bio link should go to a Linktree or similar that has your other socials, portfolio of work, and other relevant info.
  • Users will likely scroll around your profile, particularly your own posts, so keep posts and shares balanced, varied and natural.



Using /Reach to Help

Thoughtful use of /Reach missions is a great way to supplement your efforts in boosting impressions and engagement.

  • Setting engage missions on some of your posts can quickly bring broad visibility and meaningful replies. Premium engage missions will bring fewer replies, but of a higher quality and from more visible accounts.
  • Don’t set an engage mission for more than one or two of your own posts per day—this helps keep your timeline look varied and natural.
  • Additionally, /Reach now has new mission types that give you other ways of amplifying engagement. Using a variety of mission types over time makes engagement look more natural to algorithms and human users.
  • Mention missions, which reward members for mentioning your username in a fresh post on X, work great—you can even specify what you want members to talk about in their post, like your product, upcoming Space or drop, or one of your posts. They also help direct members to view your account.
  • Bio missions reward members for putting text that you specify in their X bio. This can be effective in directing members to your X account or engaging with your product or upcoming drop/launch/event.



Discussion Questions

There are so many suggestions to try! It’s much easier if you just try one or two at a time, ramping up to a level that is sustainable for you and yields results.

  • Build private lists of accounts to reply to and turn notifications on, and set a time every day to churn out replies. Start small—maybe five a day—then add five more on a pace that works for you, perhaps weekly. Keep track of what’s working, and adjust accordingly.
  • Meanwhile, add one or more of the other suggestions weekly. What are you finding easiest and most fun? What are pain points for you? Maybe you found out you love writing threads but hate streaming live video. 
  • Plan out an X growth strategy—everything from time to organising your account’s bookmarks and lists—to make your growth work easier. Share this strategy with an experienced friend! It could be as simple as fifteen minutes a day dedicated to growing your account. You can track results for your posts by looking at their analytics—especially engagement and impressions. Focus on the strategies that work and adjust those that aren’t delivering the results you like over time.
  • Check your /Reach level on our app, at the beginning and every couple of weeks as you implement your X strategy.. By dedicating a little time daily, you can improve your score—accessing Premium missions and multiplied rewards.



Complete and Continue