Everything you know about the algorithm is wrong
Most people have it backward.
The algorithm isn't concerned with your content.
It's concerned with what users want to see.
In this letter, I will discuss:
Why most people fundamentally misunderstand social media algorithms
How the algorithm is actually a mirror reflecting your own interests and behaviors
Why your feed reveals more about you than you'd like to admit
The self-reinforcing cycle of creating content you'd actually want to consume
How authenticity becomes more valuable as AI content proliferates
The mirror principle: changing yourself to change your algorithmic experience
Why creating value consistently is the ultimate "algorithm hack"
A simple framework for being worth finding instead of obsessing over getting found
Let's dive deeper.
The Great Algorithm Misconception
When most people talk about "beating the algorithm," they're thinking from a fundamentally flawed perspective.
They assume the algorithm exists to either help or hinder them. They see it as a kind of gatekeeper they must trick, outsmart, or please.
But the algorithm doesn't care about you or your goals.
It’s not your publicist.
All it cares about is entertaining you.
All it cares about is showing you more of what you like.
All it pays attention to is what you pay attention to.
It has one job:
To keep you engaged on the platform by showing you content you’re likely to interact with.
The algorithm is a mirror reflecting user preferences and behaviors—not a judge of your content's quality or worthiness.
This might sound obvious, but most "algorithm advice" ignores this.
The Algorithm Is Actually Just Human Nature at Scale
Social algorithms are just human psychology automated.
All they do is show you more of what you pay attention to.
If you believe social media is toxic, you close yourself off to that reality. And at the same time can't help but wonder why your life is so toxic.
The algorithm doesn't hate you.
It doesn't even know you exist.
It's simply a digital manifestation of your individual (and our collective) human attention patterns.
Think about it:
What makes you stop scrolling?
What makes you tap "like"?
What compels you to comment?
What motivates you to share something?
The algorithm is just tracking these natural human responses at scale, then using that data to serve more of what works.
Your Feed is Your Mind
The first step toward “hacking” the algorithm is to “hack” your own mind.
And the first step to hacking your mind is look at your own feed.
Your feed isn't something happening to you. It's something you've co-created through your engagement patterns.
If the content on your feed is mainly negative, fear-based, or shallow, that's a reflection of what you've trained your algorithm to show you by engaging with such content.
If your LinkedIn feed is filled with garbage, it's because:
You've engaged with that garbage (even negatively)
You haven't consistently engaged with higher-quality content
You haven't trained the algorithm to understand your actual preferences
This is a hard pill to swallow, but liberating once you accept it. When things get static, you need to change something. Anything. You need chaos. You need novelty. You need the experiences and ideas that fuel forward progress.
How to Spot Snake Oil Salesmen
Once you understand that this is how the algorithm works, you can use it to spot fake LinkedIn gurus. They may have a ton of engagement on their posts. They may have tons of followers and boast about their success. But if they start complaining about how their feed is overrun by garbage, what they've done is expose themselves. What they basically do is give you a window into their mind and motivations.
The Algorithm Leverage Point: Be the User First
Here's where the real power lies: understand the algorithm by being a user first, creator second.
Most advice focuses on tactics: post at certain times, use specific hashtags, follow engagement formulas. But these are just surface-level manipulations that miss the core truth.
Instead, think about yourself as a user:
What content do you actually stop to engage with?
What makes you follow someone new?
What causes you to share something with others?
Write to yourself. Build for yourself. Solve your own problems and sell the solution.
This simple perspective shift changes everything. Because now, rather than trying to outsmart the algorithm, you're simply aligning with its fundamental purpose: connecting people with content they value.
The Self-Reinforcing Content Cycle
Here's where this gets powerful: when you create content you yourself would want to consume, you enter a self-reinforcing cycle:
You create content you'd genuinely want to see
Others with similar interests engage with it
The algorithm shows your content to more people with those interests
Your audience becomes filled with people who truly resonate with your work
Your understanding of what resonates deepens
You create even better content that connects with this audience
Repeat
The most profitable niche is YOU. Not what you do. The thing is, there are millions of people with the same interests, problems and desires as you, and you only need to find a fraction of them.
This is how authentic growth happens—not through manipulation, but through alignment.
Stop Asking "What Works?" Start Asking "What Matters?"
Most people obsess over what "works" on social media:
"What's the best time to post?"
"Should I use this hashtag?"
"How long should my posts be?"
These questions miss the point entirely. They focus on superficial tactics rather than substantive value.
Social media is at the forefront of attention. Things like paid ads and cold emails – you know, the things absolutely nobody likes doing – require you to get specific on your messaging so you can find, target, and get your work in front of specific people.
Instead, ask:
"What genuinely interests me that others might also find valuable?"
"What unique perspective can I offer that nobody else is sharing?"
"What problems am I solving that others are also facing?"
As marketing shifts more and more to organic content on social media, this just isn't the case. With content, your work is exposed to diverse audiences because that's just how social media works.
Authentic Voices Cut Through the Noise
Here is why this is good for you: As more people try to "beat the algorithm" with tactics and formulas, authentic voices become increasingly rare and valuable.
With the rise of chat GPT and future iterations of language AI, authenticity is more important than ever. People want to follow humans. They don't want to follow a search engine with a face on it.
The platforms themselves recognize this. Every major algorithm update in recent years has aimed to reward genuine engagement and penalize manipulation. Why? Because the platforms know their survival depends on delivering content users actually value.
Most people aren't being authentic. You go to someone's profile, and it's either all promotions or it's all just like actionable advice, which is good, and people tell you to post, but it's the same shit you could find online and buy online.
The Mirror Principle: Change Yourself First
If you want to change what the algorithm shows you, change your own behavior first.
Organic, delayed gratification style content can still use persuasion and attention tactics, but they are based on relevant pain points, insight, and education rather than fear-mongering when you create content and brain rot.
Start by:
Unfollowing accounts that don't add value
Actively seeking out and engaging with high-quality content
Taking breaks from mindless scrolling
Commenting thoughtfully rather than reactively
Sharing only what truly resonates, not what's trending
The point of this is that not all social media content is bad. In fact, it's an incredible way to tap into an infinite source of knowledge. Where else can you find information from people who have done what you want to do in life?
The same principle applies to your content creation: if you want better engagement, become the kind of creator you'd want to engage with.
Stop Making Content for "The Algorithm"
The most powerful shift happens when you stop making content "for the algorithm" and start making content for real humans.
Creators—not content creators, just people who create their life—are those who forge new paths and pass down the esoteric information that allow you to take advantage of new opportunities.
Think about it: have you ever decided to follow someone because their content was "optimized for the algorithm"? Of course not. You follow people because:
They share valuable insights
They have a unique perspective
They create content that resonates with you
They seem authentic and trustworthy
What separates you from the crowd? Your perspective. When you add your story to a piece of content, it instantly becomes 10X more impactful.
You need to start looking at yourself as a decentralized teacher. You need to become the new school system on the internet.
The Ultimate Algorithm Hack: Value Creation
If you want the simplest, most powerful algorithm "hack," here it is: create genuine value consistently.
I would rather have a diverse 100,000-follower audience than a niche 10,000-follower audience because I understand how to educate people.
That's it. That's the secret.
All the tactics, tips, and tricks in the world can't compare to consistently creating content that genuinely helps, informs, entertains, or inspires your audience.
Pair that with a writing hobby and some psychology knowledge and you open up a world of opportunities from random people on the internet (that you wouldn't have been able to get in front of in the past).
The Path Forward: Be Worth Finding
Instead of obsessing over how to "get found," focus on being worth finding.
Society has set you up to fail. We are in the middle of a spiritual war of beliefs. Older generations haven't allowed their identity to be challenged with the changing landscape.
Build your skills, deepen your knowledge, refine your perspective, and generously share what you learn along the way.
If everyone builds an audience, how do you stand out? Well, this is only a difficult question because you aren't being honest with yourself about what building a brand for yourself truly means. If you were, and everyone else on this planet was, everyone would be unique.
The algorithm will find you when you're creating content that genuinely deserves to be found.
Remember:
The algorithm doesn't exist to serve you
It exists to serve users by showing them valuable content
Become the creator who serves those users well, and the algorithm will serve you
By all measures, that is the only way to future-proof yourself. Everything else is a distraction.
The Right Way Forward: Transform Yourself First
Looking to actually implement this perspective shift in your content strategy? This is exactly what I focus on during Day One of my free two-day LinkedIn Genius Workshop.
While everyone else is teaching you shallow tactics and "hacks," I'm showing you how to fundamentally transform your approach to content by first transforming yourself.
In just the first day, you'll learn:
What it really means to build a personal brand
How to build a Magnetic Authority mindset that as clients come to you
The 7 steps to soft selling
The mirror technique for seeing your content objectively
How to build a self-reinforcing content system that grows with you
This isn't about quick fixes or surface-level changes. It's about creating sustainable growth through authentic value creation.
That is the only way to future-proof yourself.
Everything else is a distraction.
If you're ready to stop fighting the algorithm and start aligning with it, sign up to find out when my next free masterclass will be here.
Or just get right to it and join one of the 3 levels of the my Unforgettable Academy
👇
https://unforgettableacademy.mn.co
— Justin
If you reply to this email I will see it.