Stop Trying to Please the Algorithm & Start Talking to Your People.

I’ve wanted to say this for a while, so now I’m going for it…

Most of the social media advice out there right now is about the algorithm. How to beat it, work with it, hack it. And while some of it has a point, the majority of it is missing something really important.

The algorithm is not your customer. People are.

Why Are We So Obsessed With the Algorithm?

I get it. Social media platforms are constantly shifting. Just when you feel like things are going well, something changes and suddenly what was working last month isn't working anymore. So you find yourself back on Google, searching "how to beat the Instagram algorithm in 2026."

And there is a whole load of content out there that keeps this cycle going. Posts telling you to use this trending audio, post at this exact time, use this many keywords, make sure your hook lands in the first three seconds. It turns into a never-ending checklist that has nothing to do with your business, your customers, or why you started in the first place.

The more you chase it, the more drained and disconnected you feel. I see it with small business owners all the time.

What Nobody Is Actually Saying

The content that gets real results, for my clients and for my own social media, is never the most perfectly optimised content. It is always the most real content.

Before and after shots that show genuine transformation. A caption about why you started your business. A behind-the-scenes reel that is a bit wobbly and completely unscripted. Something that sounds like you, because it is you.

That is what works. Not because it has been built to please a machine, but because it connects with actual people. And when people feel connected to you, they save your posts, share them, leave comments, and eventually buy from you.

That is what the algorithm rewards. Not the tricks. The connection.

Let's Talk About Going Viral

I do not chase viral content, and I do not tell my clients to either.

It sounds great on paper. Millions of views, loads of new followers. But stop and think about it. If a video of you doing a trending sound reaches half a million people, who are those people? Are they your ideal customer? Are they someone who is ever going to book you, buy from you, or walk through your door?

Probably not.

But here is the flip side. If you are posting content that is genuine, natural, and true to your business, and it happens to take off, you are so much more likely to reach the right people. Because the content was already aimed at them. The reach is a bonus, not the goal.

Going viral is not a social media strategy for small business owners. Showing up authentically is.

The Algorithm Changes. You Do Not.

This is the bit I really want you to take away from this.

Platforms will always change. They will always move the goalposts, push new features, and shift what they reward. That is not going to stop. And if your whole content strategy is built around what the algorithm wants today, you are always going to be one update away from starting over.

But if your content strategy is built around who you are, what you stand for, and the people you want to help, none of that dates. Your values do not change because Instagram tweaked something. Your story does not stop being relevant because there is a new content format to learn.

When you show up consistently as yourself and talk about the things you genuinely care about, two things happen. The right people find you and stick around. And the algorithm, without you even thinking about it, gets exactly the signals it needs to put your content in front of more of them.

So What Does This Actually Look Like?

This is not about ditching your content plan or ignoring social media strategy altogether. Strategy matters. It just needs to work for you, not the other way around.

Before you post anything, ask yourself these four things:

Would I say this to a customer face to face? If not, go back and rewrite it.

Does this sound like me? If you are tying yourself in knots to make it land a certain way, it is probably not right.

Am I posting this because I think it will help someone, or because I think it will please the algorithm? These are very different reasons.

Would I still be happy with this post in six months? Trend-led content dates fast. Content rooted in your values does not.

The Bottom Line

You started your business for a reason. A skill you are brilliant at, a problem you knew you could solve, something you are genuinely passionate about. That is your content. All of it.

The most powerful thing you can do for your social media presence is let people see the real version of that. Not a polished, algorithm-chasing version. The actual thing.

Stop trying to please the algorithm. Start talking to your people. Post with purpose, show up as yourself, and the right audience will find you.

I promise they will.