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SciCom – Handling Algorithm Changes
Published 5 days ago • 3 min read
Handling Platform Changes
Hi Reader, how do you deal with uncertainty?
Imagine you suddenly get one-tenth of your normal views - although you post the same content. It seems nobody “likes” your content anymore.
Yet, others go viral in the meantime.
Where is your audience? Where is your confidence in the system you've built? And maybe most importantly, what can you do?
When Things Change
Science communication can only be effective if you reach people.
But it's simply not the case that the most accurate or informative content reaches the most people.
After TikTok appeared, things changed – i.e., when there’s a new trend, platforms will adapt. But don’t limit that to social media - there was a time when blogs were really big too. The world changes, and your communication needs to change with it.
You are dependent on the platforms that you use - but their inner workings are not transparent.
If Google changes its algorithm, your blog might not pop up as often anymore.
If Instagram changes its algorithm, your content might not get shown as much anymore.
If LinkedIn changes its setup, user behavior might change.
But these changes are rarely announced. And many myths exist around them. And still, it could be you...
Maybe taking that one week off made the platform hate your account.
Maybe your competitors figured out how to create even better content.
Maybe your account got shadow-banned because you wrote a critical post.
In the end, you simply cannot know.
Were You Wrong?
We often believe we have figured out the game - how to write, how to paragraph, how to design graphics.
When it stops working, you wonder: did you ever figure anything out, or were you just lucky?
Click to enlarge (and look at when the posts were posted). The latest changes on LinkedIn are highlighting exactly that: something has changed, but apart from the looks, what else changed? It seems your posts are no longer doing well. So, you start browsing your feed. AI-generated content everywhere. Posts that previously failed are now getting over 100 likes within a few hours. Punchy posts used to perform well; now, long, book-like paragraphs seem to dominate. What used to be a mix of posts is now determined by what gains high engagement within minutes or what quietly fades after a long time. Even the timing changes: when you post, when you receive likes, how far your content reaches.So, what’s happening? Is it that you simply haven't noticed these patterns before? Or is the algorithm just feeding people content until something finally sticks?P.S. Please note that post #1 is not shown in full, it’s only meant to illustrate what you might see when your mind is (potentially) tilted.
The issue is the uncertainty. You start to question and doubt everything.
And even if you have the resilience and adaptability, you might not figure out the “new game” in a few days.
It might take weeks. It might take forever. Maybe you lost your special flavor? Maybe your trend is over?
Managing Chaos
It hurts, it feels inconvenient, it might cost you collaborations, but one thing is certain:
You cannot stop, because then people won’t hear from you.
Keep a cool head. Uncertainty makes us panic fairly easily.
Not saying you shouldn’t watch these videos for inspiration, but keep a cool head. Changes can feel very weird - you might think platforms want to give everyone a viral post once in a while while suppressing everything else. Maybe you’ve entered a new space and have to realize there’s no silver bullet for guaranteed success. Maybe this is your chance to switch platforms, discover a new trend, or reinvent yourself. However, some fundamentals stay the same. It’s still a game that needs to be figured out.
A) Just give yourself a month or two to figure out what is really going on. Don’t jump to conclusions. We all have temporary slumps.
B) If issues persist, communicate them to partners or sponsors calmly, professionally, and with a positive outlook.
C) Having a following on multiple platforms can help give you a sanity check. If your content does well on other outlets, it is most likely that an algorithm changed, not that you “lost skill.”
Connecting with others can be a double-edged sword. Certainly, consider it early on - support can calm you down, and others might provide great inspiration. But nevertheless, you still have to figure out the new game. Science communication is not just about science; it’s just as much about navigating your medium. And that’s something you have to do based on your own unique approach and style.
D) Spend more time analyzing without jumping to conclusions. Review what content does well. Just like you did in the beginning. Don’t be emotional, don’t tilt, just do cool-headed analysis.
E) And then, keep on posting.
You Never Know
Uncertainty is painful and you can’t get rid of it. You have to navigate it!
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