Building Relationships, Not Just Numbers: The Key to Sustainable Audience Growth

When authors take the time to focus on engaging with their audience, a few interactive audience members are worth more than thousands

When many of us think of social media, we think in terms of notoriety.

By this I mean, what content or post is going to garner us the most attention? How will what I have to say reach the most people? And how will I continue to grow?

Having these questions constantly swimming through our minds can become tiresome and leave us feeling as if we failed when we continue to reach for this unattainable goal.

So why not shift our way of thinking?

When looking at the bigger picture of audience growth, I want you to think of quality over quantity.

Having a bunch of active and conversational audience members is going to go so much further than having thousands of silent ones.

For example, on X (formerly Twitter), I have 34.8k followers. And you know what? I can guarantee that all of these followers don’t see all or most of my posts.

Why?

Because in order to see all of my posts, these followers would have to be on their X feed 24/7 in order to see if my posts popped up. Or they would need to search for me directly to see my posts. And let’s face it, we know they aren’t doing that.

This is what I mean about quality over quantity.

If you manage to have a couple of thousand active audience members who share/ comment/ start conversations with you and your content, that is worth its weight in gold.

Here is another example to give you some insight. Out of the 34.8k followers I have on X, I receive maybe 500–700 notifications a day. These are interactions people are having with my posts.

Now, these numbers aren’t from my followers alone.

These numbers are also from my active followers sharing and commenting on my content which then allows people they follow to see my posts. Because every time they interact with my posts, it brings my posts back into the news feed.

And when you look at the audience statistics this way, it isn’t about how many followers you have on social media, it’s about the content you are posting.

Building relationships with your audience in some way is the key to truly building your audience on social media.

Why is this?

Because these people come to social media to be social. So that they can connect with other people somewhere in the world about a common interest. Providing that connection with them is what is going to build your audience.

Now, I know you’re wondering how we do this.

Interactive Content

Create content people can relate to.

When your audience can relate to your content, that is one of the surest ways for them to share.

Why? Because they feel as if someone sees them and sympathizes. Which is a great way to ensure they share.

For example, my daughter has a dairy allergy and it’s nearly impossible to find decent chocolate for her to eat around candy holidays. So, I managed to find dairy-free vanilla wafers and Enjoy Life chocolate which I used to make her her own KitKat bars.

I hadn’t expected the attention my post would have gotten with people expressing their frustration with the pricing of dairy-free products or the lack of variety in dairy-free candy.

When you share an experience or story, it opens up opportunities for your audience to relate and want to share with their friends.

What types of ways can we get our social media audience to interact with our posts?

Questions

Asking a question as a social media post can prove to be super effective.

But what is even more effective is following up the question with an answer and then opening up the floor for others to answer it as well. Because when you provide people the opportunity to add to the conversation you are proposing, the chances of interaction skyrocket. Which is the goal in the first place.

At the beginning of my X audience-building journey, I began asking questions I wanted answers to in regard to publishing, writing, and such. And I was surprised how many other people had these questions as well. The end result was people helping other people and wanting more questions I had. (https://x.com/klhicks912)

As my knowledge expanded on the subjects I had questions on, I was able to ask the questions and provide my own answers to help others.

However, I would suggest making sure that you vary your posts so that this isn’t the only method that you stick to.

Polls

Polls can be used across social media platforms to provide your audience with options in order to see where their opinions fall.

Again, what content your poll will contain will depend on your niche.

For example, if you are a web developer, you may list a poll about what the best tools are for solving bugs in code. Or if you are an illustrator who wants to engage more with your audience, you may list a poll about the different art media your audience prefers to use.

Threads and Informational Posts

A wonderful way to teach your audience the information that you know is by actually teaching them.

On X and Threads, putting your information into an informational thread is a wonderful way to get your information across. But keep in mind that you will need to condense your information into bite-sized pieces. In doing so, you may need to work a few times to condense what you have to say and still make sure it’s effective.

However, on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, it requires modifying your information so that it can fit the users on those platforms.

Something to know about writing long-form informational content on a platform like Facebook is to keep your information broken up. I would suggest following the 1–3–1 sentence rule. (Writing one sentence, followed by three in the next chunk, followed by one.) By doing so, you make the information more digestible and easy to read for your audience.

Chances are with informational threads and posts, your audience will comment on or share what you have to say.

Engaging with your audience

Sounds like a no-brainer, but too many people forget to do this.

Take the time to respond to comments on your posts, interact with other people’s posts, and share what others have to say.

By doing this, you show people that you value what they have to say which goes a long way.

Tips:

• Pay attention to what people are commenting on your posts and try to start conversations or thank them for responding

• If you find someone else’s post helpful, share it. If you’re on a platform like X, quote-tweet it and tell people you found it useful

The hard truth is that people value those who put in the effort.

Out of the hundreds of notifications I get a day on X, I make sure to read through every single interaction I receive whether it be a quoted share, a comment, or anything else. And as I check these interactions, I take the time to respond to people and start conversations.

In the process of taking the time to do this over several years of building my audience, I have created some real relationships with my audience.

Growing your social media following is about building relationships, not just about growing your follower count.

You can have thousands of followers, but that doesn’t mean a thing to many people, because there is no telling how many people in this large number actually see your posts. There is also no telling how invested this audience is in your content unless you are taking the time to give them what they want and show you value what they have to say.

If you want to grow your audience, take the time to build relationships.

For more see:

How to reach your audience through social media as a writer.