Boss Ladies | Quit Living for Likes

If you’re reading this blog I’ll assume that social media is a part of your daily life in some way. Many of you are entrepreneurs, brand builders, and influencers as well, so we hold these platforms dearly to us, as they help us grow our following and business.

Instagram introduced a few changes recently that alters how people utilize it. The first new feature being where you can see how many views your video uploads receive in comparison to how many likes it got. What this does is expose the reality of engagement versus onlookers. I can’t count how often I see people rant regarding their disappointment behind the amount of views their getting as opposed to their likes. This change came with comments such as “y’all are a bunch of lurkers”, “all these ghost followers”, “something isn’t adding up” all because the ratios of your engagement are now much more apparent. Why is it so upsetting that not all 2,871 of your followers are liking your posts? Social media isn’t a math course where things have to add up. Quit trying to make sense of the likes you’re getting.

Let me break this down – Kim Kardashian has 62.7M followers. 24 hours after she posted a nude mirror photo she’d received 1,289,961 likes. Let’s divide that by her 62.7M followers, you get 2.06% engagement. If Kim K is only receiving a 2% engagement after news outlets, tweets and reposts highlighted her being naked, please stop getting so hung up on numbers.

The next feature was Instagram’s proposed “algorithm” technique, bringing with it a tidal wave of disappointment. What this meant was they’d be leaning towards the Facebook method where you see posts from those you interact most with, which happened to be incredibly troubling for a lot of Instagrammers. The thought of people not seeing their posts and getting likes was enough for them to petition (literally) and try to force feed their followers post notifications. It’s really simple y’all – to continue to see the accounts you like in your newsfeed, interact with them while posting content that’s interaction worthy. That’s it. No magic, no notifications, no like-for-likes.

In many instances, I’ve had conversations with my friends where we post pictures and complain about how they didn’t do well compared to the amount of likes we’re used to getting. The term for the platforms we like to use is “social media”, meaning you have the opportunity to socialize. What are your e-social skills looking like? Why are you following people if you’re refusing to interact with them? The pettiness of not liking people’s photos because they haven’t liked yours is counterproductive. Scrolling and following but choosing not to engage does nothing for you in this realm.

If you base your success off of your number of likes, you’ll be hesitant to begin anything. I know successful bloggers and business women who get amazing opportunities more often than they reach 250 likes on a photo. I know women with 10,000 followers who bring in more money from their businesses than women with 100K. Your influence might have an effect on likes, but your success isn’t dependent on it – especially when the people who are liking your photos wouldn’t buy your product or pass on what information you’re sharing.

Digital success often comes from interacting with the right people. Sending the right messages, the right emails, with the right approach. Drop the pride that comes with likes, or lack thereof, and don’t allow it to discourage you. Opportunities can still be yours.