How to Do Content Creation if You Care

Do as I say, not as I do.

One principle of success is modelling. Find someone where you want to be, and copy their playbook. That would be terrible advice in my case. Here is some good advice.

I see people complaining about the Twitter algorithm. They are mad at Elon. Or shadowy figures have DEBOOSTED THEM. By the way, I was actually shadow banned by Twitter. How often did you see me cry about it? I always found a way to stand out.

Anyway, I click over and the stuff is boring. There’s no innovative use of the medium. It’s plain text on screen.

Maybe you are copying me? Please, do not. My content sucks.

My wife regularly tells me, “No one would follow your Instagram if you weren’t Mike Cernovich.” Yes, she’s saying I can’t do social media, and she’s right. I tell her that I don’t care (true). I went to some effort to become less famous.

Cernovich @Cernovich

Alex offered me a full show in 2017. I went out to eat with him in Austin. The restaurant buzzed. Everyone knew who he was. People came over for selfies. I said, "This isn't for me." Alex told me, "You're too afraid to embrace your destiny." I think about that occasionally.

AlexHM @Alexhamish88

@Cernovich Was hoping you'd go back on infowars. You're even crazier than Alex

That’s why it’s humorous when people accuse me of being jealous of so-and-so. You’re projecting, buddy, and revealing your own envy. I’ve turned down media offers that people would shove an old lady on the crosswalk aside for.

If you want to stand out, it’s not hard.

Rules of Content Creation in 2023.

I love Twitter and writing. I read books. Twitter is where you influence the smartest and most influential people in the world. It is not where you make money or “go viral” on a huge scale.

Thirty Days To X @XDays

Gumroad, Twitter's usual route to monetization, had less than 180 sellers who broke the $100,000 mark last year. That's about 3 - 6 million views a month on YouTube, without sponsored ad reads.

Thirty Days To X @XDays

Writing is fun and Twitter is a legitimately great learning resource. Also tinkered with YouTube Shorts and grew my account by 80k subs in 2022. People go all-in on Twitter and get mad when it's difficult. Meanwhile ignoring YouTube, the biggest social media platform on Earth. https://t.co/lEbl7kqqsf

You need to be doing YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. 80% (or some other made up number) of people do not watch with the sound on. You need gigantic captions. Reels especially will promote your video is you use certain audio in the background.

Short form will make you king. (Which, like Mr. Beast did, you can use to work your way up the chain. Not many people alive wouldn’t take Mr. Beast’s phone call.)

The formula isn’t that hard:

• Chopped up videos zoomed into podcast face (you know the aesthetic),

• Large captions,

• Trending audio.

Those get engagement. SMS style is not the winning play. Content on twitter hasn’t evolved. People need to step up production value instead of blaming Elon.

You need to have a “look.” It’s better if you’re good looking, but distinct works well, too.

This video is not bad. It’s 7 out of 10. The captions should be larger. It should zoom in on my face. The lighting is good, though. You must learn how to stage a light box. People are OBSESSED with how old they think you look. Bad lighting ads 20 years.

Cernovich @Cernovich

Joe Biden - Character is Destiny

Do as I say not as I do.

Some of you will go, “IF YOU KNOW SO MUCH WHY DON’T YOU DO THIS.”

Because I don’t have to.

I was early to Twitter and used it in innovative ways. The kind of people I want to read me are reading me. Occasionally I’ll notice people whose books I read years ago follow me. For me, that’s the win.

I enjoy writing. That’s why I started this Substack. I love long form.

Long form is dying out.

My readers are higher in IQ than other “content consoomers.” They are more influential. We can nudge culture better this way.

But you also don’t see me throwing a tantrum when my analytics are slow.

Of course it is. People want short form videos zoomed in on your face with audio and sound effects.

Thirty Days To X @XDays

Writing is fun and Twitter is a legitimately great learning resource. Also tinkered with YouTube Shorts and grew my account by 80k subs in 2022. People go all-in on Twitter and get mad when it's difficult. Meanwhile ignoring YouTube, the biggest social media platform on Earth.

Cernovich @Cernovich

@XDays Writing is a dying. I’m OK with that and can go down with the ship. But I see people who don’t do any innovative content ranting about the algo. Do some videos then with good lighting and captions and chop them up like the Tates and everyone else who got popular does / did.

What I would do if I wanted to be Internet Famous.

First of all, I would not lie to myself.

Guys will read this and say, “I don’t want to be famous, I want to make a difference!” If that’s true, then work your normal job (which will pay better than content mining in the salt fields) and donate regularly to other creators. Which is what 99.999% of people do. Almost no one wants to be a brand. Good for them. They aren’t head cases like us.

If you are making excuses as to why you shouldn’t donate to others but REALLY SINCERELY JUST WANT TO GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT, then congratulations, you want to be known. Stop being a liar. It’s annoying.

Learn how to do video editing or hire someone to do it. You’d think this would be obvious. Yet people flail around helplessly. Learn the skill.

New Years Skills, Not Resolutions

Start producing videos.

Don’t release them yet.

Build up a portfolio of videos. Try to get 20-30 finished. Then do a launch, releasing them at regular intervals (every day or two). That will increase your odds of getting into the algorithm.

That formula will 100% work.