Sep 22, 2026 · 9 min
Creators must win interest, not just followers
Creating Content For An Interest Based Algorithm
As Instagram, TikTok, Reels, and Facebook increasingly surface content beyond established friend networks, creators need a sharper way to earn attention.
- 1Interest-driven feeds reward timely, specific hooks over assumptions about what followers always want.
- 2Creators can attract discovery by listening to community signals and responding to current cultural interests.
- 3Follower counts matter less when platforms distribute content according to audience interest and engagement.
Don't miss
Shanna’s soup-related example shows how an unexpected, specific hook can connect with a timely audience interest.
The brief
Shanna McKinstry opens by questioning whether social media is dead, then reframes the shift: discovery now depends less on friend networks and more on what platforms think people want to watch.
Instagram, Reels, TikTok, and Facebook illustrate a broader change in audience behavior, where content can travel beyond a creator’s existing followers through interest-based recommendations.
The practical argument is to build hooks around timely interests rather than assume an audience’s preferences stay fixed. Specificity gives otherwise unfamiliar content a reason to interrupt the feed.
The episode’s clearest example is soup-related content: an unexpected, precise angle can capture attention because it connects with what people are already interested in now.
The takeaway is a different growth mindset: listen closely to the community, respond to changing interests, and stop treating follower count as the main measure of reach.