How should I think about the social media algorithm and getting my content seen?

Think of social media like the biggest freeway in the world with 5 million lanes. When you create content, the algorithm looks at what you posted and decides what it is—say, a painting of sunflowers—and puts it in the freeway lane of people who like paintings of sunflowers. Depending on engagement and how many people are online who love that topic, it might go far down that lane or stop quickly. Your problem is that 90-95% of your content is going in the same lane to the same people with the same interests. When you post different things—your story, hobbies, what you did to get the shot, your dog, your struggles—each piece of content gets you into different lanes on the freeway based on what the algorithm determines is in it. You’re spreading your bets across many lanes instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, which dramatically increases your reach.

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Asked by an artist trying to understand how to get more visibility · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2026-02-09