Growth Strategies

Long-term strategies for sustainable growth based on algorithm mechanics.

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The Two Audiences

Understanding how the algorithm finds you new followers:

In-Network (Followers)

Your post → Directly to followers' For You feeds
Advantage: No OON penalty, direct delivery
Strategy: Keep them engaged, avoid unfollows

Out-of-Network (Discovery)

Your post → Phoenix Two-Tower Retrieval → Matched to similar users
Challenge: OON_WEIGHT_FACTOR penalty
Strategy: Strong engagement signals, clear niche

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The Two-Tower Retrieval System

How the algorithm decides to show your content to non-followers:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    TWO-TOWER RETRIEVAL                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                  │
│  USER TOWER                       CANDIDATE TOWER               │
│  ├── User engagement history      ├── Your post content         │
│  ├── Topics they engage with      ├── Your post features        │
│  └── → User Embedding [D]         └── → Post Embedding [D]      │
│              │                              │                    │
│              └──────── Dot Product ─────────┘                    │
│                          │                                       │
│                   Similarity Score                               │
│                          │                                       │
│              Top-K Similar Posts Selected                        │
│                                                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Implications for Growth

Factor	Strategy
Your embedding is built from your history	Be consistent in your topics
User embeddings are built from their history	Target people who engage with similar content
Dot product similarity	The clearer your niche, the stronger the match

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Niche Strategy

Why Niching Down Works

Broad topics → Weak embedding signal → Poor matching
Specific niche → Strong embedding signal → Better matching

Example:
❌ "Business tips" (too broad)
✅ "SaaS pricing strategies" (specific)

Building Topical Authority

Level	Example	Strategy
Category	Tech	Too broad
Niche	Startups	Better
Sub-niche	B2B SaaS	Ideal
Micro-niche	SaaS pricing	Very strong signal

Multi-Topic Approach

If you must cover multiple topics:

✅ Related topics (SaaS + Pricing + Growth)
❌ Unrelated topics (SaaS + Cooking + Politics)

The algorithm will struggle to match unrelated content.

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Follower Quality Over Quantity

Why Quality Matters

100 engaged followers > 10,000 inactive followers

Because:
├── In-network engagement boosts your posts
├── No engagement = no signal = algorithm ignores
├── Low engagement rate hurts future distribution
└── Fake followers = negative signal when they don't engage

Building Quality Followers

✅ Do	❌ Don’t
Create for your ideal follower	Chase vanity metrics
Engage with target audience	Buy followers
Convert through value	Follow-for-follow
Let them find you organically	Force growth

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The Engagement Flywheel

Sustainable growth comes from compound engagement:

Great Content
    │
    ▼
Engagement (replies, retweets, quotes)
    │
    ▼
Algorithm boosts reach
    │
    ▼
New people discover you
    │
    ▼
Some follow
    │
    ▼
Larger in-network audience
    │
    ▼
More engagement on next post
    │
    └──────────────────────────┐
                               ▼
                        Repeat cycle

Breaking the Cold Start

When starting out:

1. Engage heavily with people in your niche
2. Provide massive value in replies
3. Build relationships with similar-sized accounts
4. Get mentioned/quoted by others
5. Slowly build in-network base

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Content Pillars Strategy

The 4-Pillar Framework

Pillar	Purpose	Frequency
Educational	Build authority	40%
Engagement	Drive conversation	30%
Personal	Build connection	20%
Promotional	Convert followers	10%

Example Content Mix

Monday: Educational thread
Tuesday: Question (engagement)
Wednesday: Personal story
Thursday: Industry insight (educational)
Friday: Fun/casual content
Saturday: Rest or engagement
Sunday: Educational thread

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Viral Mechanics

What Makes Content Spread

From the algorithm’s perspective, viral content has:

High P(reply) + High P(quote) + High P(retweet)
                + Low P(block/mute/report)

Viral Content Types

Type	Why It Works
Contrarian takes	Triggers debate (replies, quotes)
Relatable struggles	“Me too” responses
Surprising data	“Did you know?” shares
Useful frameworks	Bookmark + share
Story threads	Dwell time + engagement

Viral Cautions

⚠️ Viral doesn't always mean good
⚠️ Controversial viral → blocks/mutes
⚠️ One viral post ≠ sustained growth
⚠️ Viral for wrong audience = wrong followers

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Long-Term Strategy

The 1-Year Playbook

Phase	Months	Focus
Foundation	1-3	Niche, voice, consistency
Growth	4-6	Engagement, community
Authority	7-9	Thought leadership
Monetization	10-12	Convert following to value

Metrics That Matter

Metric	What It Tells You
Engagement rate	Content resonance
Reply ratio	Conversation quality
Follower growth rate	Sustainable growth
Profile visits → follows	Conversion
Negative action rate	Content safety

---

Quick Wins

Immediate Actions

1. Clarify your niche - What are you THE person for?
2. Audit your content - Does it match your niche?
3. Engage daily - 30 min of meaningful engagement
4. Post consistently - 1 quality post/day
5. Reply to replies - Keep conversations going

30-Day Challenge

Week 1: Establish posting consistency
Week 2: Focus on engagement hooks
Week 3: Build relationships with 10 peers
Week 4: Analyze what worked, double down

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Next: See Checklists for actionable daily workflows.