I did something stupid

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True story friend:

I did something stupid this week.

And not the “oops, forgot to reply to an email” kind of stupid.
I mean the kind where you sit back…
look at the mess you created…
and go,
“Wow… did I really do that?”

So here’s what happened.

In the days before Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica…
during the storm ripping across the island…
and even after the destruction settled…
I talked about one thing on Threads and LinkedIn:

Jamaica.

That’s it.
Jamaica’s beauty.
Jamaica’s heart.
Jamaica’s recovery.
Jamaica’s people.

If you’re reading this email, chances are you found me on one of those platforms.
And you already know I teach one thing:
how to sell your story.

And here’s the funny part…

I repurposed the exact same posts across LinkedIn and Threads.
Word for word.
Same hook.
Same body.
Same everything.

But the difference in performance?
WILD.

LinkedIn took those stories and said,
“Outstanding, Stephen. Here’s reach, here’s leads, here are speaking opportunities, here is real interest in your business.”

Threads said,
“Cool story bro… here’s chaos.”

Because… this is where I messed up.

Since I dove back into Threads, my algorithm has completely derailed.
I’m talking off-the-rails, through-the-forest, lost-the-GPS kind of derailed.

Now, when I open the app, I see two things:

1. Hundreds of posts about Jamaica.
   Travel to Jamaica.
   I want to go to Jamaica.
   When is the best time to visit Jamaica?
   Jamaica content everywhere.

2. Pictures of women like it’s 2014 Instagram or Tinder.

And no…
before your mind goes running…
I do not have a Tinder account. You can Google it, I made sure I did, just in case 😂

Basically, Threads blew me up…
but for the wrong reasons.

Now I’ve got this wave of new followers who:
• have zero interest in growing their business
• have zero interest in storytelling
• have zero interest in ghostwriting services
• and absolutely no intention of becoming a client… ever

Great for vanity metrics.
Awful for business.

So the stupid thing I did?
I let the algorithm train me,
instead of training it.

And now I have to do the hard part.

Retrain it.
Rebuild it.
Redirect it.

Because I want Threads to show me content from the people I’ve learned from…
built with…
engaged with…
and supported for the last 16 months.

Not strangers who only followed me because I posted about Jamaica during a hurricane.

Meanwhile, over on LinkedIn?
The shift has been a blessing.
My move into data-driven storytelling has brought:
• leads
• speaking engagements
• consulting requests
• and real, paid opportunities

All because the audience there is aligned with the stories I tell…
and the work I actually do.

So yeah…
I did something stupid.

But here’s the bigger truth:
We all forget the algorithm is a mirror.
It shows us what we feed it.
It gives back what we engage with.
It amplifies what we reward.

And now?
I get to teach it again.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Intentionally.

Until Threads becomes useful again…
and not a digital vacation brochure mixed with Tinder Lite.

Till tomorrow
Stephen

PS retraining my algorithm like a stubborn puppy.
Also my podcast will be back in January.

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