First and foremost, kudos to you on taking over Twitter. While @StrengthAddicts has had an account since 2009, I can’t say I’ve really used the app more than to just secure the handle for my website and to include it on promotional materials. I think if I were to try to make contact with just one person out of my seven or eight hundred followers and my life depended on it, I’d die. Interactions on Twitter posts are virtually non-existent and people who I know with huge followings are lucky to get 1-2 dozen interactions.
When it comes to certain fields like politics, sports, and entertainment, Twitter is a fantastic resource, but when it comes to fitness, more specifically bodybuilding, it’s a complete waste of time. I attribute this to algorithms, political whims of execs, and AI, but AI requires human programming so once again I feel it goes back to those who have passed moral judgment on strength and physique-based sports. Maybe it’s some of those people you saw sitting around, doing nothing, that you canned.
Whereas your predecessor was busy banning people for political speech, you’re actually someone who appreciates different viewpoints. I love all your appearances on the Joe Rogan Show and how open you are to different walks of life. I know you know bodybuilding, as does Joe, and I think you can appreciate the wonderful influence it has on people’s lives. Some discover the weights in high school, others might miss competitive sports and discover them well into their 30’s and 40’s, and some actually find the gym as part of a life-saving new take on life which also includes diet modifications. However people find the gym and clean eating it has a very positive impact on their lives. And while not everyone wants to look like a Ronnie Coleman or a Big Ramy (two Mr. Olympias who both get lousy interactions on Twitter), they are inspired by these physique legends!
There’s a reason 2x Mr. Olympia Big Ramy only has 10k followers on Twitter. He’s probably the first Mr. O that’s totally given up on the app. Ramy currently has 4.6 million followers on Instagram. 4.6 million vs 10k. That’s pretty telling. Tiktok, which has only been around six years and up until recently was thought to be a children’s app, is surging with adults worldwide. There Ramy commands 740k followers.
As previously stated, most fitness enthusiasts may not want to look like Big Ramy or Ronnie Coleman but they get huge motivation from seeing their posts. Whether the big guys are eating clean, training, or talking about their goals, they have an undeniable effect on their followers. Maybe seeing that video gets them to meal prep another week or give their all in the gym during especially trying days when giving up seems so much for tempting.
The problem for Twitter, is that Twitter is a dead app for fitness. Everyone thinks of these fitness megastars as “influencers,” but they’re really Inspire’ers (lol). What they do – even above and beyond influencing – is inspiring, but they’re not going to post their content on Twitter if no one is seeing their content. Now mind you – they have the followers – but much like what Facebook did with its pages and groups – only a very small percentage of followers see what’s being posted. That’s why someone with 300k followers is getting 1-10% the amount of quotes and retweets that they should. YouTube did the same thing with implementing the bell for notifications. By doing that they added an additional hurdle for subscribers to jump. Maybe it’s their way of ensuring people really want to follow a channel, but isn’t one volitional, conscious decision enough? Why do they have to decide twice? That’s stupid.
If people choose to follow or choose to subscribe, then they should be able to see that content. If they no longer want to see it, then THEY can unsubscribe or unfollow. It’s really a very simple process. And I’m by no means talking down to you, but I am talking down to your predecessors and the way other social media apps have been sabotaging their own apps. As with Facebook, they made it as to where pages could only reach as much as 10% of its followers. If the pages want to reach the other 90% then they have to pay for advertising. Well what if the pages got those followers, in part, through advertising in the first place? Now they have to advertise to reach the followers they already earned? That’s dishonest and is purely a money grab. And this is why Facebook is also dying with fitness. Fortunately for them, though, they own Instagram.
IG is now dealing with the Tiktok surge. The app that gets the hot content first is the app where most people want to be. Everywhere else is just leftovers – recycled stuff on replay. No one wants sloppy seconds. Sadly, Twitter is not even in the conversation when it comes to strength or physique-based sports. That’s missed income and who’s to say other sports aren’t getting the same cold shoulder by the model your predecessors left behind. Those are inherited losses that can be corrected on your watch.
You can change that. There’s plenty to do and I know YOU can do it, just like I know that at some point – it might be weeks, months, or years, but I know you’ll not only see this article, but you’ll read it. I don’t need a response. What I’d love most, is action! And I know YOU’RE ALL ABOUT THAT!!
Congrats on taking over!!
