Authenticity Over Algorithm: What Going Viral Taught Me About Growth
Going viral for the first time convinced me that authenticity will always win against the algorithm. At least for sustainable growth without the burnout. Here are my learnings.
I went viral for the first time in my life. Ironically, it happened because I decided to slow down. It taught me a lot about authenticity and what growth actually looks like. Here’s the story.
When I first started on Substack, I went all in.
I wanted it to be my side hustle because the “gurus” promised I could achieve that in just three months if I followed their steps. So I did exactly what they said: I posted Notes every day, wrote a long-form post every week, kept a strict content calendar, collaborated with experts, and promoted myself relentlessly.
For the first two months, it worked! I had my first 100 subscribers. Until one day, I felt like I hit a wall. I was dreading the blank page. I promise it wasn’t laziness; there was just no inspiration.
That’s when I realized my approach needed to change.
The gurus taught me discipline, not growth
Between a few YouTube videos and a social media course I bought (yikes, embarrassing. But I learned!), I was taught a framework, one where frequency is of importance. I learned how to be disciplined, but I was disciplining myself toward a version of growth that wasn’t mine.
To be fair, it wasn’t all bad:
Daily Notes forced me to reflect more often.
Weekly writing helped me sharpen my thinking and finally gave me a space to explore my own ideas more deeply.
Collaborations were the highlight; I learned so much by sharing the wisdom of others.
So, was the “guru” advice total BS? Mostly, yes. But it taught me the discipline I needed at the time.
Now, I’m ready to build a framework that actually fits my vision.
Did I intend to go viral with that note?
I took a step back to ask what I actually enjoyed. I decided to “drop, hold, and let go” of certain expectations. A philosophy I recently learned from Nicole Johnson’s Drop More, Hold Less.
And on a random Saturday morning, I wrote that note that ended up resonating with so many of us, it generated 1,888 clicks.
So no, I did not intend to go viral with that note.
What I’ve learned from this experience
On Authenticity:
I’m a firm believer in being authentic. Call me naïve or idealistic, but I won’t budge on this. I have never seen a successful person who is also truly fulfilled without being authentic.
I want my success to be built on being comfortable in my own skin: knowing when to quit, when to say no, and when to share. When you speak from a place of true authenticity, your audience resonates with you. People can sense when you’re trying to “hack” their attention versus when you’re actually sharing a piece of yourself.
And this is how I will always approach the opportunities in front of me, from this point onwards.
On Growth:
I used to believe growth only meant “more.” A better title, a higher salary, more followers. I thought I needed a massive audience before I could ever launch my marketing consultancy. I was wrong. Growth can also mean an increase in quality, creating less “spam,” and writing for a community instead of just for yourself.
When growth comes from a place of desperation, it feels rushed and forced. From a reader’s perspective, a desperate post feels like an ad, but an authentic post feels like a conversation. When growth comes from authenticity, it expresses itself as quality, and that quality is what naturally attracts the right people.
At the end of the day, we are talking to humans, not algorithms.
What’s next for Healing Out Loud?
I’m launching a course on how to go viral with Substack Notes.
JUST KIDDING!
I’m going to keep writing about the topics this Substack was made for, roughly three times a month:
Burnout prevention: Recognizing the signs before your body forces you to stop.
Authentic self-branding: Building a presence that doesn’t require you to be someone else.
Career pivots: Navigating the shift from the “grind” to intentional growth.
This viral moment hasn’t changed who I am or what I stand for, though I am grateful for the 100+ new connections it brought here (welcome, everyone!)
So, as always, thank you for spending March with me. We’ve discussed “Give to Gain”, how to be a strategic giver at work without burning out on “non-promotable tasks.” In April, we’re diving into the internal shift required to make these boundaries stick: The Courage to Be Disliked.
Often, the biggest barrier to saying “no” is the fear of social friction. We’ve been conditioned to think that being liked is a prerequisite for success. Together, we’ll explore how to break free from the “approval trap.”
A very special guest will also join us! Formerly an aerospace engineer working on complex flight systems, he paused from a high-stakes industry to prioritize his mental health. He now creates beautiful journals and advocates for a slower pace of life. He’ll be sharing his story of unlearning the “hustle” and finding the bravery to start over.
See you then,
Annisa 💙