I get asked constantly how to get more reach in the age of algorithmic suppression. It's the easiest question there is. You give them bread and circus.
The phrase comes from a Roman writer describing how the government kept the masses happy: free bread and big spectacles. Same principle runs social media, even on serious-business Linky. People engage because they want to feel better. Understand that and everything changes.
How do you get more reach on LinkedIn?
You give people what they came for emotionally. Content that encourages their dreams, justifies their failures, allays their fears, confirms their suspicions, and helps them throw rocks at their enemies.
I call the people who do this dope dealers. They sell hope. They sell dreams. They sell validation. And it works, reliably. When I need an ego bump, I'll drop a bread-and-circus post and watch the numbers jump. It's not a mystery. It's a formula.
What's the viral engagement formula?
Most big-engagement personal posts follow the same emotional arc. Here's the one everybody's running.
- Start with vulnerabilityOpen on your struggle and your low point. Instant emotional connection.
- Hit the turning pointThe pivotal moment that changed everything. Your narrative climax.
- Detail the transformationThe small daily actions, the commitments, the beliefs you changed, the outcome. Proof that change is possible.
- Encourage reflectionAsk the reader to look at their own life and what they could change.
- Offer hopeEnd uplifting, with the quiet suggestion that you, or your services, are the way through.
Can you see how the drug gets into the bloodstream? That last step is where it's injected.
So why don't I use it?
Because it attracts an audience that never buys. Reach and revenue are not the same currency, and bread and circus pays out in the wrong one.
I've curated a small following that turns into cash precisely by not running this maxim. The mass of people don't want the harsh taste of truth, so my honest stuff doesn't get the huge bumps. Fine by me. I don't want clients who are addicted to validation. I want resilient, long-term, realist go-getters. The formula attracts the opposite.
| Bread & circus | Truth |
|---|---|
| Sells hope and validation | Sells a real outcome |
| Huge engagement | Modest engagement |
| Attracts spectators | Attracts buyers |
| Wrong audience, addicted | Right audience, resilient |
Should you use it?
Depends on your goal. If you want reach, run the formula. If you want buyers, understand the trade you're making.
I make no judgment. You do what needs doing. I've even built it for people and ghostwritten it for folks who want it. It works. The only question is whether the audience it builds is the one that can actually pay you. Next time you're complaining about reach, you now know exactly how to get it. Just be honest with yourself about why.
Want reach that actually turns into buyers?
That's the harder, better game: content that attracts the right audience, not just the biggest one. One call to see if I can build it.
Book a call