Building your new social graph on Bluesky
When you join a new social network, what should you do? Who should you follow?
Social media is currently in a state of flux. We have Twitter competitors popping up to fill a certain billionaire-created void, including Mastodon, T2, and Bluesky—and we have Facebook struggling to find its new direction in this weird world of social + AI + Metaverse. Now more than ever during this transitional time, it's essential for us to adapt and develop strategies to build out our social graphs on other networks smartly and effectively. As many of us migrate to these other platforms, having an early, successful strategy could pay exponential dividends sooner than later.
Let’s explore how to build and grow your social graph on Bluesky. You have to be willing to define your intentions, be flexible, engage with the right people, and create a balanced post mix, to successfully navigate any new social landscape.
1. Define your intentions
Before diving into the crazy world that is Bluesky, it's crucial to establish your intentions for the new social network. Are you looking to build a community, grow an audience, make friends, or a combination of these objectives? Your answer will significantly impact the strategy you implement to grow your account.
For community-building, focus on creating and participating in groups or threads centered around shared interests. Engage in conversations, share relevant content/information, and collaborate on projects to foster strong connections with like-minded individuals. Another thing I like to do is find the builders on any new platform and ingrain myself into that community. I’ll offer up feedback, ideas, and bug reports as a way to be helpful and build relationships. Builders are the lifeblood of any new platform, don’t forget it!
To grow an audience, create and share quality posts that resonate with the people you’re looking to connect to. Utilize mentions, fun chatbots, and other tools to increase visibility, and engage with people who show interest in you and your content. When it comes to when and how to respond to people—the advice I live by is the following: if it feels like a forced engagement/response – don’t do it. Simple, but it works on social media platforms just as well as it does in real life.
If your goal is to make friends, prioritize one-on-one conversations and genuine interactions. Share personal stories, experiences, and interests to connect with people on a deeper level.
2. Stay flexible and adapt
When navigating a new social network, it's important to remain flexible and willing to adjust your strategy in real-time as the platform evolves. This includes:
Following people: be open to exploring different types of people and content; don't limit yourself to a specific niche or demographic. This is especially important in the earliest days on a new network. I’m currently spending a lot of time looking for new people to follow. Discovery on new platforms is usually a bit difficult, this is also true of Bluesky, but it is possible to find new people posting good stuff. I’ve had luck combing through threads, reading replies, and looking for funny or insightful posts, which has guided me toward people to follow.
Content sharing: experiment with various formats and topics to discover what resonates best with your audience and the platform's culture. This can absolutely change over time, so always be on the lookout for new trends.
Improve your following strategy: learn from your interactions and adjust your following criteria based on engagement and relevance. See who’s already engaging with your posts and connect with them too. Plus, typically in the earliest days of a new social network, people are more liberal with who they follow. This means you have the opportunity to get on people’s radar you might not otherwise have had the chance to.
3. Engage with active users
To grow your social graph, focus on engaging with people who are actively participating and posting on the network. Here are some tips to help you find and connect with these individuals:
Look for people with shared interests: follow and engage with people who share your passions and can contribute to meaningful conversations. These are your people! Build relationships with them through conversations, memes, and jokes.
Prioritize active users: avoid following users who are inactive or show no signs of life. Instead, focus on users who are currently contributing to the network's growth and vibrancy.
Optimize your bio: craft a compelling bio that resonates with your target audience and highlights your shared interests. You want to immediately attract like-minded people without taking yourself too seriously. My current bio on Bluesky reads:
🤪 the best laugh on the internet (hear it on skyspaces.net)
🚀 3x founder, early adopter
🔗 www.cackles.xyz
4. Striking a content balance
To maximize your efforts, it's essential to strike the right balance between fun, meme-type posts and value-add content, especially since right now, more serious / value-add posts don’t seem to perform as well on Bluesky. Here are some strategies to help you achieve this mix:
Depending on your initial goals, it may not be a bad idea to plan a content calendar: while you can’t currently schedule any posts on Bluesky, having an outline of sorts highlighting the types of posts you want to make is always helpful.
Monitor engagement metrics: track your follower’s response to different types of content and adjust your strategy accordingly. If meme posts receive high engagement, consider finding a way to organically incorporate more of them into your content mix.
Share user-generated content: I share a lot of posts on Bluesky by other people that I find interesting. I think it’s good to show support by sharing content created by others. It can showcase a diverse range of perspectives and ideas while maintaining a balance between fun and valuable posts. It’s also just good karma!
Conclusion
Building a social graph on a new network like Bluesky requires intention, flexibility, and a keen understanding of platform dynamics. By defining your goals, engaging with the right people, and striking a balance between entertaining and informative content, you can successfully navigate and grow within this new social space. Be prepared to adapt as the network evolves, and you'll be well on your way to building a thriving social graph on Bluesky (and elsewhere).
If you’re looking to work with a PR agency built by founders that gets social, AI, memes, web3, and more… what are you waiting for? Reach out!