Dreamspace Studio

If you spend any time in online writing communities, you’ll eventually run into The Great Divide. On one side, the “write for you!” folks, waving their banners of creative freedom and catharsis. On the other hand, the “write for the algorithm!” crew, armed with SEO tools, keyword checklists, and a keen eye on what Google (or Substack, or Instagram, or fill-in-the-blank-platform) wants.

The important thing to remember is that if you want your work to actually reach people and still feel like your work, both sides matter.

Writing for You: Soul First, Audience Second

This is the art part. The reason you started writing in the first place. It’s the urge to put something on the page that is honest, weird, cathartic, or just plain fun. When you write for yourself, you get to be the main character, quirks and all. That’s where your voice lives. That’s where your best ideas bubble up, uncensored and alive.

But (and there’s always a but), if you only ever write for yourself, your words might not leave your notebook, your Google Drive, or your tiny digital island. And if you want readers, if you want your work to reach other humans, especially strangers, you need to make a little room for them.

Writing for The Algorithm: Findability is Not a Dirty Word

The algorithm isn’t some evil goblin out to steal your soul. It’s just code. It’s also how people find you in the sea of infinite content. A blog post written from the heart can still go unseen if it’s missing the basic signals that search engines (or newsletters, or platforms) use to sort and share what matters.

That doesn’t mean you have to kill your voice, write in keyword-stuffed robotese, or chase every trend. It just means you’re willing to translate your real writing into a language machines can parse, so the people who need your work can actually find it.

Why Both Matter (Especially for Micro-Audiences)

I’m just going to say it, your micro-audience (yes, all seven of them) deserves your best work. They hit “subscribe” or “follow” because your voice is different. You get to give them the truest version of you, but if you want more folks like them, you have to play just enough of the algorithm’s game to be visible.

It’s not selling out. It’s sending up a signal flare: “Hey, my weird little island is here. You’re welcome to land.”

So write what matters to you. Make it searchable, scannable, and findable. Put the heart in first, and then layer on a bit of SEO scaffolding. Your work can be both a lighthouse for your people and a breadcrumb trail for new readers.

Keep writing for you. And for your audience. And, yes, for the algorithm too. Remember, it’s all about balance. Each aspect is important, and finding the right mix is the key to successful writing.

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