Since I started the Tactics Journal, I have received several dozen messages from other writers, podcasters, and video creators asking for feedback on their work before I find it myself. I ignore all of them. Here is why.

You should not want the opinion of myself; you should want the opinion of someone who has already interacted with that work. They leave a comment or a like; if you want feedback, you ask that person.

I have never asked someone to follow me. I have never asked for a like. I have never asked someone to read or share something I wrote. I’m not going to share it again later. If they aren’t looking for it, if they haven’t found it, it is not good enough, it is not for them, or they haven’t seen it yet.

This is an internal battle I have. Is my work good enough? What can I improve? What are the next steps to get to where I want? For a long time my work went unnoticed. This is part of the process.

I don’t have analytics turned on for this blog. I don’t know how many people click on each post. I used to have them turned on, but the real indicator for me was seeing who interacts with what I write.

This is not to shame those who ask. You’re doing something positive. I understand the urge to want feedback or recognition from someone you respect. Everyone wants that. I have many people who I look up to. I want them to view my work, but I want everything to be organic.

It is much easier to spread something organically, and when it is organically found, the responses will be more genuine.

You should use interaction as a guide. If the thing you produce is not gaining traction, it is because it is not inciting an emotion or response from the person receiving it. It’s not good enough for the audience you want to reach. Everything you make doesn’t have to be good, but if you want something to spread, it has to be. And it spreading doesn’t mean it is good; it means it reached the right people.

If I ask you for a response before you find my work, I will never know if you organically sought out my work. If I have to ask you to share something, chances are you were never going to share it yourself. Who wants to come off as rude? You will feel obligated to read it and like it. You’re missing the opportunity to know that your work is remarkable by asking.

If I’m following you, I want to read, listen, or watch what you make. I want to know when you post something. I’m going to find it eventually. If it’s remarkable, I’ll share it. If I think it’s remarkable, chances are the person I shared it with will also think it’s remarkable, and they’ll share it with someone else. Then that process repeats, and that is how your ideas spread.

“Unleashing the Ideavirus” and “Permission Marketing” by Seth Godin are two books that have shaped this thinking. They are proven methods of spreading ideas organically.

You gain permission to ask once they interact because you know they are invested. That is the type of person you should want feedback from. The feedback you will get from someone who was already interested will be more useful.

I hate the idea of ignoring someone, but responding only reinforces the behavior I’m trying to change. My intentions were good, but the way I handled it wasn’t. So instead of ignoring them next time, I’m writing this post to share whenever the next person asks.

You should always look for feedback, but it should come from the right person.