You Don't Own Your Social Media Audience
Every social media platform eventually changes the rules. The only question is when.
If this topic sounds familiar, it's because I write some version of this article almost every year. And every year, there's a new example proving the same point.
Let’s start with Facebook. Its business pages used to be a legitimate organic channel. In 2012, an average post reached about 16% of its followers. Today, that number is between 1% and 2%. Facebook didn't announce "we're turning off your free reach." They just slowly turned the dial until paying became the only option.
Next, Twitter became X overnight after an ownership change, and businesses that spent years building an audience watched the platform shift beneath them.
Finally, Google+ shut down entirely in 2019. If you'd invested time there, that audience simply disappeared.
Now it's LinkedIn's turn. LinkedIn was one of the last platforms where organic reach still worked the way social media was originally supposed to. You connected with someone, you posted, they saw it. Not anymore. According to the Algorithm InSights 2025 report, LinkedIn views are down 50% year over year, engagement has dropped 25%, and follower growth has declined 59%. Company pages now reach only about 1.6% of their followers. And if you've noticed LinkedIn suggesting you boost your posts more often, that's not a coincidence. It's the same playbook Facebook ran a decade ago.
This is the life cycle of every social media platform. They launch with a generous organic reach to attract users. Once the audience is there, they reduce visibility to push businesses toward paid advertising. It's not a conspiracy. It's a business model.
The lesson isn't to avoid social media. It still has a role. The lesson is to never let a platform you don't control be the primary way you reach your audience. Get your social media followers onto a list you own: email, SMS, or even a physical address. If the algorithm changes tomorrow, or a platform shuts down, or ownership changes the rules, you still have a direct line to the people who have chosen to hear from you.
The takeaway: Social media platforms will always change the rules. Build your audience there, but don't store it there. When you move your social media followers to your owned lists, you will never be at the mercy of an algorithm update, an ownership change, or a platform that decides your content is no longer worth showing for free.
If your firm is ready to provide this level of strategic support to your advisors, schedule a call to learn how OnNiche® can help.
