One of the big pushbacks I see from companies, thought leaders, and institutions when it comes to leaving X and trying a new social media platform is “there aren’t enough people” or “they can’t leave all those followers.” But, who’s truly listening when accounts post? A large number of followers doesn’t always equal engagement with real people. Let’s dig in.
I think comparing a kidlit superstar’s social media engagement on X and a humble Bluesky account with 1/52 the followers can prove a point.
Mo Willems is among the most famous and prolific author/illustrators today. The Pigeon series of books has sold more than six million copies! His account on X (formerly Twitter) has close to 100,000 followers, and his team still posts really fun content there regularly. But what sort of impact does he have when he posts to X? Bluesky is a newer and increasingly popular social media platform that is similar to the Twitter of a few years ago… Could it be possible that Mo Willems would get a better response if he joined Bluesky?
A baby bunny might have the answer.
I’ve been pretty outspoken about why individuals, companies and institutions should leave X and try Bluesky after I saw horrific, violent photos posted to a children’s book event’s hashtag. So, let’s see what happens when we pit a social media post result from one of the world’s most popular children’s book authors and his beloved multi-million selling character on X against a post by… me, an unagented author/illustrator, and a tiny friend who lives in my yard, on Bluesky.
The contenders:
THE FAVORITE on X!
World-famous Mo Willems’ official THE PIGEON account on X!
(Plus an assist from another organization you may have heard of…The New York Yankees!) X says The Pigeon has 93,600 followers! 52 times as many followers as his Bluesky opponent!
VS.
THE UNDERDOG on BLUESKY.
The slightly less famous Brian Kirby, an unagented author/illustrator on BlueSky, along with a baby bunny that he saw in his yard. Brian has 1,800 followers on Bluesky. 91,800 fewer followers than The Pigeon on X.
The Posts:
The Favorite’s Post on X:
The Pigeon partners with Yankee Stadium (which has 31.2K followers itself) to promote Mo Willems Family Day with a post on X. Sounds like a really fun time for up to 46,537 (Yankee Stadium’s capacity) ticket holders! A big event! A huge promotion! Hot dogs!
Post Stats:
- 1 Reply
- 5 Retweets
- 37 Likes
- 2.8K User Reach (2.99% of 93.6K Followers) – 1K users more than Brian’s follower count on Bluesky)
- 43 Engagements
The Underdog’s Post on BlueSky:
Brian notices an adorable bunny that is living under his backyard steps outside Cleveland, Ohio. He hastily shares a picture on Bluesky. Baby bunny does not have a social media account like Yankee Stadium does, so he is not tagged in the post. The bunny will not be appearing at a stadium. No promotional payment was exchanged between Brian and the bunny.
Post Stats:
- 7 Replies
- 11 Reposts
- 247 Likes
- 265 User Engagements (14.72% of 1.8K followers)
- Brian and his baby bunny pal had 222 more user engagements than the Pigeon/Yankees team.
- Mo & The Pigeon’s number of engagements was just 0.045% of their number of his “followers.”
- Brian and the bunny’s number of engagements was 14.72% of his number of followers.
- Brian’s post had 6.16 times the engagement of The Pigeon’s, despite having just 1.92% the number of followers.
- X reports that The Pigeon’s post reached 2.8K users (2.99% of 93.6K Followers). If true, 43 engagements out of 2,800 is just a 1.5% engagement rate.
- The percentage increase from 0.045 to 14.72 is 32,611%.
At least 265 people on Bluesky heard what I said, whereas we only have proof of 43 users hearing Mo Willems.
There is only one possible explanation.
93,557 of The Pigeon’s 93,600 followers must be Red Sox fans!!!
Ok, maybe this isn’t the only possible explanation. Maybe the real explanation is that every user who followed The Pigeon over the 15 years since his Twitter account was created in June 2009 (2009 was the last time the Yankees won the World Series!) may not still be visiting, especially now that the platform has changed to X. Maybe a hefty percentage of his more recent follows are not from real accounts, and bots do not understand the amusement of The Pigeon getting to eat a ballpark hot dog. Maybe X users have all become bus drivers. Maybe a baby bunny just has a better Klout score than a best-selling-worldwide-phenomenon author…? Maybe Bluesky’s lack of content-throttling algorithms and user base of actual human beings favors baby bunnies. Maybe X is indeed an empty arena claiming the seats that were filled back during the Eras Tour are today’s current attendance, while Bluesky is a standing-room only ballroom packed with fans waiting for a show.
A 6-year old in 2009 would now be old enough to have an adult beverage at the game. Time moves on.
43 Million People had Blockbuster Video cards.
I no way do I mean this as an attack on Mo Willems and The Pigeon. His whole team is creating great content! My kids love it! ❤️
I just hope The Pigeon and all of his publishing industry pals join me on Bluesky.
The remaining company he keeps on X doesn’t deserve him.
See more about how sticking with X over Bluesky is failing the publishing industry.
