Leave Real Comments For Small Online Creators
Find someone making something good for an audience of forty people, and tell them specifically what you liked.
- Cost
- Free
- Time
- Under 15 min
- People
- Solo / Duo, Small Group (3-6)
- Where
- Home, Anywhere
- Bring
- Nothing in particular
Why this matters
Almost everyone making things online is doing it for a tiny audience, largely in silence, while the feedback that does arrive is disproportionately negative. A specific, genuine comment is rare enough that small creators often remember individual ones for years. It also feeds the engagement signals that decide whether anyone else ever sees the work. This is the best part of the internet, let's be proactive about it.
How to do it
Deliberately go looking for small creators rather than commenting on whoever the algorithm serves you. Sort by recent rather than popular, dig past the first page, look at who has a few dozen views rather than a few million. Twitch, YouTube, small blogs, newsletters, podcasts, Bandcamp.
Then leave a comment that's actually worth reading: - Be specific about what worked. "Loved this" is pleasant. "The way you explained the second bit finally made it click for me" is something they'll keep. - Mention what you'd like to see more of. Creators genuinely use this. - Don't give unsolicited criticism or advice. That's not what this is. - Subscribe or follow if you actually want more. It matters much more at small scale than large.
The group version: pick a small streamer and go in together as a handful of friends. On a stream with three viewers, five people turning up and being positive in chat completely changes the session. Don't overwhelm or derail it - be part of the chat rather than taking it over.
Share the good ones onward too. Discoverability is the hardest problem for anyone small, and a recommendation from a person beats an algorithm.