For years, Facebook kept its boot firmly on the neck of our two YouTube channels, Polemics United and Protestia, ensuring that every post we shared would be throttled into oblivion. Since 2019, Facebook has cut our traffic by over 95%. Posts that once received hundreds of shares now receive three, and videos that saw tens of thousands of views would be lucky if they received 100.
For a while, we considered abandoning Facebook altogether, as our engagement had such diminishing returns that there was hardly a point. But we hung on and persisted, until one day, a few months ago, the throttling suddenly lifted, and we were able to post again with far better results.
Coupled with the help of new traffic from reels, we were able to let loose, garnering 1.3M impressions and 375k interactions over the last 90 days on facebook. The latter number is the more important and refers to the total number of reactions, comments, shares, and clicks on our posts.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, we started receiving repeated messages and notifications from Facebook, stating that our posts were being removed for various reasons, including spam, offensiveness, or violation of community guidelines.
Last week, we received four strikes in a day, all in a row, on posts that we wrote months ago. The week before, we received two, and the week before that, three. Every week is a new adventure in seeing how they will punish and suspend our reach anew.
We successfully challenged nearly all of them, but one was denied in a way that makes no sense, and now it remains a permanent mark, affecting our reach. Furthermore, our Facebook account is tied to our burgeoning Instagram account, which has nearly 800 followers and which we are seeking to grow. We are unsure of the impact losing one will have on the other.
Despite these challenges, we are determined to continue. Yet, unlike Twitter or other social media platforms, we are more selective about the content we post on Facebook, occasionally not publishing for fear of a permanent ban. Unfortunately this has resulted in the audience not getting all the content they could, but there is a way to rectify this.
If you appreciate our work but are not a supporter yet, please check out our Patreon page here or our Giving Fuel. We’d love to have you join us in bringing light to dark places and contributing to something that is unlike anything else on the internet, and both these options give an ad-free website experience, where all the articles we couldn’t share in Zuckland are available. We want and need your help to build this, and an influx of new folk would greatly strengthen our base and allow us to write more and go on more projects.
If you’re a pastor or elder of a church, would you consider carving out space in your budget for us? We love churches and want to partner with them. We have some ideas of what that might look like- email us at editor@protestia.com and we’d love to talk to you in person.
If you’re a larger ministry and have an interest in incorporating us somehow, whatever that might possibly look like, likewise send me an email or message me for my number.
If you can’t give but have been praying for us and the work we do- that is also a joy and a blessing. Thank you, as what we do needs the Holy Spirit to illuminate us, and your prayers are the means. Honestly, it’s about the best feeling ever, when I’m at my desk or at my job and reflecting that there’s folks I’ve never met lifting us up in prayers for years.
It’s one of the joys of being part of the greater Christian body.
Our lowest Patreon tier gives people access to the full podcast and other perks, including a completely ad-free website experience. But always remember that if you legit cannot afford it, please send us a message or a DM and we will get you a show link at no cost. Likewise, our Bulldogmatic Bible study is for a higher tier, but if it would do your soul good to join and you can’t afford it, let us know, and we’ll bring you into the fold for free.
Lastly, as always, a special thanks to the donors giving $49.95, as your generous contributions cover costs and pay for these site-access “scholarships,” especially those residing in other countries where sparing anything for a donation is a financial impossibility.
