Oh my! I come back to the forums for a second and what is this I see?
First of all, hi! I’m an oldie when it comes to the Episode community, as a reader, writer, and on the forums. After reading your post, I think there’s something missing here and I’d like to maybe bring a different perspective. I agree with the premise of your post: “It’s not big authors’ fault” BUT!
This might sound blunt but let’s be just that and say it like it is: the reason most stories are in trending is not because of them being good or the author “actually putting the work in”. Now, I’d like to explain why I think so:
Is it popular? I must have been gone for too long then. Because when I made my first topic on the forums (link below) and for a long time afterwards, it definitely wasn’t. I’m actually glad that people are now speaking out more and criticizing lackluster stories because it definitely wasn’t the case before.
I hope you did not mean to say what you said in this quote the way it comes off. Because while you’re defending “big” authors here, you seem to be punching down and blaming the “little” ones by implying they’re not “actually putting the work in”, which is just wrong.
Yes, it’s true that it isn’t the popular writers’ fault that others aren’t trending. None of us really have the power to literally put stories at the bottom of the list. But I believe that anyone, if they look at what’s trending and try to emulate it, has a much better chance at getting on trending than anyone who tries to write something more original. And I do have reason to think that some authors who are now popular picked up on that. On what “sells”. Many popular authors are better at marketing than others, not writing. And if they choose to write for the masses, that’s their choice, and they’re free to do so. But everyone else is also free to call it out and criticize it (as long as it’s not downright hate, of course).
I’ve been on the app for years, back when the Episode classic style was the only one available and Episode marketed their app very differently. What was trending was much more diverse. But Episode changed, and with that change, they deliberately created and catered to a specific audience. The audience that puts what we see on trending now where it is. Not because it’s “good”, but because of the tastes of the people who downloaded the app, knowing the reputation it crafted for itself. A place where you can read stories that are mostly romance, catered to straight cis-gender teenage (debatable) women, with weird non-sensical choices, and often times trashy. A “guilty pleasure” of sorts. Obviously, not all stories are like this, and you can find some real gems on here! But that’s Episode’s reputation and what they decide to promote, with their ads, with their featured stories, and with looking away when problematic stories get on trending. They’ve even had to take down problematic featured stories, written by the Episode team themselves, because of the outrage it caused in the forums for good reason. As you might notice, the Episode forum community isn’t representative of the Episode readers’ community. Those problematic stories did get tons of reads despite being bashed on the forums. As an example, I think one of them was called “In My Bed…” or something like that.
It is Episode’s fault, the app, the company. They are the ones who decide to let problematic stories up on trending but most importantly, they are the ones choosing and creating their public: by featuring the same kind of stories, with the same tropes, often if not always romance, etc. That is why the stories on trending are trending and get so many reads. It is not because they’re necessarily good or the author “actually put the work in”. It’s because Episode caters to a specific audience who likes this kind of content, therefore any content similar to what is featured and/or what’s in their ads will have a much higher chance to get on trending. It’s not a coincidence that Episode has a reputation for being this app full of trashy stories with the weirdest choices. And that’s, in a way, fine. If you like mostly trashy romance stories, Episode knows that and that’s what they promote, so you’ll be a very happy reader on this app. But for the people who differ from the mainstream audience and/or who’ve been here from the start, it is very frustrating, and we’re free to call it out and criticize it. At the very least, roll our eyes until they fall off their sockets. And that, sometimes, comes at the expense of some authors who we see have deliberately changed their writing to fit the mold instead of staying true to what they used to write and what their original audience loved. Of course, I’m not saying they should get any hate, and if they do, that should indeed be condemned. But criticism is not hate and it is important we make that distinction.
There is one author in particular who comes to mind, and I will not name them, but if you know me from back then, there is a big chance you will know who I’m talking about.
These “niche” stories are simply not on the good platform, as I’ve explained above. They can be absolutely amazing, they still won’t get a shot because it is not what Episode’s public is here to see, as you’ve said yourself in this last sentence. And that, in my opinion, is very sad and we shouldn’t blame those struggling authors for “not actually putting the work in”.
Citation, please? Who are we talking about here? As the one who started the topic, here in the forums: “Stories we’re sick and tired of seeing in the trending and featured section” two~three years ago, I can say with confidence that I do not care whatsoever who you are, I will not stand by you if you write something I find problematic or even just plain bad. Then again, I haven’t been in the forums for a while, so maybe I’m missing something here, but I really don’t know who or what you’re talking about in this quote, to be very honest.
tl;dr: Don’t blame the “big” authors, don’t blame the “little” authors. Creating this kind of divide is pointless. Blame the corporation, they are the ones at fault here, have been for years, know it, and don’t care because it makes them money. Some people might think that’s fine, others might be frustrated by it, and there are valid points to be made on both sides. Thank you 
PS: I haven’t been on the forums in a loooong time, so I’m a little rusty when it comes to writing long posts. I apologize if this one lacks some structure and I repeat myself a lot.
Edit:
Oh! And I have to say, I didn’t see those IG posts you’re talking about but I absolutely agree with them. There could be a trending section for authors under a certain amount or reads or other changes made, but we’ve been saying this for years and Episode just won’t listen, unfortunately.