Hi friend,
I saw a post about self-love this week with a beautiful photo.
The issue - I know this person, and they don’t look like that.
The only real thing about the entire post speaking about accepting yourself was an airbrushed face.
The irony is uncanny; I know.
The face was slimmed down, along with highlighted cheekbones. The body was an unrealistic beauty standard that doesn't exist in reality, even for celebrities.
Why preach about self-love when the only photo you're putting of yourself isn't even of you?
I told them exactly this. Because if they were a nobody, I wouldn’t care. But I don’t want them to make a fool of themselves eventually, as they’re a good human.
The post was performing well with over 400 likes for such a small follower count.
Sounds good, right?
Except that this is a disastrous personal branding move that leads to $0.
I write this because this could be you, even if you aren't intentionally doing it.
Now, lets take the above post as an example.
For a moment, think of this.
You have over 400 likes, which feel amazing, but:
- Who likes this post?
- Is this your target audience?
- Will they convert into any sales?
- Will they also react to other sensible posts?
- Do the likes make up for not getting any $?
This isn't just her; it's a trap that many people fall into.
And here's how you can refrain.
The internet has some secrets that really, really work but only give an illusion of success.
Such photos work great if the target audience converts with them.
But this person sells holistic coaching - and this is where there's a huge mismatch.
Because all these likes will lead to
Think of Ankur Warikoo - he records in Hindi about investing. He sells extremely affordable courses around finance and personal improvement. So
- talking in Hindi helps him reach the masses of India
- they click on his course links
- these likes convert to sales
He also travels across the world, but doesn't talk about it as I do. Because his target audience doesn't fall into this or resonate with this.
His brand is carefully curated.
So why shouldn't yours?
Instead, here's what you can do.
- Detach from likes: this is the hardest part. But what's the point of being attached to something that isn't in your control, nor is it directly proportional to income?
- Focus on giving value: LinkedIn isn't your personal diary. Nobody cares how your day went and what you learnt. Give value to your reader by sharing your expertise + knowledge.
- It won't always look good: When you give value, it may look like getting 10 likes on a good day. And that's okay. Keep giving value consistently for months.
- This pulls in money: when you do the above for long enough, you may still get fewer likes but more DMs that eventually lead to sales.
The online world is funky, I know.
You think someone is successful, but they're miserable. You think someone is doing well, but they're not able to monetise.
Follow this and align yourself.
When your content is aligned with who you are and your service is aligned with it - amazing things happen.
See you next week!
Love,
N