Self-promotion also means having to indulge in that dreaded word…networking. Yes, it can strike fear into mere mortals, but networking is a key part of a business and building your personal brand.
So, how can you make self-promotion a little easier for yourself and make sure you’re nailing the right techniques?
Self-Awareness
This is so important to keep in mind when you’re self-promoting or in any of aspect of your life. Being self-aware is about having an awareness of your place in a conversation and being conscious of your actions and choice of words. It’s basically about thinking of other people and not just yourself.
I mean for some people this is just normal, but you’d be surprised how difficult lots of people seem to find it *throws shade*.
Don’t intrude in every conversation at an event or conversation on Twitter and railroad through with your message or what you’re up to at the moment. Self-promotion is subtle art and it’s about building foundations and relationships, instead of the equivalent of getting out your microphone and blaring out your resume.
Listen to others, engage with them and if it’s appropriate and relevant, tell them a bit about yourself too. It’s simple.
Promote Others
Give out and you’ll get back. Practice being someone that gives other people around you or in your industry a pat on the back for cool things they’re getting up to right now. If you look like a positive person that likes to help and support others then other people around you might return the favor.
Of course, don’t just do things for the sake of it and be altruistic, but if you’re principled about promoting people doing good things then the chances are that you’ll start to see people doing the same for you.
Being generous and sharing others success is positive action and whether you get anything back or not, the other person will feel valued.
Ask People to Promote you
If you’re shy or absolutely hate self-promotion then it can be tough out there. You’re doing great things too, but it just doesn’t sit comfortably with you to shout about it.
One thing you could do is ask any close buddies to do your self-promotion for you – if you hate writing about yourself, ask someone else to come up with something.
Or you could ask someone to post something from their own account or do a joint post about something you’re working on together.
This can work really well because sometimes if people see that someone else is saying something good about someone then it must be true – it can carry more weight then you telling someone how great you are.
Keep it Interesting
No one has the time to hear your whole life story, however interesting it is that you were raised by wolves. Try to keep your self-promotion concise and impactful and only include the really good parts that pack a punch.
It’s worth practicing and writing down your key points at home so that if you get into a conversation or you’re asked anything online, you can quickly reel off some of the best arts about you instead of a monologue that goes nowhere. Be careful not to sound too robotic though and try not to sound too polished otherwise it’ll just sound like a sales pitch.
Be light-hearted, humorous and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Stay Authentic
Self-promotion is obviously about trying to convey positive messages about yourself, but this doesn’t have to mean that you make everything sound hunky dory all the time. Being honest and authentic about your struggles and failures can be just as effective, if not more so, than pretending everything’s been plain sailing.
[Tweet “Being honest and authentic about your struggles and failures can be more effective than pretending everything’s been plain sailing via @bryankramer”]
People can relate to and connect with vulnerabilities, as they have their own so sharing your story in a way that is authentic and perhaps self-deprecating can be a really good, truthful way to self-promote yourself, which people will notice and pick up on in the long-run.
Final Thoughts
Self-promotion doesn’t have to be sparkling, loud and super, super positive. Be relaxed, true to yourself and honest when you’re building your personal brand, whether that’s online or in-person.
Want to talk this through with someone?
I'm Bryan Kramer. I coach executives and founders one to one, and I give keynotes on AI, leadership and human connection.