I Have an Article for Every Occasion and So Should You
Twitter’s #ShamelessSelfPromo done right
If you’re anything like me, self-promotion can feel uncomfortable because you never know if it’s appropriate. A bit like talking about masturbation and oral sex with your parents.
However, if done right, Twitter can help you overcome this feeling.
#WritersLift is the initiation ritual any new writer on Twitter must pass.
WritersLift: A random user asks people to drop their links in the comments offering to retweet them (and follow back any new follower).
You drop your link to your latest article, thinking that the number of views will skyrocket in just a few minutes.
It doesn’t work.
You try again. A few times.
At one point, you realize that everybody did the same as you did. Namely, you dropped a link without checking any of the others. It’s follow-for-follow nonsense and doesn’t bring any true fans nor reads to your articles.
You can do better, but it will take a bit of your time. Let’s do this.
The three pillars of efficient self-promotion
#1 Self-promo in context
You don’t just drop your articles everywhere; you drop them when there’s a relevant discussion.
Look at this tweet by B.G. Warren.
Back in May, I wrote an article on this very topic and BG’s tweet was the perfect place to drop it.
#2 Tailored and polite self-promo
You don’t just drop a link. You say something to make people click and the interaction more pleasant.
It’s the same when you pick up your son from school after a long day. Shouting “Gimme FOOOOOOOOD!” has a different feeling compared to “Hello, how are you lovely Father who’s so intelligent and handsome? I’m so hungry. Do you have a snack for me by any chance?”
In the case of BG’s tweet, the fit was perfect, so I didn’t have to write a long introduction before dropping the link.
I know it was successful because R P Gibson replied.
#3 Self-promo is a long-term game
Apply the first two points, and you’ll get some clicks and views on your articles, which are always nice to have.
But what you want is true fans.
True fans will promote your work for you. They’ll give you the needed scale to rocket your brand to the top of the algorithm, where articles are always distributed and likes found by the thousands.
That’s why I wrote this article.
With this article, I’ll be able to reply to RP’s tweet and say, “I Have an Article for Every Occasion and So Should You.”
He’ll be so impressed by wit and determination that he’ll convert instantly into a true fan. Welcome to the club, RP!
Takeaway
If you’re anything like me, you don’t like to promote your articles; even the most successful ones. You prefer to remain in the shadows, scared of the feedback you could receive. Maybe you don’t even ask your readers to subscribe to your newsletter or buy you a chocolato-pumpkin-coffee.
No worries. I’m here to help.
Here’s what you can do:
- Buy my course on nothing.
- Promote fellow writers instead of shamelessly self-promoting your work.
