One of the most common fears our clients have — whether they’re private coaching clients or part of our Coro Community — is posting on social media.
They get hung up on questions like…
- “Do I want to be that person who’s always promoting themselves?”
- “Does posting on social media cheapen my art?”
- “What exactly should I say?”
- “Does anyone really care?”
Today we’re helping you get over these fears once and for all so you can grow your audience with confidence.
Social media is like a networking event that never ends
Have you ever felt awkward around a group of strangers and you’re struggling to make conversation?
Social media is like that, except it’s like being faced with that roomful of strangers every single day.
You want to say the right thing, get people to comment, grow your followers… and it can feel overwhelming.
Social media is like a networking event that never ends. Click To TweetBut there’s good news…
The more you do it, the easier it gets
We’ve talked before about how marketing yourself can bring up feelings of performance anxiety. Presenting yourself online is a lot like presenting yourself on stage.
This is especially true on social media. After all, when you post something, the spotlight is on YOU.
But… what if it’s NOT?
The reality is your followers are inundated by social posts, which means they might never even see the post you’ve spent the last 17 minutes picking apart, rewriting, and sweating over.
People are rarely watching you as much as you think. As embarrassed as you may be by a post, most others won’t even notice it. (We’d be lucky if people paid as much attention to us if we worried they did!)
So what’s the best approach?
Change your perspective
First, accept that it is important and valuable to promote yourself on social media.
We’re past a point in time where your work will speak for itself. You need to speak for your work and help your audience understand why they should care.
Your art won’t speak for itself. You need to speak for your art and help your audience understand why they should care. Click To TweetHere’s another way to think about it:
You work hard on your craft. Wouldn’t it be a shame to hide it from the world?
Imagine it’s a year from now and you have a fan following of people who adore your music and who reach out to you to tell you how your art has impacted their lives.
Imagine if people were contacting you to purchase your scores or commission you, or ask you to perform on their series.
Don’t you want to feel the love from people who appreciate what you do? The only path to getting there is to open the door and welcome your audience.
Here’s how:
Showing up with confidence on social media
If you’re still nervous about posting on social media that’s okay.
After all, every single one of us has that one annoying colleague who posts incessant self-promo, makes ridiculous asks, and has a wall full of tasteless humblebrags.
It’s enough to deter any musician from getting started!
But it doesn’t have to be like that.
Here are a few tips for posting on social media with confidence:
Acknowledge your social media insecurities
First things first: Air out your fears, insecurities, and distaste for social media.
Talk to a coach, vent about it in the Coro Community, or write about it in your journal.
Allowing yourself time to reflect and honor those fears will help you move through them.
And remember, you don’t have to be like the overly-promotional people on social media!
If you don’t like how someone else uses social media, then don’t use it like them. You’ll develop your own rhythm, your own voice, and your own way of doing things—all in a way that feels good to YOU.
We encourage you to take action through fear. It will build your courage for all other areas of your life and career.
Afraid to post on social media? Try it anyway. It will make you a more courageous artist. Click To TweetFind your compass
When you’re just starting out, it helps to watch what others are doing and notice what you like or don’t like.
Make a list of the people you love to follow on social media. What do you like most about them? Which of their posts do you engage with the most?
Whenever you’re not sure what to post or say, refer back to your list for ideas that speak to you.
Create a library of images
Having the right image always helps!
Here are our favorite stock image sites where you can find pictures for free: Pexels, StockSnap, Unsplash, and Death to Stock (this last one requires your email to sign up).
Take about 30 minutes to search through images, then save them to Dropbox or Google drive so that you have easy access to them the next time you want to post something.
You can also save quotes or inspirational messages you see — just be sure to give credit where credit is due.
Of course, you should also take pictures as you go about your day and add them to your folder. Your followers will love to see what you’re up to, including behind-the-scenes shots.
Worried that people won’t care what you’re up to?
This next tip is for you…
Be vulnerable
Share the real you — the questions you have, the struggles you’re facing, the things you’re celebrating.
Your audience will respond to your heartfelt authenticity.
Even if you don’t think your day-to-day activities are interesting, your fans will! Be willing to show your human side and take your audience on a journey.
Again, think back to the people you love to follow. We’re willing to be that you love to get a sneak peek at what’s going on in the studio, backstage, or at the after parties.
When in doubt, think to yourself, “What do I want to see on social media? Would I like this post? Would it seem genuine to me if I saw this on someone else’s page?” This is usually a good litmus test.
And if you still have cold feet, try posting a video on Instagram Stories or Snapchat. Because they disappear after 24 hours, it’s a good way to get practice without feeling like whatever you say is out there forever.
Have a plan and be consistent
You may be thinking “I’m never in the mood to post on social media. It takes too much work and energy, and I don’t have time.”
Newsflash: No one feels like posting on social media every second of the day, even when it may seem like it.
To grow your audience, you must consistently show up and practice putting yourself out there. Don’t just wait for inspiration or dip your toe in then run away.
Decide in advance what your next week’s worth of content will look like, so you don’t have to think about it in the moment.
Write out your captions, grab images, and use a scheduling app like Buffer to pre-populate your posts.
And remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect! Make it a game. Can you post X amount of times on social media this week?
Challenge yourself to follow through for a whole week, even if there are days with no engagement.
Want to dig into this topic more?
Here are some resources that will help:
- Ask an accountability buddy or one of our coaches in the Coro group to hold you accountable to the challenge or do it with you.
- Check out these books: Show Your Work by Austin Kleon and Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday
