Building is fun.
That much I mentioned already last week. People just love to build dreams, systems, products…all kinds of marvelous things! And there’s undeniable glory in building.
But when it comes to showcasing your products, sometimes fear creeps in.
“What if they don’t like it?”
“What if it won’t sell?”
“Should I just… hide it?”
I know, I’ve been there!
So, today, let’s go through concrete practical steps that together ensure whatever you’re building will at least get a fair chance of being seen out there.
Let’s talk about the art of self-promotion!
The Two Fears Holding you Back
There are two primary fears that stop you from promoting your craft to the world:
- Fear of being seen
- Fear of failure
90% of people online are merely commenting on politics, celebrity gossip or otherwise waging war on something that has no real impact on their lives, anyway.
And when you make the glorious transition to being a creator and build something, you do things differently. You are different. And as a result, they will judge you differently.
People will not only see you but also potentially criticise you for what you dared to do. I remember when I first wrote anything more intentional than the mundane updates of “proud to announce our paper on x has been accepted at y.” It didn’t take too long before the first “lol who are you trying to be” comments started coming at me.
And the same will happen to you.
So here’s what you can do to eliminate your fear of being seen:
- Expect criticism. Criticism is normal and largely unavoidable. Look. You can’t please everyone. Not everyone will like you. Think about it: do you like everyone? No, you don’t.
- Trust data. Ignore individual haters. Then, look for patterns, and when more than one person criticises something, consider that as a signal rather than criticism. It’s an opportunity to grow, and the easiest way to get into this mindset is realising that you are not what you build.
- Stay positive: Surround yourself with positive people who support you and your goals. Share your wins and losses, and you will have your own “crew” to support you, no matter what comes your way.
Now, when it comes to fear of failure, things are a bit different.
What is failure, to begin with?
I like the idea of eliminating it altogether. When you launch something, you only have two outcome options: 1) you either win or 2) you learn.
Win or learn.
This is basic platitude-level advice. But how we take it to a meaningful level is taking the time to think before launching.
- What does winning look like?
- What does learning look like?
- And how will I measure what happened?
Eliminate the entire idea of failure from your mindset. Failure does not exist. Whatever goes wrong, it’s part of your journey.
Develop an unwavering optimism toward your future: There’s going to be one day when whatever you’re after will become a reality. And one “failure” on the way is merely a turn in the path you must take.
How to do this?
Don’t build from a place of insecurity and scarcity.
Yes, get a steady job if that’s what it takes.
Figure out how to “build as a hobby” and make it a part of your routine and identity.
Don’t obsess over the outcome, obse… no, in fact, don’t obsess over anything.
Become a builder — your goal is not to win but to build to win. Eventually. And because that’s not what you build for, you will keep building even when you win.
Failure does not exist in the builder’s vocabulary.
Promote and the Rewards will Come
Now, to promote your product is to promote you! It’s got nothing to do with only shoving your offer to people’s face 24/7 (although you can’t forget that either).
You promote just about everything about you:
There are three simple steps that will help you promote your work, brand, thoughts and/or products (if you have one) every single day online:
- Schedule your promos on Sunday for the next week
- Every day, do what you planned
- Consume great content, add your own touch to it, and build more material to promote next week
Follow this process habitually, and tackle both fear of being seen and fear of failure… and we get back to my favourite question:
“How is it possible to fail?“
Remember, you don’t build for quick wins. You build for learning skills, boosting professional growth, and a good dose of healthy self-development. And when you intentionally choose what you build, you can control the focus between those three.
Is it not just beautiful?
That’s it for this week!
I’ll see you again next week!