Giving Genuinely

This is 'Grow 1%', the short weekly newsletter with tips to improve your social media strategy by 1%. Subscribe so it gets delivered to your inbox!

And please subscribe to my newest newsletter, 'The Creator Rep', covering the craft of digital talent representation.

"I love my fans! Without you, there wouldn't be me! Thank you!"

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we've heard it all before.

Does anyone actually believe that?

The answer, of course, is no.

Why?

Because every celebrity says that. And media literacy is getting stronger with every generation. Fans know many celebrities are narcissistic, and some are downright sociopathic.

They say this to appear genuine.

So how does one be genuinely genuine?

I remember seeing Green Day in the early 2000's. In that show when they were playing Brain Stew they invited a kid up on stage, taught them the very easy chords, and let them play with the band while the crowd and band cheered them on.

Then after the song, the kid got a high-five and Billy Joel Armstrong told the kid he can keep the guitar.

That felt like a genuine moment.

Because it wasn't about the band, they let one of their biggest fans experience what it was like to be a rockstar.

Last summer, I saw Green Day again, and they did the same thing.

Still magical.

They've earned their career longevity.

So, how do you create these genuine moments on social media?

You have to not make it about you.

This is why I'm so bullish on supporting your favorite charity generously and wholeheartedly. I even wrote an edition about The Selfish Case for Charities.

You need to give up something: your time, your creativity, your attention.

I hope he doesn't mind me telling this anecdote: my longtime LinkedIn buddy John Kraski recently sent me a DM as we've never chatted one-on-one before.

But he sent a video message with a genuine request to connect.

A written outreach may have felt automated or frivolous, but the video showed effort.

I felt seen. And I couldn't wait to respond, which led to an awesome chat.

So don't wait for someone to buy your Cameo! Create a personal video for your biggest fan.

Do a surprise Zoom meeting with a fan club.

Pull a Keanu Reeves and accept a random fan's wedding invitation.

Or, at the very least, answer a fan letter with a written response.

Are you a brand? If someone wrote you a kind tweet that went viral, send them swag!

Simple gestures that make your audience feel seen and appreciated genuinely will pay you back a hundred-fold in the long run.

My mission for you: identify your best fan on social. It may be someone who likes every LinkedIn post or comments first on each video or it could be your wacky aunt that hearts your Facebook pictures.

Then think of a gesture to go out of your way to show them they're appreciated. Hint: some of them may be seen in this post (not requiring you to give away a guitar).

That took 2 minutes. You have 8 minutes left. I see you, so go grow 1% right now!

Thank you to our sponsor DoubleJack!

If the house always wins, it's time to be the house!

DoubleJack is an affiliate-based iGaming platform that pays the majority of its earnings back to influencers who refer users to it. As a management company or agency, you can make money by referring your creators to the platform.

How much? Here's a calculator to help you find out! https://doublejack.club/agency

Stop waiting for brand deals and make your own by joining DoubleJack today!

About the Author

Phil Ranta, is the COO of Fixated, a content and gaming studio building IP around creators, a LinkedIn Top Voice in Innovation & Tech, and has been creating content for the internet and building internet businesses professionally for nearly 20 years, starting on MySpace and riding trends to the present. He was the Head of Gaming Creators, North America at Facebook, the first network lead at Fullscreen, the COO at Studio71, and spent 10 years as a working comedian (including 2 years on cruise ships). He's a husband, a dad of two littles, and an insufferable digital media wonk.

LinkedIn

Twitter

Instagram

TikTok