Are you nervous about posting on social media?

You are not alone!

Almost every person I've worked with (since 2020!) has felt the same. So I'm going to share some steps to follow, to help things feel a little easier. ??

But first ...

Lots of people find it scary to get visible on social media.

From not knowing what to post, to believing that 'everyone else' has already said everything, to worrying about what friends/family/colleagues will think ... or even being scared that you'll get trolled in the comments.

?? And sometimes people wait to create content until they've sorted 'all the things' - aiming for perfect time.

I'm sorry to burst the bubble but there is NO perfect time, and if you keep waiting to start then you're undoubtedly watching all of those other people race away towards the horizon while you kick your heels at the starting line.

Now, you may be thinking this:

OK Lucy, but how do I gather my courage to start posting, when I simply hate the idea of it?!

So here are the tips I promised you.

1. Week one: start small. Schedule ten minutes into your diary to read what other people are posting. When you see something that resonates, hit the like button. Do this every day for a week - aiming to like at least 5-10 posts each day.
2. Week two: step it up a level. Keep liking 5-10 posts every day, and stick around for an extra five minutes. This time you're looking out for 1-2 posts that you'd like to leave a comment on. Make sure to write something meaningful, which adds to the discussion started by the original poster. Also, keep an eye out in case they reply to your comment and - if you want to - reply to their reply.
3. Week three: be brave. Write a post about a topic that interests you. It can be work-related, a commentary on something in the news, or a short intro post to tell people who you are and what you do.
4. (Still week three: be even braver.) It's time to hit publish. But, let me take the fear away - if you're hovering over the 'post' button and too scared to click, you might prefer to schedule the post for later/the next day. Some of my clients find this technique really helps because inevitably they're busy when the post finally goes live, and the next thing they know they're getting really nice notifications from contacts who have seen it.
5. Week four onwards: you've totally got this! It's time to flex that muscle by posting 2-3 times every week. The more you do it the easier it becomes, I promise! But don't forget steps one and two ... you're hanging out on SOCIAL media (yup, even LinkedIn counts as social) so engaging with other people's content is just as important as publishing your own. Keep up the good work, and you'll start getting to know all kinds of people, you'll feel more confident, and you'll strengthen your network - and that will make your next business or career move even easier!

Look what you just did!

?? You've invested time getting to know how other people are using social media.

?? Without realising it you've been 'curating' your newsfeed (because every time you engage with someone's content it teaches the algorithm what you want to see more of).

?? You've practiced some gentle steps to visibility, first by engaging with other people's content, and then posting something yourself.

?? You've started a new habit of posting original content 2-3 times each week, to help your network get to know you.

You are amazing! ??

I hope these tips helped you to 'feel the fear and do it anyway'. And even if you're still hesitating about visibility, there's no judgement from me. It's OK to take a little longer if you need to. ??

If you'd like more tips like these (because yup, I know you're already thinking 'what the heck do I post about? / what even makes a good post? / how does posting help me win clients? and so much more!) just let me know.

Drop me a line with your top questions and I'll be happy to answer them in a future post.

Lucy

PS -For my former clients reading this, who now ace their social media because they were brave enough to take the plunge and then flex that muscle - I am so proud of you!! ??