The creative world (especially design) seems to favour those who develop a strong presence on social media. But what happens if you’re an introverted freelancer who slides away from self-promotion?
The world feels like such a noisy place. It’s not that you’re short of ideas – you’ve got plenty to share. You spent your career listening patiently, researching, and assembling your ideas. Studied the tactics, and you know the right clients you can help, as-well-as the problems you can solve for them.
Being an introvert is no better or worse than being an extrovert; it just means that you’ll interact with the world in a way that demands more energy and requires you to spend time alone to recharge.
“That said, if there’s one thing that’s challenged my introverted self, it’s self-promotion. As a designer, I’ve always known the importance of visibility and discoverability, but the idea of having to develop an online presence has always made me cringe. How could I talk about my work–let alone myself–when I don’t want attention?” Hall said.
That being said, here’s what we’ve learned along the way.
𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨
Your first step should be to figure out (re-figure) how you want to use social media, this requires researching various platforms. You will need to go through some realisations on what is working for you, and what is not (this requires testing out a few of those platforms). The trial and error will help you understand whether Instagram (where it’s very imagery-based) works for you, or Twitter (more minimal imagery and micro-blogging) would appeal to you. Also, think about where you would like to contribute to various conversations on topics relevant to your field.
𝗚𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀
Trying to define yourself through this small part of the internet can be exhausting. Building a strategy on what you can do to make sure you maximise your efforts to meet your goals (e.g. posting as a way to get to know others and for others to get to know you). Remember that it’s more than just exhibiting your portfolio. Active online presence is a way to show your interests, personality, and insights. Building conversations around topics that you’re passionate and curious about. This helps create your own community.
𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻
While you still may shy away from receiving too much attention, sharing your perspective and narrative is important and might inspire someone else to do the same. Show your personality, sense of humour by re-tweeting various tweets. Talk about music and writing. Post about what makes you happy about your work and the art you’re crafting. All these things will push through your shyness to connect with people while learning from others as well.
𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲
It may take some time for others to learn about you and to find your common interests.
Engagement is important but doesn’t have to occur with every post. If you want to expand on your posts and chat with others, find a pace that is comfortable for you.
