Category: CommunityCategory: Community

When Roy Wood Jr. was asked if he deserved a shot at hosting the Daily Show, he said sure, but also, “make your own shot.”

Roy Wood Jr. understands how the game is played; wait to get picked, or make your own shot.

Seth Godin wrote, “reject the tyranny of being picked: pick yourself” back in 2011, and it absolutely stands the test of time:

It’s a cultural instinct to wait to get picked. To seek out the permission and authority that comes from a publisher or talk show host or even a blogger saying, “I pick you.” Once you reject that impulse and realize that no one is going to select you–that Prince Charming has chosen another house–then you can actually get to work.

Make your art, share your music, take your photos and then make your shot.

I write about newsletters – what you’re doing is probably a lot more interesting.

If no one asked you to share your 10 favorite things of the year in their publication, feature yourself on your website.

There’s no underground / alt flea market in your area? Make your own (a buddy and I are working on a pop-up flea market for musicians to unload their unused gear).

Wish you had a community of art freaks to hang out with? Start your own.

The technology is there (Zoom, Google Meet, Discord), you just need to ask some people to come hang out.

Because just posting and talking about what you do only goes so far, mostly because that’s what everyone else is doing.

We publish, post, and repost, hoping to get picked.

Pick your people, build a community, grow together.

Make your own shot.

How do you get people from Instagram to subscribe to your Substack?

By being on Instagram, unfortunately.

Don’t worry – Nail Mason lays it out nicely here:

Connect with 3 new fans each day, and you’re building a broad and deep audience.

Imagine — 1,095 new friends who can open doors to opportunities and insights.

Create value and connect.

Start there, then rinse, and repeat.

Beth Spencer of Introvert Drawing Club connected with her fans using a sneaky kitten character on Instagram.

I posted everywhere, begging folks folks to find, capture via screenshot, and share. I rewarded each person who helped with 3 months of complimentary membership.

Getting people on Instagram to do anything is hard, so you have to get creative.

Beth went from 150 Substack subscribers in November 2022, to 3,000 almost a year later (and nearing 200 paid subscribers).

You do that by building a real connection, not by just saying, “Join my newsletter for updates.”

And remember – this took a year.

Make sure you figure out a way to connect in a sustainable and energizing way. If it’s pure pain and misery, you’ll end up quitting the quest to get your social media followers to your email list.

Three Simple Ways To Start Connecting With Your Fans

1. Reply to the people in your comments in a sincere, human way
2. DM someone who liked a recent announcement (and include a link to what you’re promoting)
3. Reply to a fellow artist’s post and celebrate their wins – their fans will see it and maybe check you out – and that artist will appreciate your support!

Comments, replies, engagement – whatever you want to call it; do things that don’t scale for a few minutes a day, and see what happens. Like Neil mentioned above – do this with just three people a day, or just start with one!

Many of us in the creative world have a choice in how we tell people about our work.

It’s not just picking which platform to use but also how much time we devote to each. Do we make videos? Static images? Long captions or short?

And now, after years (for some of us a decade or more), we’re faced with the unique challenges of using (or even supporting) the platforms that are deemed so vital to our success.

This is why I changed the name of this newsletter to Social Media Escape Club – because people are being more intentional about how they use these platforms. Some people even consider not using them (gasp), like Robyn Hepburn Illustration said in our recent Zoom Club Meeting:

We’re not crazy for thinking there has to be a better way.

As I wrote last week, Bryan runs the As The Story Grows podcast with zero social media presence.

Softer Sounds podcast studio isn’t on social media.

I say all this as we’re barreling into the holiday season, where we’ll be drowning in marketing messages, commercials, and various media blasting in our faces.

The name of the game is interrupting everyone all the time, grabbing any bit of attention with ten thousand other bright lights and flashing messages.

BUT… in the middle of all that, it’s nice to get a call from an old friend, right?

A DM from someone you love hearing from—an email from someone you always have time for.

As artists, photographers, musicians, DJs, writers – that can be us, you know that, right?

Now, if you only show up every time you have something to sell, that’s not as endearing.

It’s hard to fall in love with mail-order catalogs.

It is far easier to have a pleasant exchange with the jovial mail-person who shows up daily with a smile and a bit of small talk.

Social media is about interruption, noise, and reaching only a fraction of your followers.

But with an easy pace of telling stories, showing up regularly, and earning the trust of your fans, you win the social media game of attention roulette by not playing.

Bryan Patton of As The Story Grows runs a successful podcast and deleted his social media accounts.

Bryan now has more time to work on his podcast – he’s doing 2-3 episodes per week now. That means 2-3 more times per week, a band or label or fan could post about the interview on their social media accounts, and someone could discover his podcast for the first time.

LESS TIME ON SOCIALS, MORE TIME FOR ACTION

I joined Twitter in 2006. I was one of the first 3,000 people to sign up for it. But I deleted my Twitter account this year, and now I have time to start hosting weekly Zoom calls with subscribers, which leads to better newsletter posts like this (I hope).

There are only so many hours in a day, so I use them in a way that gives me joy.

Here’s a few things you can do instead of spending hours a day doom-scrolling, or posting to socials for the “likes:”

Email/reply / DM a fan – delight a fan, give them a reason to talk about you with their friends

Work on your art – imagine 10+ extra hours a week honing your craft

Email key people – there are people out there who could help your project flourish (or replenish your soul) – find a mentor, a coach, or someone who’s been down this road already

IF YOU WANT A MAP, VISIT A GAS STATION

There’s no clear-cut way to get off social media and keep promoting your project, but there’s a direction you can travel.

I’d say you’re on that path if you’re reading Social Media Escape Club.

You can follow people like Cody Cook-Parrott who quit Instagram:

“I have had to completely unhook from the algorithm because I have never had lower social media engagement. I have 80K+ followers and often get 300 likes on a post.”

Listen to the Off The Grid Podcast, which is “for small business owners who want to leave social media without losing all their clients.”

Reach out to Bryan and ask him how he left social media, or email me (my email address is at the bottom of this post).

Businesses were built before social media. Bands released vital albums before hashtags. Art and photography existed before Instagram.

It’s scary stepping away from social media, I know. But it doesn’t have to be black and white – you don’t need to delete your social media accounts to be part of this club.

We’re all just trying to figure it out.

Writing this newsletter has been a solo endeavor for about two years, but I’ve switched that up in the past month by starting weekly Zoom hangouts to talk with subscribers about social media, online marketing, and (usually) cats.

I’ve walked away from those calls each week feeling stoked, and used our discussions as starting points for upcoming newsletters.

I do this because I can’t know all the answers, but we learn together.

In a recent video chat, Josh from Úzkost talked about playing a show in a mall.

Whether it’s something like Beth’s Introvert Drawing Club or Josh and his band Úzkost melting faces in a mall, the people in front of you provide the energy.

Do your best to find those people.

They might be in quiet cafes or calm Discord servers or… malls. I’ve met some fantastic people on Twitter earlier this year and by signing up for some online courses.

Maybe your people are waiting for you to carve a space for them.

From The Creative Shift by Dan Blank:

Back when I used to manage a bookstore and cafe in the 1990s, we would run multiple events each week. What would make a great event? 20 people attending. Even an event with 8 or 10 would be a success.

Imagine that your website is a place of refuge for your fans.
Your newsletter is a ray of sunshine for someone.
The magic you create helps someone get through bad times.

HINDZ brings calm and peaceful vibes with his YouTube videos. He’s carved that niche for himself, and it’s beautiful.

Make a space for what you do with your website, with your newsletter – the essential online spaces that you can own and control.

Your website can be more than YouTube embeds and Bandsintown tour dates.

Your newsletter can be more than tour JPGs and BUY NOW buttons.

Trust me – your biggest fans will appreciate it.

We have to do marketing, I know.

But how are we fostering community around the things that we do? How does it affect change and expand culture? How do we foster a creative and vibrant space with our work?