Self-Promotion as a Process (part 2)
This is part 2 of a long post about self-promotion. Click here for part 1
Even beyond my fiction writing, I am not great at self-promotion for my blogs and online writing projects. I have mentioned here before that I have two other blogs (a daily micro-blog and a pet blog) and host a weekly/monthly micro-fiction contest. I always feel self-conscious about doing so, but how can I let people know those places exist if I do not tell anyone. Buying my own domain was one of the first, small steps I took toward promoting my work. My home page has links to all the blogs, the contest, the book, and a piece of fiction that had been published by a now defunct e-zine.
But once I got that home page, I simply made one announcement on my Facebook page that it existed and left it there. Maybe once every couple of months, I remind people of the micro-fiction contest. I feel like to do more than that, I would be annoying my friends and family, pressuring them into reading what I do, even though the monthly winner of the micro-fiction contest actually gets a $5 amazon.com gift card. And I do not want to do that. At the same time, if I am not comfortable promoting myself to people who already know, like, and support me, how am I ever going to promote myself to strangers who might be interested in my work?
I try to take baby steps. Joining Twitter was one of those steps. I have not been on it long, and I still wonder if people actually care about what I put out there. I still feel trepidation about entering in to conversations with people who already know each other- I wonder if they will feel like I am butting in to a “private” conversation. Still, I force myself to reply to at least one Tweet a day.
Just like interviewing, the more I force myself to do it, the better at it I will become (or at least that’s the hope).
This lack of confidence in my own work extends to Yakezie as well. A new class of members is scheduled for review/induction this January. My 6 months of membership is up January 21. I am not yet under the 200k Alexa ranking needed to become a full member, and my first inclination was to say I’ll just wait for the next class. Why try if I think I might fail? But the truth is, my Alexa rank is still dropping. It dropped 100k in just two weeks (Dec 11 to Dec 25), form 375k to 275k. I should be able to get it down another 75k in four weeks, as long as I am willing to put myself out there.
But then I get held up again. The next questions are can you name 10 challengers and 10 members who I have built relationships with. What qualifies as a relationship? Do I even have 20 PF bloggers? (Given that there are 30 Yakezie member/challenger blogs that I click on every day and try to comment on regularly, the answer is probably yes, but still I doubt.) It asks if Sam of Financial Samurai knows who I am- well, I have left comments on his blog, and I have interacted with him on Twitter, but can I really be sure he knows who I am?
The answer to these questions is that I cannot be sure, and that I need to continue building relationships where I can, but also that I need to have confidence in myself and what I am already doing, and put myself out there. If I do not make “member” in the next Yakezie class, I do not think they kick me out, or stop talking to me. No risk, no reward. I cannot make this a completely safe proposition.
I can accept being turned down by interviewers and editors. It has made me a better job candidate and a better writer. I can handle being turned down by Yakezie too. Because the truth is, it is not fear of rejection that holds me back, it is fear of the unknown, the waiting period in between putting myself out there and getting a response. Acceptance or rejection, I can handle both. It is the waiting that I dread.
I considered disabling comments on this post, as parts of it could come off as a passive aggressive attempt to get people to say they’d be on my Yakezie relationships with. That is not what I am looking for. As I get ready to put myself out there for Yakezie membership, I will reach out to those I hope will support me and ask, just like I would with job references.
I have chosen not to disable comments because one of my favorite things about blogging (as opposed to fiction writing) is the instant feedback and continuing conversations that comments can provide.
Don't underestimate yourself. Chances are a lot more people 'know' you in Yakezie than you realize.
Looks like you're at 246k now so you've chopped off another 30K or so in a couple of weeks. You could still make it.
Good luck whichever route you decide on!
I am shooting for the Jan 21 class. If I don't have quite under 200k by then, I think I can apply again for the next class, as long as I communicate with Sam.
And thank you.
If you need to put me down as a reference for the yakezie, feel free – and good luck. membership sign ups are happening now for the current class (check forums)
Thank you.
I need to get on over there and sign up. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I completely understand this and struggle with it. At work and with regards to my blog. I stumbled on this at the end of last year and have it posted at work by my computer to remind me. I follow your blogs (horrible about commenting) and you are fabulous. Good luck with the ranking!
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
—-from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.
Thank you, my friend.
And I follow your blog (and am not much better at commenting)
I understand completely. It can be very, very hard to put yourself out there. The quote Suzanne posted is one of my favorites because it's a reminder to push through that fear. I hop you know that you can so put me down as someone you have built a relationship with. And definitely keep pushing to be part of this Yakezie class. You deserve to be.
Thank you for your support.
I am terrible at promoting myself. For some reason, I've convinced myself that if I talk about me or promote my site or whatever, it will come across as arrogant. I also don't feel that I can "compare" to a lot of other writers so I just kind of hang back.
Like you, I can handle rejection just fine but it's getting over that fear of feeling like I'm not good enough to even try.
I feel I am the same way. It's hard to self promote and not feel like I am trying to win someone over, that's how I feel. I do feel like I am making friendships with pf bloggers though and then I wonder if I am making it out more than it is. But it's a good atmosphere and most everyone is genuinely nice. But I completely understand where you are coming from.
I'm with you on the wondering if I'm making something more than it is. I mean, what is the definition of developed a relationship? But, I think the key for me is to stop obsessing about my shortcomings and to just start moving forward.
I love what you've been doing, so I hope you're moving forward as well.