“Three things I tell my 18-year-old brother who wants to become discoverable on the internet.
Context: He’s 18, understands the importance of putting himself out there, and becoming discoverable, but isn’t sure about where to start. Out of my MANY conversations with him, here are a few things I’ve stuck to:
👉 DELETE INSTAGRAM
If not delete, STRICTLY limit it. For someone who wants to start building a powerful personal brand, and put themselves out there more, consuming on Instagram might do more harm than good. Couple of reasons why – it’s more distracting than value-providing and also slightly tougher to manage content on the app.
LinkedIn and X – better starting points.
👉 START SMALL, BUT START SOMEWHERE
When you’re not a natural “creator” and have spent more time consuming than creating, it can get overwhelming to start. When I talk to my brother, I remind him that there’s no way to learn except by doing.
If you are worried about:
▶ The fact that you’ve got nothing to contribute
▶ Everything you’re writing has been said (in better ways)
▶ You will not sound “smart”
▶ You will be judged
▶ You might say the wrong thing
Acknowledge it – these feelings are inevitable. The only way to “get over them” is to do and prove yourself wrong.
👉 DITCH THE DOPAMINE
Fun reels, for instance, are great sources of dopamine. You could go on for hours and hours. It’s relaxing. It’s comfortable. It doesn’t take up energy. But, that’s exactly why it’s doing NOTHING for your growth.
If you are consuming content, replace it with educational / informative things. Out of the 20 minutes you spend on your phone, could 10 minutes go in reading the news? Or watching a Ted Talk?
Ask yourself why you haven’t been doing it, and solve for that.
👉 FINALLY, START HERE
All of these things were gyaan-y. Mindset shifts that are essential. But where do you actually start?
Here’s what I told him:
1️⃣ Make an account on LinkedIn and X. Get over trying to find the perfect “about” section and write a shitty draft.
2️⃣ Connect with and follow folks you find interesting. Observe what they talk about. And how they talk about it.
3️⃣ Find a starting point. If you’re unsure what to write about, think about what you read the most. Or what you’re intrigued by. For instance, I read a lot of cultural pieces about women in India. If I was new, my starting point would’ve been summarising these learnings.
Oh, and finally, there’s HARDLY anyone looking at your account. So, each time you feel like you will be judged, go see your follower count!
That was all. What would you add to this list?”