Going from 0 → 1 as a Creator

This post is for those who are hoping to build their online presence from scratch.

If you’re already a pro, you can stop reading now (or maybe forward this to someone who might find it helpful).

Ok let’s dive in.

But before we do, let’s quickly talk about why.

Why should you build your online presence?

I believe building an online presence and owning your distribution is one of the highest leverage things you can do with your time. Especially as AI makes product creation easier & easier — brand and distribution will become the ultimate moat.

I also this increases the surface area for “luck” to happen to you — since more people know who you are, what your goals are, what you’re good at, and will be more likely to help you since you would have provided value to them on a consistent basis (for months/years).

More on this here:

and here:

Ok so now how do you get started?

Here’s my practical advice:

1) Pick 1 social platform

• Ideally, you pick the platform that you are most comfortable with + where your target audience is already spending a lot of time on

• Cater to the style (text, video, photo, etc.) that you’re naturally best at

• X or LInkedIn are both great since you start with written content and also repurpose stuff down the line

2) Identify 10 creators (and discover peers in the replies)

• Set notifications for all 10 of them

• Study their content, hooks, style, format, etc.

• Find peers in the replies (build relationships in the DMs)

2) Simplify your content strategy

• 1/3 of your updates can be subject matter expertise (teach people)

• 1/3 of your updates can be updates of what you’re building & learning

• 1/3 of your updates can be more personal updates (hobbies, obsessions, etc.)

3) Set realistic goals

• I’d aim for 1 post per weekday (5 per week)

• I’d aim for 10 outbound comments per day (more here)

• When setting growth goals, aim to grow your content engagement.

  • More engagement = more reach = more profile visitors = more followers = more potential engagement on future content

  • Test different formats and types of content until you find stuff that consistently works

  • If you’re getting 5 likes per post, a goal can be getting 10 likes per post

  • You can set follower goals, just remember that your success will be based on the quality (and consistency) of your content

4) Use tools and hacks to increase productivity

• I like to set 1 day per week (usually Sunday) to bulk create & schedule evergreen content

• I also like to set daily reminders on my calendar to do community management (basically going through my notifications, replying to people, joining conversations in the feed, and seeing what my favorite creators are posting)

• I keep my social apps at the bottom of my homepage on my iPhone — this creates the habit of checking during downtime or breaks (important to break the habit of doomscrolling — be intentional, remember your daily goal of outbound comments and engaging with your community)

• I enjoy using tools like Typefully and Bluecast for creating & scheduling content

5) Bootstrap your initial growth

• If you’re starting out from zero (or a very small following then you can use a few hacks to bootstrap your growth). Some of my favs:

  • Text 100 people (friends, family, coworkers, etc.) and ask them to follow you. Let them know you have a goal, why this is important to you, and what they can expect from your future content/updates).

  • Email your list (if you have one) and tell people that you’ll be sharing behind the scenes updates of what you’re building, what you’re learning, or just general tips that you’ve learned throughout the years

  • Ask friends to amplify your first post (just make sure it’s a really good one that provides value, insight, and a bit of a personal touch).

  • In short, you can do outbound growth tactics to bootstrap that initial following but you need to provide a value proposition — why should people actually follow? Why should they care?

If you do the above and stick with it for 6 months without quitting then you will see results.

This will come in the form of social growth, friendships, and inbound opportunities (business, career, etc.)

Most people will quit after about 2 weeks.

It’s very tough to build a habit. Make it easy on yourself by simplifying as much as possible.

Tweet me (@ishverduzco) any questions you still have and I’ll get back to you.

Cheers,

Ish

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