Engaging is (also another) process…

Last weekly issue, I wrote about my editing process.

This is part 5 of the 7 part series that goes into depth about my system of managing my content creation, and it occurs to me that I haven’t really shared the roadmap.

So here’s where we are right now:

1. Time and power management

2. My learning system

3. My writing process

4. My editing process

5. My engagement process (you are here)

6. My compounding growth system

7. My decade-long plans for growing my business

Again, this series is about my system. I have a 9-5 and a house full of pets and children. If I can do it, so can you.

Let’s talk about the key difference between journaling and writing in public and my process.

The Cardinal Rule of Social Media

This is something that everyone who starts to gain a following usually does:

• set up their account

• learn the basics of the platform

• spam their thoughts into the void

Every. Single. Person. Starts out like this.

I’m no exception.

You think you’re stepping out onto the halftime stage at the Superbowl.

In reality, you’re entering an empty room from the back. It’s got one podium that’s rotten at the base and half-tilted. The room stinks of stale beer and the janitor is cleaning up something that reeks in the corner.

You step up with all the bravado of someone who’s got something profound to say and do the mic drop.

Crickets.

The room is still empty. The janitor is gone. The smell is still there.

You do this for days. Weeks. Months.

One day, you’ve had it.

“F*ck this, I’m out.”

Why is nobody showing up to hear your truth?

It’s because you never made it known that you existed.

You never dropped in on other rooms in the hallway on your beeline to your little soapbox.

To be noticed, you need to contribute to the current discourse.

That means engagement, commenting, and networking.

Here’s my system.

Engagement: Browse first. Ask questions later.

Ever been to an event centered around a hobby that you just absolutely adore?

• CES

• SXSW

• ComicCon

• Woodstock

• DragonCon

• BlizzardCon

• Burning Man

Social media platforms are like that except they don’t end after a week.

You have endless areas to visit and subgenres to check out.

There are so many niches to explore, and each one is linked to the overall theme of the event.

They are held at convention centers or in huge, open, spaces.

Everyone who is there has a passion for some aspect of the topic.

It’s important that you know what you’re about if you’re going.

Or you can just show up and hope for the best.

This is what most people do when they start.

Or worse, they show up dressed as Spock to a Star Wars Convention.

You’re relatively safe as you can be anonymous at first.

Dan Koe lurked on TwiX for 6 months before he even wrote his first tweet/post.

I jumped right into the TwiX when I started.

I didn’t do this with Medium, though.

By then, I knew exactly what I was interested in, and I already had a few friends on the platform who were looking forward to my work.

When you start out, there’s nobody who knows you.

Start with the following step.

Pick a topic that piques your curiosity and drop into any content.

• TwiX posts

• TwiX spaces

• Medium articles

Read, observe, and reflect on what you’re consuming.

Is it interesting?

Do you have something to say?

Are there stories about your experiences that can relate to them?

If you do, then you have your first pillar.

Do this for two more areas that you might be interested in.

When you’re done, you’re ready to start the next step.

Commenting: Like Real Conversation in a Bar

Most people comment for themselves.

Please for the love of God don’t get into the habit of becoming a cheerleader when you leave a comment.

And don’t use AI. That’s even worse.

Also, don’t comment for visibility. That’s like being a child begging for attention.

You raise your hand frantically as if you have something important to say but end up delivering some dribble about Thomas the Tank Engine.

Single word comments or phrases or parroting back what they write are all passed over and ignored.

You might as well have not done it at all.

It’s easy to rise above the masses by NOT doing this.

Instead, leave comments that add to the message and invite others to respond.

If you’ve selected three topics from the previous section, you’re already going to have plenty to say.

Use Gary Vee’s $1.80 rule if you’re so inclined.

• Add your “two cents” to ninety pieces of content for TwiX.

• OR add it to nine Medium articles ($0.18)

Whatever you do, just do it meaningfully.

I typically have three things that I mix and match for my own comments:

1. Compliment: highlight something about the piece

2. Complement: share a story about a similar experience

3. Connect: thank the person for their impact on your perspective

Just doing even one of these in a comment is enough to make you stand out from the “yes people”.

Oh, and above all, BE YOURSELF!

Write it as if you’re speaking to the author.

Easy, right? Next is the tricky part.

Networking: Mileage is going to vary…

I HATED this term in college job fairs.

As an introvert, this meant having to talk to people in a disingenuous way to get them to notice you, take your resume, and get a free shirt.

You never hear from them again.

In truth, networking is the direct opposite, and I didn’t learn this until I started writing on social media.

I’ve made many friends across the world and hopped on dozens of calls and Google Meets that lasted anywhere between half an hour to two hours.

Once you’ve engaged and commented with one person, you do it again and again with others as well.

Do this regularly. Do it every day if you can. As a 9-5 parent, this has been one of THE BIGGEST challenges for me.

There’s a fine line between showing up at a dance to engage with people and hounding that one girl you enjoyed dancing with to the point to where you gain a reputation for being a creeper.

Don’t do that.

Engage regularly. Comment regularly.

Once you’ve established your presence (and followed them). You’re pretty much guaranteed an audience.

It certainly beats writing to the void.

You might as well be journaling.

That’s how I engage with people on TwiX and Medium now.

I confess that I don’t do this nearly as much as I used to on TwiX, but it’s a tried and true process that gets you on the map. The volume to do so is far, far higher now than it was before Elon.

With Medium, I was able to gain about 100 followers just by commenting before writing my first article.

It’s also how I build up a supplemental backlog of infinite content.

Above all, have fun with this.

It’s like a small dinner party if you’re an introvert or a Taylor Swift concert if you’re an extrovert.

I could say a lot more, but I’ll stop here. This could be an eBook all on its own.

This section pretty much ends the portion of the series about my content creation process.

The last two issues will be about my plans for long-term scaling.

To be honest, these will probably be less specific since these are plans.

I haven’t actually achieved anything big on these two fronts yet.

BTW, it’s been a year of writing this newsletter. If you’ve been here since the beginning, my gratitude towards you staying with me here has no bounds.

It hasn’t been easy to do this, and I’ve learned a lot from this past year of sharing my knowledge and my journey with you.

Here’s to the next year of this newsletter!

Thanks for reading!