Yes, It’s Possible To Promote Yourself On Social Media Without Looking Conceited AF

Flickr / Patrik Nygren

If you’re like the rest of the world, you’ve probably joined at least one social media platform by now. And if you’re like many millennials, you also are using that social media platform to promote yourself. Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of — we’re all in the same boat here.

While it’s totally common to use your social media presence to brand yourself, your career or your ideas, it’s also important to remember that you don’t have to be totally self-centered while doing it. Weird to say that social media, which is basically the beacon of narcissism, should be devoid of your narcissism, huh? Well, it’s possible.

We’re going to tell you how staying humble on social media not only will make you look less like an ass to your followers (sorry, but everyone’s thinking it as they scroll through that beauty blogger’s Insta and reading her “vibes” caption on her Cancun vacation photo), but also how to strengthen your personal brand as a result.

Make your intentions pure and clear.

Yes, we’re gonna get a little woo-woo on you right now, but it’s important to set your intentions before continuing with whatever you’re currently doing on social media. What message do you want to send your followers, and is that message genuinely meaningful to you? More importantly, is it a message that can teach your followers something new? If you’re not doing them any type of service, they’re probably not going to stick around for very long.

Be sensitive.

If you’re promoting your weight loss journey and you’re posting about how you never gave up and never spent a single day making excuses, you might turn off (and without fully realizing it, even shame) some of your readers whose journeys don’t look exactly like yours. Social media is all about relating and communicating, so the last thing you want to do is isolate yourself from everyone by saying that it’s your way or the highway.

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Engage your audience.

To further the point on communication, part of building a successful personal brand is making connections with people who share the same goals, and even being willing to have conversations with those who don’t feel the way you feel. Opening up a channel for people to share their thoughts on a certain topic through your social media profile is a great way to show that you care about your followers and to prove that you’re not on some self-made pedestal — you’re their peer. Like and respond to their comments on your posts, follow some of them back and encourage them to reach their own goals.

Give away free advice — and ask for some back.

Everyone has stellar ideas from time to time, and if you want your personal brand to be incredible, you should be excited to share advice and tips with your audience. But take that action a step further and also ask your audience to give you pointers back. For example, if you’re attempting to brand yourself as a foodie who loves to cook paleo meals, feel free to share the newest meatball recipe you came up with, but ask your followers if they have any meatball recipes that they love and would like you to try as well. Not only are you opening up a valuable conversation, but you’re making them feel important by providing you with information in return.

Be human.

Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has those bad days (we did sort of quote a Miley Cyrus song just now, but it felt right). Showing your followers that you sometimes struggle to reach your goals is key in relating to them, person to person. You’ll seem more authentic to an audience if they don’t just see all the incredible days you have because, TBH, it’s not realistic. If you’re going to put yourself out there, don’t just showcase those perfect moments.