A few years ago I decided to create a blog called findingtom.com. It was supposed to be a place for me to post about my travels and anything I’d learned.
I enjoyed writing, you know, and for some reason I wanted to see what others thought of my writing, too.
10,000 posts later, I’ve learned a heck of a lot about myself, the world, and human beings.
Here’s the first thing I learned.
To Grow A Following, Master The 3 C’s
I know how to grow on social media. It’s possible to grow everywhere you want to if you master these three things: Consistency, Community, and Cunning.
I have 10,000+ followers on LinkedIn, Medium, Facebook, Youtube, and TikTok.
Let’s talk about community first. Every single person who comments, you need to respond. Not just respond, but friend request them, connect with them, or follow them. Turn it into a relationship. They will be the ones who keep coming back for you day after day. DO NOT SKIP THIS.
Second is consistency. Don’t just post once per week. Post five. Post ten. Find your happy medium. I don’t want you to break your back posting, but I do want you to remain consistent. Someone who wrote 30 blog posts is going to be much more aware of what works and what doesn’t than someone who has only written 5. No matter where you want to grow, you need to keep that consistency up, and if you’re posting less than other people — you need to accept the fact that you’re going to grow slower.
Third is cunning. Be strategic. Look at what other big names are doing. Look at your own content and see what’s working. Do more of it. Get better. Learn the platform. Learn how to write better. Learn how to make better videos. Network with the big dogs on the platform.
This is so boiled down it’s not even funny, but I bet if it’s your dream to be a blogger and you post 100 blog posts this year, you’ll get much better.
And if you take care of other two “C’s” then you can grow anywhere.
You Just Need To Progress The Argument
The word “value” is so overused these days it makes me want to throw up. Every social media guru says you need to “provide value” with your post. Yeah, you do, but you don’t need to do 5 years of research to do it.
Just progress the argument.
If someone says personal development written by white guys is bad, then take it a step further and talk about how you disagree with that point, or agree and talk about something the author didn’t mention.
A lot of people message me doubting their ability to make something valuable. “What do I have to offer, Tom?” they say. Well, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just add another spoke to it.
That’s more than worth hitting the publish button for me.
You’ll Find An Unbelievable Community
Sometimes the internet will lift you up out of a horrible day. Sometimes you’ll make really good friends who you’ll then meet in real life.
I’ve had some beautiful things happen to me on the internet. After thousands of posts and DM’s from random people, I’ve seen a whole heck of a lot of good. Many might say the internet is a horrible place, but to me the great side of the internet is far too often forgotten about.
The readers, the viewers, those who buy my course, share my articles, support me, send me letters of encouragement — those are the people who will make all of this worthwhile, and meeting them is a big reason why you need to not just create, but PUBLISH that creation for many to see.
You never know what positive impact it might have on somebody else.
BUT… there are also times when I post something and five minutes later feel like everybody on the internet wants to punch me in the face.
Here’s another thing to think about..
You’re Going To Be Wrong
No matter what you do, you’re going to be wrong about something at some point. Maybe we’re angry about a current event. Maybe we’re hot and bothered about politics.
Who knows. Not everything you write or record will be gold, though. I have as many flaws as the recent Star Wars trilogy.
And when you post as much as I do on social media, those flaws will magnify.
And then all of a sudden you’re getting roasted by hundreds of people in the comments. That has happened to me before. And you know what? You need to suck it up and take it because you’re the one who posted it on the internet for everybody to see.
Nothing makes me feel like a failure quite like a hundred angry strangers calling for my head in the comments.
I’ve learned that the way to get over this cluster cuss is to do this..
Apologize. Apologize, take down the post, and move on with your life. The people who were all hot and bothered have probably already moved on to the next thing to get angry about.
You know what’ll stop the angry comments really quick? Deleting your post. Not every opinion should see the light of day on the internet.
You Can Make A Living On The Internet
For most bloggers, they’ll make an extra $500-$1,000 per month that they can use to pay rent and other bills. Which is life-changing, don’t get me wrong — however more needs to be done to make a LIVING.
To do that, you need to diversify and grow out your revenue streams.
And trust me, it’s possible to make a living on the internet. You might read this and say “No way, Tom. I’m never going to make $4,000+ on the internet!”
To that I say this: You’re probably smarter than many people who have.
You’re probably smarter than me. I’m incredibly ordinary.
For the last two and a half years, I’ve made all my money via my course, LinkedIn, and advertising on Facebook and Youtube videos.
One revenue stream is nice, but grow out two or three more and now we’re talking. It’s sort of like investing in stocks — you need to invest in many different ones to cover your butt if one tanks.
Some ideas I have for you to monetize online are as follows..
Create an online course.
Create a coaching program teaching people whatever you’re proficient in.
Write a book and sell it on Amazon.
Start a business and use your platform to promote it.
The one that’s worked best for me have been online courses. I’ve made a few in my day and to be honest they’re much better to me than selling ebooks and things like that. You make more per clip selling a $199 online course than a $10-$15 book.
Mariah Coz helped me understand everything there is to know about online courses and selling them. I highly recommend following her blog.
These are the things I’ve learned after posting ten thousand times on social media. My life is the internet, basically. I’ve learned about the power of cold emails, pitching hundreds of publications, making close friends, and even making a living here.
It is possible. Chase it if you dare.
Such a great 3 legged stool there Tom for businesses to follow. Thanks for sharing your wisdom 😊
Thanks, Tom, for sharing your experience and wisdom. Much food for thought, and inspiration for action. Thanks again.