Happy Monday!
Most accountants treat social media like it’s a 7 A.M. Chamber of Commerce networking event.
Tom treats it more like he’s at the bar.
He’s built a serious following by simply being himself (hilarious and a little cringe) and he’s recently started a marketing company, Punch Up Dot Com.
I asked Tom to write about the most important topics in social media right now, and that’s exactly what he did below. 👇
Social media makes you vulnerable. LinkedIn makes you cringe.
So why should you show up online? Because "everything you ever wanted is on the other side of cringe."
I resisted posting online for years. I thought it was too cringe.
But then I heard a wise man named Jason Staats talk about "optimizing for serendipity" by showing up online and in-person, so I started posting, and it changed my life.
If you put yourself out there, you're increasing the odds of a chance connection that changes your life. If you hide, your odds are zero.
The positives are undeniable. Tailor talked about them here. I won’t reiterate them because he nailed it.
Being social on social media is overlooked.
Every business owner thinks "how quickly will this get leads?" They cannot resist the urge to take a story about skiing and mutilate it into a parable about why you need their service.
“When I was skiing this weekend I realized something: so many business owners are french frying when they need to be pizzaing. Buy my EOS framework course to learn the benefits of slowing down and focusing.”
It's so painfully unsocial, which is why it doesn't work.
Imagine going to a party but everyone was trying to sell you something. You'd leave the party, or you'd find the one girl or guy in the corner who is fun or interesting and you’d huddle by them.
You want to be that person.
And it isn’t hard, just be normal. Comment on things that are interesting. Participate in conversations without an ulterior motive. Be yourself.
Nothing is more important than commenting. Nothing is more social.
When posting, post content that invites others to join in. Whether that's teaching or entertaining, you want people to want to comment, to follow. You want them to come hang out with you at the party, not wander off because you're a wacky inflatable arm man flailing uncontrollably to try and get someone to hop on a quick call.
What does "show up authentically" mean?
Speak as you would speak at a party, at a bar, at the dinner table with friends.
You're a human. Humans buy from humans. And as AI erodes technical moats, there will be a lack of differentiation between you and your competitors, and humans will buy from humans they like.
99% of my posts are jokes. Why? Because that's just how I am. I rarely take something serious.
Side bar: Memes are so dumb they're smart. They work better than you can imagine. DM me if you’re curious.
If you're obsessed with sports, or Taylor Swift, or barbeque, or National Parks, or anything that you feel passionate about, build that into your content.
We're being social. There are people out there with the same interests. You will draw them by being authentic. You will make internet friends by being social.
How do you post interesting content?
If you want to do this yourself, you can. But you have to rewrite how you think.
You cannot sit down on a Tuesday morning and ask yourself "what should I post about this week?" That's not how it works. That's how you end up staring at a blank screen for twenty minutes, asking AI for ideas, and posting something that is worse than posting nothing.
You have just outsourced your personality to a robot. That's embarrassing.
The people who are good at this don't create content. They harvest it.
They’re mid-thought, mid-convo, mid-meeting, and their instinct is: I need to write that down.
You are already interesting. You already have good thoughts. You're just not capturing them. You're trying to turn content into a task when it should be a reflex.
My friend got af brain freeze and it was funny. I wrote down “brain freeze” in my notes app. A week later I had this. It’s not rocket science. It’s way, way, dumber than even regular science.
Start there. Keep a note on your phone. A voice memo. Whatever you'll actually use. When something makes you laugh, or makes you angry, or makes you think, write it down.
Don't edit it. Don't ask if it's good enough. Just collect.
Interesting content comes from collecting. You can't manufacture it on demand, but you can learn to notice it everywhere.
But here's the thing: it only works if you're actually good at creating content.
Not everyone is. And that's fine.
Right now, the entire content landscape looks like a party where every single person has picked up an acoustic guitar and is taking their turn at Wonderwall.
Out of tune. Too slow. They only know some of the words. They mean well and they're trying to connect, but nobody is having fun.
In fact the room feels physically unsafe because they are surrounded by thousands of people who are all playing a shitty cover of Wonderwall at the same time.
This is what LinkedIn is.
If you’re not actually good at the guitar, the move isn't to play Wonderwall. The move is to be the DJ.
Being a DJ is cool. Curation is a skill.
If you can’t play music, be the DJ. Find a writer or content partner whose voice you actually like, give them your interesting ideas, and that content is still you.
You're the DJ. You’re curating great content that reflects who you are, what you think, and what you like.
But do not use AI to do this. AI is the shitty cover of Wonderwall.
If you genuinely can write, if you've read this far and you get it, if being authentic and social and interesting comes naturally to you, then write. Please. The world needs more of you.
Everyone else: put down the guitar and become the best DJ on the internet.
Both are cool. Shitty covers of Wonderwall are not (did I mention that?).
Follow Tom here.
He practices what he preaches.
And if you’ve been overthinking posting… just do it.
See you next time,
Tailor