You know when you’ve done something awesome.
It could be a recital, an interview on a podcast, a recording. You get the gist.
You feel proud of your work. It’s rewarding.
So what do you do next?
Someone messaged me about this on Linked In. He had completed a video interview and knew he wanted to do something with it on social media. Why? Because that is what you’re “supposed to do.”
Have you experienced this?
You know this feeling well. The anx. The reluctance. Forced to post because that’s what you’re supposed to do.
These are the kind of posts that stem from this:
I’ve just done a podcast…
I’ve just finished recording…
I have a new video…
It is easy to think this is what you are supposed to do. When more people adopt this approach, it becomes the norm. Even though no one likes it.
There is good news for you.
You never have to post something that starts with ‘I’ve just….’
Why?
Well, no one is actually interested in what you’ve done. They don’t care if you’ve done a podcast, video, recording or a performance. What they do care about is if it is helpful, interesting or relevant to them. Like a child in a toy shop, they immediately go to the toy that sparks with their own interest.
How can you write a post without ‘I’ve…” ?
Finding the sweet spot. This is where what you have to say overlaps with your audience’s interests. Sonja Nisson did a fantastic presentation about this. It was during the first week of You Are The Media Month Of Learning. She used this diagram:
To do this effectively there are three questions to ask yourself.
WHO
WHO do I want to read, watch or listen to this?
It’s an important piece of the puzzle. Who will find it interesting or useful? The professional musician and the conservatoire student have different interests. The professional may want a viewpoint to enrich their existing depth of knowledge. Whereas someone studying may want practical tips for starting out in the profession.
HOW
HOW can this help them?
What is it that you want to share that is going to be Relevant, Interesting, Timely and Entertaining? Could it be helpful to your WHO? A top tip. A new insight. Some advice. Now you are discovering the overlapping sweet spot I mentioned earlier.
But there’s one last question to ask yourself.
WHAT
WHAT would you like them to do?
Make sure you are clear with your reader about what you would like them to do. Whether that is click, watch or listen. This is generally known as a call to action.
Let’s start putting this together. Here’s an example of one of my posts. The interview I did on the lovely Music Makers podcast with Polyphony Arts. I then wanted to share this on social media. This is how it looked:
What do I want to say?
- Check out this podcast I’ve done.
Who is my audience?
- Professional musicians who want to perform online recitals.
How can this help them?
- I share how to get your recital to stand out from everyone else’s.
What to do next?
- Click the link below to find out.
So the post I wrote looked like this:
You see how it’s finding the sweet spot between what I want to say and my audience’s interests. Looking back, it would be stronger to write “Click on the link below to listen”, rather than using emojis.
It can feel strange to do this at first. A short cut to achieving this is to use the word ‘You’ in the opening of your post. It places the reader at the very beginning. You can see me do this quite often with my own posts on Linked In or on my Facebook page.
Another tip is to write as if you are actually having a conversation with someone. Usually, you’d start by asking a question. Ok, we all know a couple of people who seem to launch into themselves. But it’s annoying in person, so it’ll be annoying online.
Now it’s time to look at how you can promote your recitals.
HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR RECITAL
How are you going to promote your recital, without talking about yourself? Again, think about what your audience is interested in.
You could talk about the power that music has to boost their mood and energy. For example:
Would you like to finish your day with a smile?
There’s a euphoric bliss that a piece by J.S. Bach can bring you. Everything slots into place. It feels…right. Together. Whole. The resonance lifts you to a better place. All the stress of the day dissolves. Leaving you feeling beautifully content.
Come and experience this for yourself at my next recital by clicking on the link below.
This is way more interesting than “I’m doing a recital…” or “Come watch my recital….”. Did you count how many times I used the word ‘You’? It’s much more than ‘I’.
Another idea would be to tell a story about the works. One that is intriguing and sheds light for the reader about them. For example:
The year was 1815, french guns smoked, cannons screeched and horses heaved through the Belgian battlefields. 100 years later, the crackling of rifles, booming shells and shrill horses tore across Europe once more.
Despite the horror, two masterpieces were crafted during these fateful years. Worlds apart, and yet deeply personal. Each revealing the real beauty of humankind.
Come and experience them both on the 20th of May. Click the link to find out more.
IN SUMMARY
Your audience isn’t interested in posts that are about you. They want to read something that is going to be interesting to them. Something that they are going to connect with and think “oooh yeah I want to find out more”. To achieve this, you want to find the sweet spot between what you want to say and what your audience is interested in. Before you write your post, ask yourself some questions first. Make sure to use ‘YOU’ a lot. Imagine you’re actually having a conversation with someone. Now you can move beyond what you’re “supposed to do” and have people engage with your work.
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Ollie Mansfield 