You're awesome, now say so
Why many people find self-promotion difficult. Per Tara Hunt in Inc.:
- It feels skeevy. Nobody likes a braggart. I was told as a young girl, “Let your accomplishments speak for themselves.”
- You’ll lose followers. Related to the first point, many people find self-promotion to be in bad taste.
- It seems unauthentic. If you’re so great, why isn’t everybody talking about you?
This is deeply rooted in the human psyche. According to Psychology Today, “research has demonstrated that there is a clear trade-off to being seen as more competent and being liked.” Those that sit back and wait for others to speak up for them are seen as less competent. The article also highlights that friends are more likely to feel uncomfortable with your self-promotion than strangers.
Bummer. Oh well, if you have a startup, you still need to do it. So! Take Tara’s smart advice for how to package that self-promotion in humility & generosity. Because you’re not building this thing by yourself, anyway. It’s tough and you’re getting tons of help - it’s the only way you’ve been able to build something so wildly and fantastically amazing! So say that.
Read Tara’s excellent advice here.
