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The social media "status" game
You are playing a status game.
You may not realise it, but…
Every time you post a tweet.
Every time you write a comment.
Every time you send an email.
You are signalling your status to anyone who reads that post.
So that’s what we’re going to talk about today:
Signalling.
And there are 3 big ways I see people BUTCHER their status-level on social media.
First…
They insist on turning every piece of their content into a “valuable” how-to.
And this is a problem because…
Think about the types of people who would be interested in how to do something: it is people who want to... do it themselves (i.e. not pay you to do it for them).
Secondly...
When you explain "how" you did something, you (implicitly) signal to everyone that your ideas are not valuable enough to charge money for. This lowers your status (i.e. authority).
Thirdly (and this is the BIG one)…
They constantly use low-status language.
And if you don’t know what I mean by “low-status language”…
Look at this post:
Now. Before I say any more about this post, I want to be clear:
I am NOT hating on this guy.
This is a nice post. It shows his personality. He looks happy - great.
But…
Read those last 3 bullet points. Think about what these signal to his audience — that he has no actual plan. That he’s taking a shot in the dark. That he is, more than likely, quite lost.
I wouldn’t hire someone in that situation (and, if you’re honest with yourself, you probably wouldn’t either).
Again - I am NOT trying to belittle this guy.
I made the exact same mistake when I first started posting content. Everything signalled “I’m lost, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, and I’m fumbling round in the dark trying to find the light switch”.
Result? Not a single dollar earned.
But as soon as I started focusing on signalling high-status with my content?
Challenging the “conventional” viewpoints.
Refusing to give away all my insights for free (I still give away lots, of course).
Learning how to signal high-status with my writing.
That’s when my follower count (and revenue) took off.
The question then becomes:
How do you escape the low-status “pit” you feel stuck in right now?
And, more specifically…
How do you do it as quickly as possible?
Because I remember, like it was yesterday, the gut-wrenching feeling of watching yet another tweet (which you agonised over, desperately trying to condense your ideas into that 280-character limit) disappear into the void and feeling like no-one could give a shit about anything you have to say.
I know just how soul-crushing that feels.
But, as much as you want people to care about your content, you still have that nagging doubt in the back of your mind:
Why should anyone listen to you?
You’re not an expert.
You don’t have 5+ years of social proof to your name.
You, like me, are just a normal guy or gal who came to Twitter (likely because of Dan Koe), because you wanted to build a better life for yourself.
Well… good news.
The fact I am sitting here — writing this email to you, yet again plonked in my favourite local coffee shop, sipping on a crisp (decaf) Americano and beating the living shit out of my keyboard right now… all while everyone else I know is currently packed on some sweaty London tube is proof that it can be done.
That, despite having zero social proof.
That, despite having no prior writing experience.
That, despite being just a regular dude who fell in love with writing and decided he wanted build a career he genuinely enjoyed…
I’ve still been able to amass an audience of 6,200+ followers, grow this email list (which you are currently a valued member of) to 2,600+ subs, and build a $15,000/month personal brand.
All in under 8 months.
I have worked my way up the “status ladder” and, through a carefully laid out strategy, become what you’re currently desperate to be: an authority.
Now I want to help you do the same.
I want you to experience what it feels like.
I want you to know what it feels like to not have to wake up and sit in traffic, getting ready for “another day in the office”.
I want you to be able to say “fuck it” and take the day off because it’s your birthday (it’s mine tomorrow), rather than spending it trapped in a concrete jungle.
But, most importantly, I want you to know what it feels like to go to bed excited about what you’ll be doing the next day, rather than dreading the 7AM alarm which currently signals it’s time for “another day in the office”.
I want you to build a life you genuinely enjoy.
And I’ve poured (genuinely) 100s of hours into helping you do that here.