Don't use Instagram if you're a new Freelancer
So if you're just starting your business or starting as a freelancer, or even at the point where you're trying to build an audience, and you're wondering "what platform is the best platform for me"?
Well you're in luck because in today's blog post, I'm going to explain why Instagram is NOT the best platform for you to use at this moment, if you're just starting out as a freelancer, and why I recommend LinkedIn instead.
When I started creating content, Instagram was my platform of choice. But as time went on, I did realize that it was hard for me to be myself on Instagram, and it felt like I had to bring in my a-game every single time I went on that platform.
But once I learned about LinkedIn, and how I could use it for my business, I decided to try it out fell in love with it and I've been on LinkedIn ever since. I got my first client on LinkedIn as a social media manager just within two weeks of starting on that platform, which gave me more reason on why I should stay on that platform.
And the best part is, I was able to grow as a content creator on LinkedIn without trying to be perfect or without needing to be perfect every single time, which is something that I wasn't able to do on Instagram.
So let's talk about three reasons why I do not recommend Instagram if you're starting out as a Freelancer or you're trying to build an audience.
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#1: Instagram is a very visual platform.
Because Instagram is very visual, you can easily get caught up on what other people are doing right. You have to think about your aesthetics, the way you look, your graphics, your pictures and all that. So it's very easy for you to get caught up in trying to be perfect on Instagram.
A lot of people might say "well all you need to do is put out valuable content".
That is true, however, in addition to you putting out valuable content you have to make sure that your pictures, your graphics, or even your videos, are very very visually appealing because of the way the platform was created.
Truth is, this takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of time, which as a beginner, you might not really be prepared for. It might become so overwhelming, which could lead to burnout. So because of that I do not recommend Instagram as a platform you should start with when you are trying to take your business off the ground as a freelancer.
#2: It is way harder to be yourself on Instagram.
Again because Instagram is very visual, you always want to be perfect, which takes a lot of time (even if you're a Kim Kardashian). You tend to put too much thought into your presentation, and as a result, you're more inclined to compare yourself with others. So you realize there's a lot of performance on Instagram, which is rarely the reality in most cases.
#3: It's generally harder to grow on Instagram.
If you've been on Instagram lately, you'll realize how annoyingly hard it is to grow on that platform. The reach for your content is dropping every single day as Instagram is still trying to figure out what kind of platform it is.
Unless you're doing dancing videos which is what's very popular at the moment, it's really hard for you to grow on Instagram from scratch if you are just starting out, and you're not a great graphic designer, or great at dancing and doing transitions that only an alien can actually do.
( I sound salty, I know😂)
But all of this is to say, as a beginner, trying to fit into all of that is not sustainable, and makes everything so overwhelming for you. And once it starts getting overwhelming, you're at the point where you're almost ready to give up even before you start seeing any results or any fruits from your hard work. So again, Instagram puts that pressure on you to be perfect, which is definitely not recommended.
#1: It's way easier to be yourself on LinkedIn.
People have the misconception that LinkedIn is this platform where you have to be all corporate, all suit and tie, and you shouldn't share personal stories or share normal pictures of yourself on LinkedIn.
That is so so wrong.
On the contrary, the more personable, and the more authentic you are on LinkedIn, the more relatable you are, the more reach you get, and the more authentic and genuine relationships your create.
In my experience, I was more comfortable with putting out content on LinkedIn regardless of how it looked, how I sounded, or the mistakes that I made with my writing or my videos. I wasn't thinking about being perfect, I wasn't trying to perform, I was just trying to put out content to get feedback at that stage in my journey, and that is what you want once you're starting out as a freelancer. You want a lot of feedback, from your audience and from the algorithm.
So with LinkedIn, you can be yourself, let go of perfectionism and comfortably make mistakes without thinking of how you'll look. You just need to show up and put out content and experiment with different content topics, and ideas, and different methods on putting out content on LinkedIn.
#2: You can succeed on LinkedIn by not even putting out one picture of yourself.
So if you're a great content writer or copywriter, LinkedIn is definitely the best platform for you. You can capitalize on that skill of yours and use that to really boost your growth on LinkedIn. There's no need to use pictures if you don't want to.
And even if you do not consider yourself a good writer at the moment, all you need to do is start, stay consistent, keep experimenting, keep learning, and I guarantee you, within a couple of months, you will be converting clients with your words.
Just by writing captions on LinkedIn, you have the ability to grow your audience, grow your authority and generate qualified leads.
No pictures needed. That's dope, right?
#3: It is way easier to create authentic connections on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is the best platform for lead generation, (don't believe me check on Google).
So there's a lot of networking happening on LinkedIn because it is a business platform, and in business, you need to network.
From my experience, networking on LinkedIn is way more authentic than any other platform. Yes, there'll always be people who are going to spam you, there'll always be people who are going to send you sales pitches, like on every other platform, but with LinkedIn if you focus on building relationships, you can really get authentic business and personal relationships from that platform.
Once you're starting out, you want to learn how to communicate with people, how to connect with people, and how to create relationships, and LinkedIn is really that platform for you. There's less performance, there's more people just being themselves, and with people being themselves, it's easier for you to create more authentic relationships.
So those are my reasons on why you definitely do not want to start off on Instagram, rather, you want to focus all of that attention on LinkedIn as a new freelancer.
And if you're still new to LinkedIn, or you're still confused about the platform, click the link below and download my free guide - LinkedIn's best practices, so you have the step-by-step process on what you need to do on LinkedIn as a beginner, in order to get more reach, more visibility and start generating leads on that platform.
Go from 0 leads to fully booked on LinkedIn
Let's continue the conversation below
What are your thoughts?
Do you agree or disagree with my argument about Instagram?
Laura
Thanks for being here.
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