How do you build excitement without being annoying?

Hi Reader,

A great question. A popular question.

My easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy answer is don't make it about you; make it about the message.

Example:

❌ Come buy this book I wrote!
✅ I wrote a book about X problem to help Y people. If this resonates, I think you'll get a lot of value from it!

❌ I started this online community! Come check it out.
✅ I started a community after noticing X challenge for Y type of group. 90% of our members say it's helped improve Z condition.

See the difference? You're positioning yourself as the messenger for the problem/message, not the subject.

That's the easiest and quickest way to avoid feeling annoying. You'll find that a LOT of marketing is just about framing and positioning.

Think about it like psychology -- what kind of impression does this leave? The trick is to not let your biases get in the way of that judgement.

However, if you want a deeper answer, this is what I would say...

How much would it potentially cost someone to not know this information?

✔️ Time → How much could you potentially earn back?

✔️ Money → How much are you missing out on?

✔️ Relationships → How it this affecting your connections?

✔️ Some or all of the above

These are the three biggest buckets you can typically group things into. If you've got relevant data to back this up, even better, because then at least you're not trying to justify a problem that maybe doesn't exist for some people...

✅ The average conversion rate across all e-commerce sites is under 2% → Here's how to double yours! (Money)

✅ 77% of workers say that AI has actually increased their workload → Here's how to efficiently use it! (Time)

Now this opens up some talk about responsible statistic usage, but that's a different conversation for a different day.

But what if you don't have an audience to share to?

All success stories have humble beginnings. That's what your existing network is for. I know you know 5-10 people that you feel comfortable chatting with.

While you don't have to like or know all of them, it does invite in an opportunity for nurturing (which is probably the most underrated strategy I see).

Start there. Whether you're active on LinkedIn, in your neighborhood, at your kid's school, at your workplace, you know people who know you.

Right? Again, don't have to like or trust them. Knowing is step one.

For those you'd like to know better or whose support you might eventually need, start chatting. Strike up individual conversations with those 5-10 you don't mind -- phone call, Zoom, coffee date, playground talk while the kids are running wild, anything.

The worst thing is to need people when you need them. This proactive connection-building prevents that. Doesn't mean you need to be best friends with every person, but if you give, give, give early on, it makes it easier later to ask, ask, ask.

Could be for promoting a book, podcast, business, anything.

With each person you start building rapport with, ask if there's anyone you'd recommend they talk to about X. (Whatever you're looking to get more info on.) That will help naturally build out your primary and secondary circles.

When in doubt, build relationships and educate.

And the next time you start feeling self-conscious about coming across as "annoying", don't. There's a well-known stat out there that says the average person needs to hear an offer or message at least 7 times before taking action.

Prioritize quality promotion over quantity first. It's better to have 10 people who will all engage with you (100%) than 100 with only 10 who do (10%).

(See what I'm doing here? I'm educating you with stats about a problem that could improve your relationships.)

Hope this is useful for you! Reply back directly with questions you have -- it's the best way to get in touch with me. 😊

Onward,