Hiya! I’m Lucy from Hype Yourself. I’m rebuilding my archive after this happened. Join to receive A weekly email cheerleading the self-employed in work and life. Creative ways to promote your work. Alternative income for experts. Slightly above average living.
Let me tell you something that will instantly elevate you.
Whether I was onboarding a key stakeholder for a global corporate account in my big London PR agency days, setting up new clients for my boutique consultancy or building my profile now as a part-time French student writer, author and speaker based in rural France - there is something every person should have in their back pocket.
This is especially true if you are a writer, a service provider, or an author who wants to build your profile and generate alternative income streams.
It is your media toolkit.
Why?
If you're tired of constantly having to be on social media to outmanoeuvre the algorithm and are seeking alternative ways to promote yourself, this will put you 90% ahead of everyone else.
I always use my media toolkit when trying to grow my newsletter. Everything I mentioned in the note below needs something from my toolkit.
Think of it as the organisational version of dressing for the job you want.
Let’s get into it.
Create a folder
An easy one.
I can’t tell you how often I’ve been on the run and asked for a client or my biography or headshot.
Have a folder with everything I list and thank me later. It could be on Google Drive, AirTable, Notion, OneDrive, or wherever you keep your things. But create one.
☄️Bonus points if your image and bio are downloadable from your website.
One-liner
If I asked for your date of birth and the hospital where you were born, I’m sure you would be able to recall it quickly.
You need to be able to do the same in your introduction so you don’t miss any opportunities.
If you are suddenly asked what you do and try to explain everything, you risk confusing people. Leaving space for people to ask more about our work creates intrigue and leaves us more memorable.
Start with a paragraph if you need and whittle it down.
- Keep it super simple: 10-12 words
- Check you are using it across your social media accounts
- Practise saying it out loud
Business Boilerplate
Different to your biography. Think of it like a business biography.
It should resemble a brief history of your business, containing information that remains relatively stable.
(The term originates from the early 1900s when widely syndicated newspaper stories were sent to local presses with the text already set up and ready to print on steel plates that resembled those used to make steam boilers. It became shorthand for any standard copy.)
Founder Images
You must use my favourite hack if you take nothing else from this article.
☄️ Send a landscape image.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve submitted landscape photos for clients or myself and ended up at the top of the article or grabbing more space on the page, like last months piece on Forbes:
You will need headshots for so much more than social media profiles, think about:
- guest panellist at a conference
- award entry
- guest posts
- podcast promotion to name but a few…
Biography
When was the last time you revised your biography?
Before you scoff at me for needing a bio, please note that my biography in the last week alone has been submitted as part of a podcast interview, requested in advance of a guest lecture at a university, and used to introduce me at a retreat.
- I aim to keep it to 150 words.
- Link to your primary business channel, ideally a website, so that someone discovering you for the first time can learn more about your work.
- Include relevant credentials, such as award wins, business milestones, and key clients.
- I think it’s always nice to finish with a sentence that gives us a pinch of your personality,
P.S. The transfer caused me to lose 30 paid subscribers. Now more than ever, if my work helps you, I could use the support and would love it if you would consider an upgrade.
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Lucy Werner
Over to you
Fancy a one-liner practice below? Can you tell me in 12 words or less who you are and what you do?
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