How To Win Friends And Influence People In The Digital Age

The 12 Commandments Everyone Should Follow To Build Relationships Online

Much has been written about the art and science of creating content in the fields of journalism and content marketing.

Little has been written about ‘content relationship building’, creating content specifically designed to build authentic network.

The following 12 principles can be used to win friends and influence people online:

Principle 1: Pick A Platform That Reflects Your Strengths. 
Each form of expression (audio vs. video vs. text vs. photos) requires time to find your voice on and understand the intricacies of. Some platforms are better suited to who you are than others.
Start with one platform, master it, and then move on to others.

Principle 2: Share Your Inside Story. 

Be just as transparent with your inside story (challenges and leanings) as you are with your outside story (results and successes). Paradoxically, the things we’re most afraid to share are often what connect us the most with others.

 Principle 3: Identify Your Biggest Counterintuitive Insights About The World. 

Deepen your most valuable insights about the world so they are clear, convincing and useful to others rather than generic (ie – work hard, follow your passion).
As doers, we consciously learn things until they become automatic. Then, we forget about them. This is more efficient.
However, if you want to share your unique insights in a way that is valuable for other people, you need to deconstruct your lessons learned.

 Principle 4: Know The Truths You’d Be Willing To Die For (Or At Least Sacrifice For). 

Online there is a temptation and an ability to create a version of ourselves that we think others want to see, but that does not reflect who we truly are.
This may work in the short-run, but it ultimately leads to you feeling like a fraud and being perceived as less trustworthy by others. Identify the values that are most important to you and that you actually consistently follow through on.

Principle 5: Prepare To Present, Not Have Conversations. 

Communicating online is more like a speech than a conversation. Take the time to modify how you express yourself so it reflects your most authentic self. This extra time can actually help you be more authentic, rather than less.

Principle 6: Learn How To Tell Your Story Through The Content You Create. 

Learn the grammar of storytelling. We are hardwired to pay attention to and understand stories. There are underlying, learnable patterns to great stories such as having a relatable main character and aplot with a conflict, turning point, and resolution.

 Principle 7: Cultivate Digital Self-Awareness. 

Take the time to understand how your content is interpreted by others. The feedback mechanisms (comments/likes/shares vs. tonality/body language/facial expression) are completely different online than they are offline. The challenge of the Internet is that most of the audience is invisible and gives no feedback. If you don’t proactively counteract this lack of data, you could delude yourself into a reality that does not exist.

Principle 8: Respond To All Commenters

In The Beginning. Only a small percentage of your audience actually interacts with your posts. Examine the pros and cons of different approaches and commit to one. It is often more important, easier, and more rewarding to be very active when you’re just getting started. As you get larger, there are more comments than you have time to respond to. Furthermore, there are trolls who posts negative comments no matter what you do.

Principle 9: Focus On Your Headline. 
The most read words of your writing will be your headline. The second most read will be the very first sentence. Invest your time accordingly. There is a learnable science of virality.

Principle 10: Find Your Voice That Is Uniquely You.
Practice finding a match between your authentic voice and resonating with an audience.

Principle 11: Communicate Like You’re Talking To A Friend (Or At Least A Human). Drop roles and labels (ie – customer, acquaintance), and treat people with as much thoughtfulness, kindness and integrity as you would a friend.

 Principle 12: Create Content That You’d Want Yourself.

Think of creating content as connecting personally and deeply with kindred spirits, not broadcasting for the masses. If you treat people like a mass audience, they’ll respond in-kind.

 The Meek Shall Inherit The Internet The skillsets required for having a great conversation are different than those required for creating seminal content. Therefore, there will be new winners and losers in the online world. Quiet people might be overlooked in-person, but shine online. In the offline world, things like our height make a surprisingly big impact on our success. Online, our he

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WOMEN’S HEALTH