As an introverted entrepreneur or creator, sharing your work publicly can be daunting. Many of us prefer to focus on building our projects, often neglecting the importance of sharing our journey with potential clients or customers. However, publicly sharing your process has several benefits—it helps build trust, gain valuable feedback, and unlock opportunities. Here’s how you can share your work effectively, even if you’re an introvert, with actionable steps that will move your business forward.
1. Reframe Your Audience
Think of your audience not as a group of strangers but as like-minded individuals who care about the same things as you do. This mental shift can ease the anxiety of sharing. Whether you’re building trust with your audience or connecting with others in your niche, focusing on meaningful connections will make a big difference. Arvid Kahl in “How to Build in Public Without Revealing Too Much” highlights that you can still engage with your audience without giving away trade secrets. Share your experiences and strategies, but keep key aspects—like your unique processes—private.
2. Start Small and Build Up
If you’re uncomfortable with frequent sharing, start small. Aim for a few social media posts or blog updates a week and gradually increase the frequency as you grow comfortable. This approach is key for introverted entrepreneurs who want to stay consistent without feeling overwhelmed. Kahl suggests starting with broad strategies, not hyper-detailed tactics that could compromise your competitive advantage. Over time, you’ll learn what works best for you and how much you’re comfortable sharing.
3. Share Behind-the-Scenes Content
People love to see the process, not just the final product. Share your thought process, challenges, and decisions to build credibility and engagement. Behind-the-scenes content is a great way to foster connection. It’s not just about showing success—share your mistakes and failures too. As Kahl points out, presenting your setbacks as lessons learned helps build authenticity with your audience. Mistakes humanize you and make your journey relatable.
4. Engage with Your Audience
Don’t just post—respond to comments and tweets, engage in conversations within your niche. This interaction is crucial for audience engagement and helps establish your presence in the community. Building relationships online isn’t just about selling; it’s about creating a sense of community. Arvid Kahl emphasizes how sharing networking strategies or talking about market trends can give value to your audience while preserving your competitive edge.
5. Leverage Social Media Tools
Use scheduling tools like Hypefury or Tweet Hunter to plan your posts in advance. This reduces pressure and keeps you consistent without being “on” all the time. Social media scheduling allows you to maintain a consistent online presence while focusing on your core business tasks. Remember, consistency builds trust and allows you to keep sharing your progress without feeling overwhelmed.
6. Collaborate with Fellow Creators
Don’t hesitate to collaborate with others in your niche. Collaboration with fellow creators or entrepreneurs in similar fields can help you learn from each other and build a strong support system. This also makes sharing less intimidating and more rewarding as you grow together. Kahl notes that learning from others and discussing shared market insights can help build credibility without giving away proprietary information.
7. Set Clear Sharing Goals
Set specific weekly or monthly goals to hold yourself accountable. This could be something like posting twice a week or responding to comments for 30 minutes a day. Goal setting is essential for staying on track and monitoring your progress as you build in public. Kahl also suggests creating a share/don’t share list to categorize what content is safe to share and what should remain private.
8. Use Public Sharing to Gather Feedback
Share small updates regularly. Your audience will offer feedback, which helps you iterate faster. Public sharing not only helps you build credibility but also gives you faster feedback loops to improve your product or service. It’s a win-win situation! Kahl highlights that sharing challenges opens the door for quick, constructive feedback, helping you solve problems faster while also engaging your audience in a meaningful way.
9. Don’t Fear Mistakes
Your early posts might not be perfect, but that’s okay. Most people won’t notice beginner mistakes, and those who do will often provide helpful advice. Sharing your work as a beginner helps you improve, and over time, you’ll naturally get better. Kahl advises that it’s fine to make mistakes, as long as you’re sharing in a thoughtful and intentional way. Your audience will appreciate the vulnerability and realness that comes from sharing your ups and downs.
10. Automate Your Sharing Process
Automate the repetitive parts of sharing using tools that allow you to plan posts ahead of time. This frees up mental space for more important tasks. Workflow automation can take a lot of the pressure off, allowing you to focus on creativity and business growth. Kahl mentions that automating parts of your sharing process allows you to focus on building, reducing the anxiety that often comes with frequent social media activity.
11. Protect Your Trade Secrets
When building in public, be mindful of not oversharing proprietary details like trade secrets, financials, and confidential information. Kahl emphasizes that entrepreneurs should never share their “secret sauce”—whether it’s a unique algorithm or a business-specific process. Protecting your competitive edge is crucial, and there’s no need to reveal every step of your process. Save these for internal documents or later in your business journey when they are less critical.
12. Share Lessons, Not Detailed Financials
While it’s valuable to share general insights and the lessons you’ve learned, Kahl advises against sharing detailed financials. Instead of revealing specific cash flow figures, focus on broader takeaways, such as strategies that helped you achieve profitability or manage growth. Sharing successes while maintaining discretion about sensitive details is a safer way to engage your audience.
Conclusion
As an introverted entrepreneur, stepping out of your comfort zone to share your work and process publicly can be a game-changer for your business. With these actionable steps, you can build credibility, gather valuable feedback, and grow an engaged audience. Start small, engage with like-minded people, and use tools to make the process easier. Don’t be afraid—your audience is waiting for your insights! Remember, you don’t have to share everything. As Kahl suggests, know where to draw the line between valuable insights and trade secrets to protect your competitive edge while still connecting with your audience in a meaningful way.