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I love taking photos, particularly of sunsets, sunrises and my art. And what’s a photo if it isn’t shared? That’s why I love Instagram.

A few years ago I was walking through Rome wishing I knew which art galleries the locals love. Then I remembered I had an Insta friend who lived in Rome.

I took a photo, uploaded it to Insta and tagged him. He added a comment listing his favourite galleries and so I went to a gallery which is now one of my all time favourites – Galleria Borghese.

While it’s virtually impossible to get 42 million Insta followers like Beyonce, I certainly think it’s worth considering when building your platform as an expert.

Here are my top three tips for how you can start using Instagram:

Take great photos

Great photos will get likes and comments, so share images or videos that will interest the people that matter to you.

Be selective about what photos you add as great profiles stick to a niche. Try to add photos that reveal a bit of character and personality.

Learn the hashtag language

The Instagram language is all about hashtags. Users search by hashtags so adding the right ones to your photo can make it much more visible and reach new followers. Research and use the popular hashtags that relate to your expertise.

My tip on how to get followers

I have found that just following people doesn’t necessary mean they will follow you back. I realised that I needed to find engaged people. I went onto the profiles of people similar to me, found the photos that were most liked, and then followed the people that did the liking. That was instantly successful for finding new followers. Engaged people follow you back.

If you love taking photos and haven’t got into Instagram, maybe there is a whole platform and community just waiting for you.

PS  Want to learn more about Instagram? Turn to page 156 in From Unknown To Expert!

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Know someone who would like to learn more about Instagram? Forward this email to them. They’ll love you for it!

Some of the best media opportunities come from reading the news, and staying on top of current affairs.

This was certainly the case this week when I appeared on CNBC Asia Squawk Box to talk about Australian CEOs failing to embrace LinkedIn and Twitter, and why this is a missed opportunity to not only engage with stakeholders but to restore trust in a brand.

 

While you might think media opportunities like CNBC Asia or Sky News aren’t even in the realm of possibility for you, think again! You just need to know how to leverage a story and pitch how your expertise can address the issue.

Let me tell you how I did it, so you can do it too.

Piggy-back the news agenda
Recently, the Australian Financial Review published a story by Tony Boyd titled CEOs fail to embrace LinkedIn, Twitter, which investigated Australian CEOs “understanding of one of the most powerful business-related paradigm shifts in the 21st century” and the reasons behind why they aren’t embracing social media.

I have spent many hours speaking to leaders about social media, writing articles and doing media interviews on this topic.

So I knew I could add to the debate and provide valuable information which would help CEOs and their businesses.

Picking an outlet
No matter how good your story is it is important that you pitch it to the right media. There is no point pitching a story about business standards to Marie Claire magazine – they are never going to run it!

When consider who to contact regarding why CEOs need to embrace social media, I turned to a media outlet which I knew CEOs regularly watched and respected – CNBC Asia.

Previous interviewees on Squawk Box have included ANZ CEO, Mike Smith; Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific Managing Director, Timothy Moe; Morgan Stanley Managing Director, Jonathan Garner; and

EY CEO, Mark Weinberger. This was my audience – this is who I needed to share my story with.

The Pitch
Often I pitch myself, but in this case I was out of the office so my team drafted a tailored pitch to CNBC Asia which clearly demonstrated what I could speak about and why my message was important to be heard.

The key elements of the pitch where:

  • Reference to the AFR article
  • Outlining why I was a credible spokesperson on this topic
  • Why the current opinion of CEOs is wrong
  • A position on the issue
  • An outline of what I could speak about

Here is the pitch:

This week there was an article in AFR about Australia’s leading CEOs failing to embrace LinkedIn and Twitter, which has lead to questions about “their understanding of one of the most powerful business-related paradigm shifts in the 21st century”.

I thought CNBC Squawk Box might be interested in speaking with Catriona Pollard, social media expert and author of From Unknown To Expert, about why this is a missed opportunity for CEOs to not only engage with stakeholders, but to restore trust in a brand.

According to the article the “most common excuse from CEOs for not being on Twitter or becoming an influencer on LinkedIn is they see it as being narcissistic”.

Catriona believes CEOs need to look past this self-doubt and embrace their experience and expertise.

She says, CEOs who share valuable knowledge are the ones who create stronger, more authentic relationships with people both inside and outside the organisation. By building their profile on social media, senior leaders can open the doors to new opportunities, not only for their business but themselves.

According to Catriona, consumers are turning to social media for answers and businesses (and their representatives) need to be where their customers are if they are going to engage with customers and be successful.

In an interview, Catriona can discuss why Australian CEOs joining social media is about adding business value not ego-building, grandstanding.

She can also explain why CEOs need to rethink their perception of social media if they want to stay relevant in today’s market and the future.

We emailed the pitch to a news producer on CNBC Asia, and they replied asking for more information – they needed to be convinced. We sent them more information, and then they agreed and emailed interview times.

Preparing for the interview
Securing the interview was great, however preparing for the interview was the most important thing. In the lead up I drafted a list of potential questions I thought the journalists might ask and constructed possible answers.

With the audience in mind and focusing on my clear objectives, I also wrote a key set of messages to put across in the interview. You will note, throughout the interview, I continually refer back to these key messages in my answers.

Lucky I did, because the interview was not what we pitched. Watch the interview and you’ll see they asked the same question in several different ways, to get me to say what they wanted me to say! I stayed composed and stuck to my key messages. The preparation certainly helped.

I also researched a number of CEO LinkedIn and Twitter profiles and prepared a list of example which I could reference in the interview to demonstrate why LinkedIn and Twitter were essential for CEOs.

If you are keen to check them out, this list included:

I also looked at a number of international profiles, including Richard Branson (Virgin), Meg Whitman (Hewlett-Packard), T. Boone Pickens (BP Capital), Jeff Immelt (GE), and Mark Hurd (Oracle).

Securing the interview on CNBC Asia Squawk Box was a fantastic opportunity, which came about from staying on top of current affairs, embracing my expertise and knowing I had something to say that could help CEOs and Australian businesses.

The media loves experts and thought leaders. You too can secure fabulous media coverage like this – so pitch yourself today.

For more real life examples of pitches that have lead to millions of dollars of media coverage – get your copy of the Unknown To Expert Acceleration Pack.

Fast track your journey from unknown to a recognised expert and thought leader! Buy Catriona’s book From Unknown To Expert: How to use clever PR and social media to become a recognised expert. Accelerate your personal brand with the Unknown To Expert Acceleration Pack, packed with media lists, blogger lists, blog posts and media releases formats which have generated millions of dollars in coverage, more than 73 templates and so much more.

Stepping away from the computer, getting changed out of your house clothes (or your pyjamas!), and having the opportunity to have intelligent conversations with people in a similar situation is hugely powerful.

I find that after a great networking session I often walk away feeling more empowered and validated.

When you meet others that share your enthusiasm it can help restore your own vision and passion. And that can only be good for building your personal brand and business.

How are you going with your networking? Is it still on the ‘to do’ list or are you a confident networker building relationships all over town?

If it’s still on your ‘to do’ list, I’m throwing out a challenge.

Here are 7 things you can start doing today!

  1. Reach out to someone you want to have as a contact  and ask them to catch up for coffee
  2. Find a networking event you want to attend, and go  alone
  3. Find 10 new people who you want to build connections  with and add them on LinkedIn
  4. Spend 1 hour thinking about who you are, what you  stand for, what value you offer and what you want to  achieve by building your personal brand
  5. Based on your objectives, spend 1 hour drafting your  personal brand statement, explaining what you do and  what is unique about you
  6. Get out of your house clothes (or pyjamas!) and attend  a networking event
  7. Reconnect with old contacts who you haven’t spoken with in a while

Don’t forget to get your copy of my FREE Personal Branding Secret Weapon: NETWORKING Resource Guide with bonus list of over 500 Networking Groups.

Your personal branding secret weapon: Networking Resource Guide

Fast track your journey from unknown to a recognised expert and thought leader! Buy Catriona’s book From Unknown To Expert: How to use clever PR and social media to become a recognised expert. Accelerate your personal brand with the Unknown To Expert Acceleration Pack, packed with media lists, blogger lists, blog posts and media releases formats which have generated millions of dollars in coverage, more than 73 templates and so much more. Click Buy the Book button below

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FUTE tip 61

I received an email from a reader of my book, which said:

It must have been difficult to be so honest about yourself, and at times, must have left you feeling emotionally naked. Very brave as it is your honesty that makes your book worthwhile reading.

We live in a world where bravery is often only seen as physical thing, such as jumping off a cliff face or running a marathon.

But it is also about being vulnerable. It’s about being prepared to discuss your weaknesses and failures. Vulnerability is intensely brave and powerful.

Having the courage to be honest and exposed when you tell your stories through the media and social media will make them so much more impactful. They will start resonating with people.

Also I believe we all have stories to tell that will help others in some way. We have experienced situations through our lives that should be shared because others will benefit from it.

When you start telling your stories and sharing your expertise because it is helping the people who are listening or reading it, you will be amazed with the emotional connection that you start building with people and the relationships you start developing – because you’re positively impacting their lives.

As Dr. Brené Brown says, “Vulnerability is our most accurate measure of courage… When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives and our work.”

Telling my story honestly was a brave act for me. Writing From Unknown To Expert put me in an incredibly vulnerable place, open to criticism and failure.

But from my point of view, sitting on the couch just wishing I had the courage to write a book or take that next leap into the spotlight was even more of a failure than trying and not succeeding.

Don’t hide your light. Shine your light. What can you do today that can uncover some of the stories you can tell that highlights your personal brand and who you are?

 

ABOUT CATRIONA POLLARD

Catriona Pollard Speaker and Trainer in Social Media