Tag: self love

My biggest challenge in content creation 

Anna Peng1 Comment

Whenever I start a new post, there’s a challenge in deciding what to write about.

My cheat strategy is the following:

  1. Doing so informs me which headline was able to grab attention and/or if readers enjoyed reading the actual post.
  2. I go back into my post history, and look for headlines that performed well.
  1. Once I pick a headline, I’ll rewrite the post so that I now have a clear focus.
  2. Now that I have a new post, I can publish and learn from market feedback (comments and engagement) on how to improve for next time.

P.S. I’m building a content club for people who want to take their brand seriously. Want in? Join the waitlist with 26 others today.

The main reason why you haven’t started your social media page yet

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If nobody has said it, I will.

It’s because there’s fear.

Fear of other people’s opinions about you.

Fear of looking stupid.

Fear of not looking the part.

Fear of not appearing successful within 2-4 months.

And on and on.

My whole thing is letting you know that effective social media pages aren’t supposed to be about you.

It’s supposed to be about your audience.

Try asking these questions before you hit post:

How can I solve this problem that is specific to this audience?

How can I educate this audience about a problem they care about?

How might my community be able to connect with each other?

Don’t put the focus on yourself.

Flip it, and focus on your audience.

Do I regret starting my writing journey?

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I promised myself I’d write every day and post it online.

And I’ve been doing just that for the past 3 years. 

But I’d be lying if I said there weren’t days I wish I didn’t have to.

Because it’s 2AM and I just finished spending an hour on Tiktok (oops).

And I have to get up early for work tomorrow (again, oops).

I know it’s in this moment that I wish I could just sleep.

However, I also know future me will be grateful that I never stopped practicing my passions.

Face Your Blank-Page-Dread 

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Whenever I crack open a new sketchbook, there’s a weird unspoken pressure to make the first page count.

Except that first page doesn’t matter to anyone except myself.

It’s silly, yeah.

But it’s real.

And the only way I get over my blank page dread is by making a few marks on the page.

Not every page has to be a masterpiece.

The biggest problem creatives face is the inability to communicate their ideas

Anna Peng2 Comments

Fortunately, communication is a skill.

That means, if you work on it you can improve over time.

That’s what I did.

3 years ago, I didn’t know how to string together an effective blog post. 

Now that I’ve written more than 1000 pieces, it’s easier. 

The point of the post is this:

The success of your ideas depend on how well you communicate them. 

If you’re a creative who wants to get better at communication, I have something for you.

I’m building a content club for people who want to take their brand seriously. 

Want in? 

Join the waitlist with 14 others today.

One book that has changed my outlook on brand building

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Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. 

A memoir that highlights tenacity.

I grew up as an ultra shy, reserved, quiet, Chinese girl in a conservative household. 

Tenacity wasn’t a word I knew of until 3 years ago.

I picked up Shoe Dog 1 year ago.

Learning about the ups and downs of Nike’s story allowed me to realize something.

If you wanna go far, you gotta put in the work.

And not just the fluffy-fluffy kind of work, but work work. 

When I think about brand building now, it’s not just a nice logo, or a good looking website. 

Though those things are nice to have, brand building is more of hitting the floor and actively trying to finding your people. 

It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible. 

And if you still go for it, that’s tenacity. 

93% of brands and content creators give up social media 14-21 days after they’ve started.

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The main reason being?

There’s not enough engagement.

Nobody is liking your posts. 

It’s hard to keep a new habit with just yourself.

Life gets in the way. 

Time management isn’t your strongest suit. 

I hear you.

Creating content isn’t for everyone. 

But if you’re serious about building your community or brand, content creation is the way. 

Kickstart your way into an engaged community with an audience who cares about your product. 

Master your brand voice. 

Gain the attention of your dream audience.

Control the ins and outs of your creativity.

Grow your business presence. 

How?

I’m hosting a content creation club.

But it won’t just be any kind of club.

Everyone in it wants to be there because they have a brand to build. 

There will be no live meet ups. 

Only a common deadline (12AM, your time zone).

Everything online and remote.

Be there (or don’t be there it’s really up to you).

This idea will only work when there is a focused, tight knit group of people.

Anyone is welcome to join.

And to sweeten the deal?

It will come at no cost to you.

However, if you want this to work out for you, you have to put in the work to succeed.

Want in?

Join the waitlist with other creators here.

See you there 🙂

One moment that permanently altered my brain chemistry was when…

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I was 22.

It was a busy lunch rush.

Our kitchen team was slammed.

I had to go to the back to get 2 bowls of hot and sour soup for a customer.

Midway through my first bowl, it happened.

I got snapped at.

By one of our employees.

He told me to hurry up (because I was in his way).

I understood.

But I was also stressed.

And funny things happen when you’re stressed.

So I immediately made a trip to the washroom.

And I broke down.

Tears all over my face. 

That was the day I understood 2 things.

  1. How you treat others holds significant impact, so treat people well when you can
  2. 2. Employees contribute toward your work culture, so hire accordingly

I thought I was good at writing because I got A’s in English class

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Turns out writing academically and writing to resonate with others are two completely different kinds of writing.

Kind of like apples and oranges.

Or pie and cake.

Or a pond from a river.

Here’s the difference. 

Succeeding in academic writing means your teacher liked your work. 

Succeeding in copywriting means the market resonated with what you said. 

A grade cannot tell you whether or not you’ll be successful at the latter. 

2 Things Creatives Should Know Before Starting Social Media

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When you’re a freelancer, it can be tough to know where to start when it comes to marketing. You don’t have a team of people who can take care of the details for you, so you need to make sure that you’re doing everything right.

Here’s 2 things every creative freelancer should know about marketing themselves on social media:

1. You don’t need 10,000 followers or 1,000,000 likes to win for your business

 I get it. Hundreds of likes and followers are nice for clout. However, all you need is 1 sale to get the ball for your business rolling.

2. Always be 51% giving

This goes for any successful business or brand on social media. Giving your best knowledge for free, giving away your insights, giving other people valuable comments—it’s all part of growing and maintaining a healthy community on social platforms.

Social media isn’t rocket science, but it is an art.