So here’s the thing: I need this post just as much as you might. Burnout is a thing I experience on a weekly basis from being a recovering perfectionist. So my purpose here is to be real with you and remind you that everyone has their issues and hangups with self-promoting. We’ll talk more about that soon enough.

I divided this based on the types of people who are interested in self-promoting: those who treat their blog as a business and those who treat it as a hobby. Where do you fit? I hope what I have to say helps you feel confident as you continue, you get the sense that we’re all still figuring this out, and you know you’re not alone!

Serious? Understand the Industry

I think you’ll be able to have confidence in your social media platform if you know what is at least considered successful in your industry. You can create a better plan, set smarter goals, and feel like it’s worth the investment.

Since I’m not “there” yet when it comes to serious self-promoting, I thought it would be more helpful and fun to share some resources that have helped me. If you’re looking for self-promo help from the gurus, then check out these articles and websites:

• A Step-by-Step Plan to Grow Your Email List When You’re Starting From Zero
• Goal Digger Podcast
• 10 Introvert-Friendly Offline Marketing Ideas For Your Blog + Business
• Why You Need to Be Writing Fewer Blog Posts
• How to Get Serious About Social Media
• Social Media Marketing Plan in 7 Steps

I hope these resources help. You can find plenty more on my Pinterest board and elsewhere on Pinterest! The overall point I want to make here is that there are so many resources available to help you succeed. If you want to make money and use social media to find your audience, you can totally pull it off!

Overwhelmed? Check Your Goals

Once you learn about some in-depth tactics for social media, it can feel pretty intense. If you have a full-time job, introverted, a parent, or otherwise busy, it can feel crummy knowing that everyone seems to get the social media thing and you don’t.

Let’s understand something really quick: not everyone is “getting” the social media thing. Professional bloggers treat their blog and brand as a serious business. They have likely also blogged for years or did intense research and business planning before launching their website.

Blogging is not a hobby for them. I do social media work for small businesses as my full-time job. Many companies hire other companies to do their social media. That should be a sign to you that you as a mortal being can’t do all of this and be sane.

If you’re worried about having to spend time on all these things and you’re so overwhelmed that your brain is threatening to shut down, just stop.

I give you full permission to not go insane over social media.

There’s a fear that if you don’t perform like other social media moguls that people will leave you behind. That’s not really true—and if it were, it’s not worth your sanity.

It’s not worth sacrificing your creative time for social media time, unless you actually enjoy social media. Many writers enjoy social media because it connects them with other empathetic writers. We need someone to talk writing with, right?

One way to use social media to your advantage is to be transparent about your writing lifestyle and the ups and downs that come with it. One of our top posts last year was me just spilling my guts about getting over writer’s guilt and imposter syndrome. I swear, anytime that I’m open about my insecurities on social media, y’all rally to support.

If you’ve got struggles, write about them. Tell people about them. Chances are, you’ll get views and comments and followers because a) your target audience is sympathetic b) you seem more real to other insecure writers, and c) sometimes your struggles brings out your best writing or blogging voice.

So what’s the overall point? Evaluate how social media makes you feel and if it works for you.

Is there a specific platform that you hate? Dump that. Focus on the platforms that you understand and enjoy. You literally don’t need to be on everything if you don’t want to.

Do you feel ignored or unpopular? All good things take time. But also look at your goals: are you wanting to sell products or just get likes? We all enjoy ego strokes, but it’s better to have hundreds of legit interested followers than thousands that don’t care about you.

I hope that was helpful! If anything, it’s a good reminder for myself.

Is blogging your hobby or your job? Depending on your answer, you should treat your social media presence accordingly. How do you establish your blogging goals to make it fulfilling and not stressful?