Rewind to about a month ago when I had come across a blog post by Ijeoma Kola on The Emotional Toll of Social Media Authenticity. In the post, Ijeoma set the stage by distinguishing between two types of social media sharers. She basically says you can either be the surface level sharer or the innermost intimate thought sharer. Most blogging coaches will agree that in order to pull an audience in, you have to share a story. But I know that I really struggle to get to be that intimate level sharer because it’s hard for me to open up to people. I know for certain I didn’t want to be the blogger or influencer exclusively posting song lyrics and emojis—although it most certainly wouldn’t be out of character for me and there is nothing wrong with that. Lately, with a couple of changes, I’ve been more  comfortable with opening up and getting more personal on social media and I’m reflecting on my journey by sharing 6 ways to become a better social media storyteller.

Assume positive interest.

It’s easy to withhold sharing your story out of the belief that others are judging you. The reality is, they are. But that doesn’t mean the judgement is negative. Try to focus on the positive judgements people could potentially give your story. I find a perfect example in my (almost daily) check in boomerangs on my story. I almost stopped sharing them because I figured people had gotten to know that I go to the gym, and at some point it could be viewed as obnoxious. That’s the negative viewpoint I could attach to the posts. On a positive end, I could focus on the potential for the posts to motivate someone in that they demonstrate consistency. It all depends on how you look at it. Focus on the positive because it’ll eliminate fear you may have of sharing your story.

It’s easy to withhold sharing your story out of the belief that others are judging you.

Don’t force it.

The photo doesn’t always have to match caption perfectly. Tell your story regardless of whether it matches the photo. Sometimes the photo is just a means to grab peoples attention or pull people in so that they are enticed enough to pause and read the caption. You don’t need a photo of your job or college rejection letter to tell your followers a story about how you handled disappointment or rejection. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean you don’t need quality images. If anything, photo quality matters more because you have to make up for the apparent disconnection. And of course there are limits. When posting a photo of a tree, for example, you shouldn’t be talking about your favorite shoes for the season. Once I let go of the idea that my captions had to match my photos perfectly I focused more on sharing more personal thoughts.

Switch it up.

Test the waters with multiple styles of captions. Then, see what works well for you and what resonates with your audience. You want to hit that sweet spot where both balance evenly. You don’t want to be too predictable. If every Monday you’re posting the same happy Monday style caption, this isn’t necessarily pulling viewers/followers in to a new story. That doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your start of the week post tradition altogether. Perhaps you approach from different angles each time, like sharing why this Monday was so great or so tough for you, tips to get through Monday’s at work/school, what you do on Sunday to prepare for Monday’s. The list goes ON and on.

Test the waters with multiple styles of captions.

Set boundaries.

What are you willing to share and what is totally off limits? For me I’m willing to share about beauty routines, my dating life, friendships, law school etc. Things like my financial situation, I’ve decided, are off limits. But even within those things I’m willing to share, I may set boundaries. For example, I may share about my dating life and experiences, but never give detail about specific people I’m dating, or I may share tips about law school admissions, but be less comfortable sharing my specific test scores. Once you’re clear on boundaries it becomes easier to navigate what stories you want to tell.

Just post it.

Stop overthinking it. It’s making you sound robotic. Don’t give yourself too much time to over analyze. I recently shared a post on Instagram that resonated with a lot of my followers. To be honest, I had thought of the message of the caption one morning when I woke up. Instead of vetting it for days like I normally do, I just decided to post it as is. I had no idea that it would garner the feedback or attention it did. In the moment I really didn’t think it was that special. I honestly was just telling it like it was in my eyes. But that’s the point: when you stop giving yourself time to overthink or over analyze, you give yourself more an opportunity to show the real you.

Are you ready for my secret weapon?

Get some outside help.

From a journal that is. I found it easier to share my story when I was responding to prompts about my life. Are you ready for my secret weapon? It’s the “The Story of my Life” journal that I picked up from Barnes and Noble about a year ago. It asks a number of questions about your life from childhood to adulthood, including parts you may not have experience yet. Answering prompts allow me to reflect and, quite literally, share my story. I then pick certain answers to use either as captions or for full on blog posts. At the end of the caption or post I can pose the same prompt question to my audience. It’s perfect because it takes off the weight of coming up with a call to engagement question  on my own and my followers seem to be genuinely interested in sharing their stories as well! Here’s an example of a post that was prompted by a journal prompt.

WHAT’S ONE TIP YOU HAVE FOR BEING A STRONG SOCIAL MEDIA STORYTELLER?

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” Luke 18:1

#EniGivenSunday