How to Talk with Your Audience Without the Oversharing Hangover

The vulnerable share on social media . . . have you been seeing this trend now too? More and more people are sharing their personal stories on Facebook, Instagram everywhere in an attempt to connect in a more meaningful way with their friends and their potential followers. More than ever YOU have the power to shape your own narrative with social media and this is as exciting as it is daunting, because there is an art to sharing vulnerably about your story in a way that leaves you feeling good and more connected with your fans and followers instead of feeling weird about it or unsure if you really should have shared that much. Sharing your story is a good thing. You are building a relationship with your audience. But there is a way to do it and feel heroic instead of embarrassed and I cover this in my latest episode 9 of the Performers & Creators Lab podcast when I talk about "The Art of the Vulnerable Share." Here are some quick pointers: What Is It: The Vulnerable Share. These are the posts that you sometimes see prefaced by something like, [Vulnerable Share]. This is when you share one personal impactful event in your life, something that’s changed you, that you’ve learned from, or that’s inspired you - an experience that’s inspired your work or made you who you are today. How Is This Different than a Bio: It’s completely different and the two should never be confused. Your bio is carefully selected specific facts that paint the picture of who you are, what you’ve done, and why people should care about your work. Your vulnerable share is going much deeper than that. It’s the telling of "one profoundly impactful experience" along your journey. If You Compared these Things to a Relationship: Through things like your bio and your vulnerable shares, you are building a relationship with your audience. If the bio is like a handshake, then the vulnerable share is like three dates in when you let it slip that you like them, share a story from your past, and then hope they still like you afterwards only to find out this has made them like you more. Why Do It: Sharing your story, or sharing the things you’ve experienced in life in a vulnerable way, makes your work relatable and gives people a way into what you create because they have the context behind it. Remember: It’s your story it’s your choice. You get to choose what to share and what to keep private.

P.S. Because I know that the Vulnerable Share can feel like a daunting thing to do well, I've created an added lecture on it in the Build Your 'You Are 'Da Bomb!' Bio Minicourse. And this minicourse is FREE when you use the instructions that I mention in Episode 8 and 9 of the Performers & Creators Lab Podcast. So have a listen, get the course, jump to the section called The Art of the Vulnerable Share, and start feeling more confident that the stories you share will be impactful and draw your audience closer instead of leaving you with an "oversharing" hangover;) lol