Want a following? Complete your profile!

I struggle to believe that I need to write a post about this. To me, it's 100% intuitive and would seem to be a logical progression of setting up social media accounts. Yet, the number of "followers" that I'm getting through various social media sites who are…

Well, I don't know what they are because they haven't completed their profiles.

In today's post, I want to discuss the things that I look at when trying to decide if I'll "follow back" (or "accept the connection") with anyone on social media… and it all starts with the profile.

The New Follower or Connection Request

I don't subscribe to the idea of "always follow back". I'm trying to build a community and support network. This means that I need to be somewhat picky about who I follow (or who I connect with on sites like LinkedIn or Facebook).

I will always start by looking at a person's profile, looking at their bios, their links, and what they post. If at any point I get either an icky feeling or start to question the legitimacy of the connection, then it's a "no follow" from me.

But trust me when I say that I don't spend a lot of time in making that decision. If I was to time myself, we're probably talking in the order of 30 seconds. And it goes something like this:

1. Person has a profile image? Check.
2. Person has filled in their name? Check.
3. Person has filled in their bio? Check.
4. Anything in that bio that gives me the icks? Nope. Good. Check.
5. What sort of things are they posting? Any icky feelings there? Nope. Good. Check.
6. Am I actually interested in this kind of content? (And I follow more than authors and publishing industry professionals. There are some very talented musicians and photographers who catch my attention. There's the odd dancer (including pole dancers) in the mix too.)
7. Everything above gets the check? Cool. Click that follow… and if I have time, get nosy with their links.

Seriously, it's that fast. Quick skim. Nothing detailed—until I decide to follow down the rabbit hole. Yet, approximately 70% of people who follow me get "rejected" before I get to point 6.

It's all simple stuff, yet so many people don't do it.

Profile Images

There's a saying that fits so well for the profiles of old: Don't be an egg.

Yes, this means "Don't be an asshole," but it also refers to the old default profile images on Twitter back in the day. New profiles were eggs!

Default profile images on most sites today are an icon image of a genderless person. But the concept still applies. When setting up your new accounts, change that profile image to something other than the default. And no, it doesn't need to be a photo of your beautiful face. It can be a logo or some other image that resonates with you, showing me a little about who you are.

In all bluntness, if you can't be bothered updating your profile image, then why should I be bothered even looking at your account? I get that you might be waiting to have professional profile photos done, but use something else while you're waiting. Just don't be an egg!

Handles and Names

Every single account that I'm aware of gives you the ability to have a name listed that is different from your handle (the handle being the unique login name associated with your account). Ideally, your chosen handle will be consistent across all social media sites. But even if you are forced to have different handles on different sites, your name doesn't change. So put your name exactly how you would like to be identified.

And more importantly, actually use that name field!

You would be surprised at the number of people I encounter who don't bother putting in their names. And guess what: I can't be bothered looking at their stuff either.

But that name can tell me quite a bit about you.

• Are you the kind of person who likes using emoticons everywhere?
• Are you someone who wants a bit of anonymity, choosing not to use your name but rather some quirky nickname?
• Are you someone who tries to keep things simple by using a single name only?

Some writers and other industry professionals use their names to give additional information about what is happening in their little corner of the industry:

• ... is working on a deadline
• ... — new release coming xDate
• ... (closed to queries)

Personally, I don't do this because it can mess with your SEO and discoverability. Instead, I build that information into my bios.

Micro-Bios

Social media sites allow you to have a micro-bio listed: a short string of information about who you are. Yet, too many people leave the bios blank. And those blank bios are an instant turnoff for me.

It doesn't have to be much. In fact, if you wanted, you could write: Still trying to work out who I am. As long as there is something there, I'll be willing to take a closer look.

But it is also at this point where I might start getting an icky feeling.

For me, the biggest turnoffs are highly religious or highly political. Don't get me wrong, I have zero objection to religious or political content, but if that is all you're about…

I think you can see where this is going.

I like connecting with others who are more than just religion or politics. So, showcase that in your bios (and in your posts).

And for those who are trying to build their GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), i.e., the stuff that will come up in an AI search, it's the information in your bios that gets pulled into the results that comes up. Hence, you should include information about recent releases whenever possible.

(If you would like to learn more about writing bios of various lengths, visit my blog post Bios: One Size Won't Fit Me.)

Other Profile Demographic Information

Some sites give you the ability to list pronouns. Others will allow you to list your location in the world. And others (like LinkedIn) will allow you to list professional information.

Yes, I look at all of this. It's about trying to determine if it's worth pursuing a networking connection.

For a moment, let's consider LinkedIn. If you list your profession as SEO consultant, web designer, marketing expert, or something similar, I'm likely to not bother with your profile.

Too many of these profiles are only wanting to connect with me for one reason: to get money out of me. Some of them are scams. Some of them are legitimate businesses. But in almost every case where I've encountered someone from one of these professions, within seconds of accepting the connection, I would get a DM trying to sell me services.

And if you want to understand how I feel about that particular form of marketing, go read this blog here. And I should point out that the DM marketing scams are not restricted to LinkedIn. I get them on all social media channels… including Discord. Go figure.

That said, editors, writers, graphic designers, and publishers on LinkedIn will normally get past the profile checks… depending on their location.

I know this sounds horrible, but seeing Nigeria always makes me nervous, simply because too many scams originate in Nigeria. So, industry professionals from Nigeria get the "no follow" from me. However, writers from Nigeria will get a deeper look.

Posts and Content

For anyone who I'm looking at following, I'll take a quick skim of their posts. And this leads to some interesting discoveries.

From the posts alone, I get a sense of what a person values and where their focus is. And again, if the profile is highly religious or highly political, then it's a "no follow" from me. I get enough posts about US politics coming through on my feeds—and I don't live in the US! I don't need a newly followed account to be adding to that noise.

But from a cursory scan, I will know if you are posting content that is of interest to me—and my interests go beyond books.

If I can't see any of your posts, there are two possible reasons:

1. It's a new account with nothing posted as of yet.
2. It's a private account, and only followers can see the content.

I can normally get this information from the system itself. There will be a message plastered across the profile that says it's private. Or the number of posts on the posts counter for the profile will be 0.

And if it's a private account… Well, don't expect me to follow. For all I know, your private account could be filled with dick pics. And I'm not going to "follow" a person I don't know personally just to find out. But of the private accounts that I do follow, that's the difference: I know the person personally—in real life!

For the accounts that have yet to post anything… Why? It doesn't take much to create a quick post that says, "Hi, I'm new here and just figuring out how this platform works. I'll post more as I figure it out." Seriously, it's not that hard.

I get that you might be waiting for the perfect post idea to kick it all off, but who cares if you're waiting for your book to come out so you can share that cover. It doesn't matter if you are waiting for those books to arrive in the post for the perfect promo opportunity. Just start with the simple post and build those connections.

Social media is fleeting, so just get out there.

URL Links

Most sites provide the ability to put URL links in your profiles in one way or another. On some sites, you build it into your bios. For other sites, it's a separate field that you use. But however you do it, send me down those rabbit holes, looking at your content that is offsite.

BTW, the more external linking you get to your pages, and the more click-throughs you get on those links, the higher your SEO rankings.

This is just another piece of the puzzle to help strengthen your online presence.

Final Thoughts

Look, I get it. There are so many things to be thinking about when building an online presence. We don't want to be wasting our time on stuff that adds little value. But leaving your profile incomplete is leaving behind the connection that could make all the difference.

Is there anything else that you look at when trying to decide to follow an account or not? Put your thoughts in the comments below.

Need Some Guidance on Building Online Platforms?

Building an online platform can be overwhelming, particularly when there are so many options to choose from. But help and guidance is at your finger tips.

Through my coaching serices, I provide mentoring to writers who are trying to gain control over their online presence, helping them to build a platform that suits their personalities and that is safe and sustainable.

Also check out my book Hidden Traps of the Internet: Building and Protecting Your Online Platform for some practical advice.