Shaan Puri on Curating First Impressions

4 installments into Social Proof, and we’ve landed a powerhouse interviewee. Shaan Puri is a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, investor, and creator with platforms that attain thousands and thousands of individuals each day.

From his two newsletters, one private and the opposite known as The Milk Street speaking about crypto, to his viewers of over 300,000 folks on Twitter, to his standard My First Million podcast, Shaan’s artistic output is fascinating. And his platforms are only a facet hustle – he additionally bought his startup, Bebo, to Twitch and now runs a rolling fund investing in different startups.

On this interview, uncover how Shaan has grown and leveraged his private model, in addition to an fascinating train in private branding that everybody ought to attempt.

Q: Thanks for taking the time to fulfill with me for Social Proof Shaan! We’re beginning with a two-for-one query: What do you consider private branding, and would you name what you’ve a private model?

The way in which I give it some thought is: I’m simply attempting to place myself on the market. It’s like once you’re in a automobile and have the music so loud that different folks can hear it from their automobiles. No matter I’m, I need it to be loud sufficient that if any individual hears it and so they like that track, they will begin nodding alongside.

My aim is that by placing my ideas, concepts, and persona on the market, I’ll appeal to like-minded individuals who get pleasure from these ideas and have comparable ones to share. It’s simply my approach of attracting like-minded folks to me.

Q: And when did you begin this means of attracting like-minded folks?

I began once I was first interviewing for a job. I requested myself, “what am I attempting to do on this interview?”

In the end, I needed to stroll in and go away an impression on whoever I used to be assembly. And that is a model, proper? That is what a model does – Nike and McDonald’s need you to know one thing about them. They need it to be memorable, and so they need it to be favorable. So I believed that, as an alternative of getting ready solutions to their questions, I ought to contemplate what I needed them to know and keep in mind about me.

I used to be interviewing with two firms that day – Stripe and an concept lab known as Monkey Inferno. And I made a decision that after they mentioned me, they’d all say, “He’s actually ‘clean’, ‘clean’ and ‘clean’.” I believed fastidiously about what phrases ought to go in these blanks, which is how I labored backward from determining my model.

Q: I like that you just talked about the phrases as a result of that ties in properly to my subsequent query: what three phrases would you employ to explain your private model?

Going again to my interview prep story, I keep in mind writing: I need them to know that I am

• Daring aka I take motion
• Enjoyable/Humorous, i.e., somebody they might need across the workplace
• Intelligent in order that I won’t be the neatest individual within the room, however I might all the time consider artistic methods to win.

Naturally, loads has modified since I first did this train, and my most popular final phrase is: Profitable as a result of I discover that individuals need to do enterprise with people who find themselves already profitable.

And I used what I name a “pillar branding train,” the place I draw out pillars – much like these on the entrance of the White Home. That is meant to assist visualize the pillars that maintain up my model. On the prime of every pillar, I wrote daring, humorous, and intelligent.

Placing it into motion was a bit completely different. I couldn’t simply come out and inform [the interviewers] I am daring as a result of no one would imagine that. What I wanted to do was inform them tales about issues that I’ve achieved that will make them have just one conclusion about me: he’s fairly daring, or he takes motion. To facilitate that, I began pulling tales from issues I’ve achieved that will help that pillar. And I’d fill [the pillar] out.

And for a few of the pillars, I had extra tales than others, which helped me notice that though I needed to be perceived a sure approach, I hadn’t taken sufficient motion in that course. So this train was additionally a be aware to attempt extra issues I needed to be a part of my model. It turned greater than only a branding train – extra of a roadmap for a way I needed to strategy life.

There’s additionally one final piece of the puzzle that you would be able to additionally add as a pillar which is what you aren’t. I need folks to say, “He’s not clean.” I’d say the phrases to refill the area listed below are: faux and robotic. I don’t need to come off as both when interacting with somebody.

Q: You do many issues – podcasts, newsletters, posting frequently on Twitter, launching a course. Which of those has been your favourite medium of expression? Which one do you assume is the simplest to your model? And the way do you stability doing all this stuff on the identical time?

I feel all of them go collectively. You requested a query about time, and plenty of stuff you talked about are what I do in my spare time – work is occupied by the 2 companies I run. Because of this I don’t purchase the excuse of time – plenty of these actions are ardour tasks, issues I get pleasure from doing. They don’t really feel like work to me.

By way of worth, I feel probably the most helpful content material medium for me has been the podcast, however all of them go collectively. It’s like a funnel – on the prime is the place folks uncover you, and that discovery tends to be via Twitter for me. I grew my Twitter within the final 12 months from perhaps 20,000 followers to 300,000 followers. And I did that as a result of I needed folks to have a simple, light-weight touchpoint.

And there could be individuals who needed to go a bit additional down the funnel, which leads them to my publication. So past the shorter-form Twitter content material, I may be in my viewers’s inbox and share extra in-depth ideas.

Anybody that needed to go additional can then be led to the underside of the funnel via my podcast, the place you hear my voice, tone, and inflection. It’s the closest I get to my viewers and the place I can construct probably the most belief. If I’m in your ears 50 hours a 12 months, that’s greater than you discuss to most individuals. So it helps construct a really helpful relationship with folks.

Q: What three techniques would you advocate folks attempt when determining which automobiles they will use to construct their manufacturers?

I’d say do not do it if you happen to’re simply attempting to construct a model. As a result of you then’ve simply created work for your self. And actually, if you are going to work that onerous on it, you would possibly as nicely construct a enterprise or work at a job. The way in which I take a look at it’s I need the tasks I do to be what I already get pleasure from.

I counsel you discover what sort of content material you prefer to create, whether or not interviewing folks or curating stuff to your feed. No matter it’s, simply do what’s enjoyable and pure for you. And the byproduct will likely be your model getting constructed. You are able to do some issues alongside the best way to go a bit sooner or be extra intentional about it, however the extra necessary half is discovering what you get pleasure from.

And even when no model acquired constructed out of it, it might nonetheless be price it. For instance, my podcast is efficacious as a result of it will get about 20 million downloads a 12 months. However once I began, I did not plan for folks to hear – I believed that was impossible. I used to be extra desirous about having interviews and conversations with fascinating folks. Certain, some folks would possibly hearken to it, however that wasn’t my purpose for doing it. And that is why I caught with it.

Most individuals have some exterior aim like fame or cash for beginning artistic tasks. And after they don’t instantly see outcomes, they get discouraged and quit. The individuals who win are the individuals who do it as a result of it is enjoyable for them. The act of doing it’s the reward – they do not want the opposite stuff, and subsequently the opposite stuff comes as a result of they maintain going.

And yet one more be aware: folks can inform if you happen to’re having enjoyable along with your content material since you’re nerding out about this subject that you just love. That can be what makes content material pop.

Q: You tweeted lately that every thing you’ve achieved, irrespective of how random, has labored out and contributed to your success. Which of your tasks was the turning level for you? When did you notice, “Yeah that is working?”

I’ve a philosophy: the people who find themselves my prospects are those who love what I do. If I like what I do, then the best folks will discover it as a result of it’s going to resonate with them the identical approach it is resonating with me. So the primary signal of success is simply liking your personal work. Most individuals fail at that, both as a result of they’re approach too harsh on their work, or they’re attempting to please different folks, and so they do not even like what they make. And that is a recipe for failure, for my part.

And second, earlier than the numbers get huge, you will begin to get emails or feedback that may maintain you going. And it is wonderful. You possibly can have 5 feedback on a YouTube video that maintain you motivated for a 12 months since you’re assured that any individual someplace actually likes this factor. I do know, I am not loopy, this factor does work.

Q: Fascinating. You talked about in an interview with Sacra that you just had been in a position to increase funds from the individuals who had engaged along with your content material and constructed a relationship with you. What has been the largest reward from publishing content material for you?

Some background right here is that we now have a rolling fund that lets different folks make investments alongside me within the startups I put money into. I’ve an excellent community and expertise with angel investing, so different individuals who reside outdoors the US, or don’t have the community or time, can select to take a position on this rolling fund. However the creation and progress of the fund wasn’t one thing I’d have predicted stepping into – it was a byproduct of doing the work.

The podcast and my Twitter account had began getting standard. Then I tweeted, “Hey, I will increase a rolling fund, and I need to increase one million {dollars} from folks on Twitter, and I will take no conferences,” doing it as a problem to myself. And we hit that aim in like two days. After which it simply stored going.

Now, the fund invests between eight to 10 million a 12 months throughout the startups we work with. To this present day, I feel I’ve taken perhaps one assembly with somebody to elucidate what we do – the entire thing has been pushed largely by individuals who already listened to me and trusted me.

These will not be folks I’ve met in actual life, however they have been listening to the podcasts and following me on Twitter for some time. And so they felt sufficient conviction to have the ability to put money into the fund.

Seeing that conviction come via, particularly as a result of folks had been giving me their cash, was the sign that constructing a private model and persistently placing out content material actually builds belief.

Q: It’s wonderful that you would get to that time with two constant content material codecs – and your years of expertise, in fact. I’ve a hen or egg query for you. Did publicizing your tasks result in you publishing on social media? Or did you get the concepts to your tasks after publishing persistently on social media?

I began making content material as a result of I believed it might be enjoyable and I’d be good at it. And I had extra time as a result of I had bought my firm – that is once I began.

Q: And which of your efforts, whether or not or not it’s the podcast or Twitter has led to the chance you contemplate probably the most helpful?

I wrote a thread about Clubhouse when it was actually standard. Everyone thought it was the following huge factor and I type of learn a thread saying, “Hey, I do not assume so. And this is how I feel it is gonna play out.”

And it went viral – 10 million plus folks learn that thread – which led to a bunch of actually fascinating folks emailing or DMing me saying, “Wow, that is nice, we love the best way you assume, we would like to get to know you.”

The same tweet and end result was one I did on the metaverse, basically saying, “Individuals take into consideration the metaverse a technique, this is how I give it some thought otherwise.”

That additionally reached many individuals, and Mark Zuckerberg referenced it and talked about that it influenced the best way he thinks concerning the metaverse.

Q: What would you inform your previous self about constructing your private model if you happen to had been ranging from scratch?

I’d say, “Hey, what you are hoping will occur will occur.”

But when I used to be going to do it otherwise, I would simply area of interest down a bit extra.

At present, I am fairly broad – I’ve The Milk Street, which talks about crypto, and I’ve Twitter, the place I discuss no matter. Then there’s my private publication, curating tweets, and the My First Million podcast, which is extra about enterprise breakdowns and concepts. So fairly unfold out.

But when I actually targeted on a type of areas, I feel I might develop into perhaps probably the most well-known individual in that department in that area of interest, however I did not try this. So I feel that will be the one enchancment that I’d counsel to myself.

Q: What are some downsides you’ve got skilled in your journey as a creator?

To be trustworthy, not many. The content material is a little bit of a treadmill – it’s a must to maintain doing it. It is not like software program the place you make it as soon as, and other people simply use it each day. I feel that is in all probability the largest draw back – you’ll be able to’t automate creativity. One other factor is the extra standard you get, the extra folks will say imply issues to you on-line. So you’ve to have the ability to not fear about that an excessive amount of.

Takeaways

What I like most about this interview is how actionable it’s. Shaan’s ardour for the tasks he takes on has led him to some wonderful alternatives – listed below are a few of the greatest takeaways from our chat:

• Take management of your narrative: With out prompting, Shaan talked about the three-word train that has develop into commonplace in Social Proof interviews, framing it as “pillar branding.” Utilizing the pillar-branding train is a artistic solution to visualize what you need different folks to get out of their interactions along with your on-line persona. Tell us on Twitter if you happen to’d like a templatized model of the pillar branding template.
• Do issues that match up with the way you need to be perceived: When describing the pillar branding train, Shaan additionally talked about that he thought a sure approach about himself however didn’t have sufficient tales or “proof” to again that pondering. This reveals that it’s important that you just not solely take into consideration the way you need to be perceived but additionally take actions that correlate with that notion. Need to be seen as educated about social media? Experiment with completely different platforms and techniques along with your accounts.
• Leverage your fame: Crafting and finally benefitting out of your on-line persona is one thing that has come up in earlier interviews, however Shaan’s use of his fame is kind of fascinating. You is probably not elevating thousands and thousands of {dollars} for an funding fund, however the work you’ve put into rising your on-line presence shouldn’t be siloed. Benefit from the connections you make to get the alternatives you want.
• Decide mediums and niches that you just get pleasure from: Whether or not it’s via writing or talking, Shaan has discovered his most popular strategies of getting his ideas on the market. You possibly can’t be in every single place or discuss every thing, however prioritize discovering and settling in your most popular private branding medium first. This may help pave the best way so that you can uncover what you need to be recognized for (your area of interest) and deal with creativity

💡Shaan says it finest: you’ll be able to’t automate creativity. What you can automate is how you set your artistic work on the market – and that’s the place Buffer can help you. Benefit from our stacked Freemium tier to construct a behavior of consistency and assist maximize your creativity.

Get began now.