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No Self-Promotion, No Gains
Stop Waiting for Your Audience — Reach Them Instead
I remember first learning about Medium during my content writing course. I was so intrigued by the platform that I signed up right away, thinking, This could be it — the place to finally share my thoughts. But then… nothing. I got cold feet. Even though I’d had countless learning experiences, moments of growth, and observations worth sharing, one nagging question stopped me: Who would want to read what I have to say? I wasn’t an expert, so why would anyone care? This hesitation kept me quiet for months.
The struggle continued until, during my internship, I realized something critical: to improve, you need feedback. But how do you get feedback when you’re starting out? Who do you show your work to? It’s not like expert writers are hanging out next door, ready to offer advice.
I believe that once you voice a question, the answer often finds its way to you.
One day while watching Youtuber Ali Abdaal talk about his content writing journey he mentioned Show Your Work, a book by Austin Kleon. Though I haven’t read the book myself, hearing Ali’s thoughts on self-promotion was enough to wake me up. The idea of showing your work made me re-think the value of self-promotion.
