I wrote a book: Make Your Own Rules! (Patreon)

I'm so excited I can finally share this - my first book Make Your Own Rules is now available for pre-order! 

In it, I've tried to share everything I can about how I approach creativity, social media, and business, and all the stories and strategies that brought me to where I am today. I wanted it to be something that could give a lot to any creative person figuring things out online, and it goes much deeper and broader than my videos.

The book will be available on February 6, 2024, but you can pre-order now with these retailers - and if you're able to, it would really mean a lot to me as publishers use pre-order numbers to gauge things like store distribution and marketing budgets. As a thank you, later this month I'll be announcing some exclusive bonuses for everyone who's pre-ordered - stay tuned!

Here's a Patreon-only early look at one excerpt from Make Your Own Rules:

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SELF-PROMOTION MISHAPS

There are a lot of common missteps artists make regarding self-promotion online (and I speak from experience with all of them).

Doing too little. Too many people who do promotion for themselves don’t do it nearly enough. When marketing my online course, we found that a conversion from a casual follower to a course enrollee tended to take around twelve ad impressions. Promoting music should be easier than that since checking out music is a much smaller commitment than taking a course behind a paywall, but anyone who’s done any promo will tell you how challenging it can be to even get people to click a link.

Not having a strategy. On the flip side, you could do a ton of promotion, but without some planning it’s easy for your efforts to fall short. Just as important as the promotional content itself is the timing and variety of posts. When you’re launching a project, figure out how and when it would be compelling to start building awareness, and how and when you can continue reminding people of the project once it’s out in the world. Think of what kind of posts might work on every platform you use. Consider the variety of angles you can take: direct or mysterious, grand or sincere, moody or fun . . . Each endeavor may need a different approach. Would behind-the-scenes content work better prerelease, after people have already taken in the work, or perhaps not at all? Can you collaborate with others to help spread the word? Should there be hints and drips of intrigue, or will you favor a big, sudden bombardment? It’s exciting to share about an upcoming project, but be mindful about how often you go there—it’s possible to take the wind out of your own sails. (It’s also possible that it’s more exciting for you than for anyone else.) Work out a schedule of what you’ll post when; fans and followers appreciate a release with well-considered timing. No one wants the anticlimax of waiting around forever or wondering whether a project got scrapped. Perhaps you’ll want to go the route of the surprise release, which is becoming increasingly common in our age of instant gratification; why waste social capital on hype when it can be used to direct people to the product when it’s already available?

Feeling guilt, shame, or discomfort about it. Some creators have a hard time with self-promotion when it feels like bragging or showing off. And maybe it is if your approach is Hey, look at me, I hope you think I’m amazing, and I’d love to make some money off you!—which I hope it’s not. But if you fear that’s how it comes across, try reframing. Your art is a gift to you, and it can be a gift to others as well. Maybe your perspective can be one of contribution and connection: I came up with something here that brought me joy, or helped me heal—maybe it can do that for you too. Promotional devices are uncomfortable to some—residues of the perception of selling out, I would guess. For instance, I know a lot of people who refuse to mention their merch when they’re onstage, or who never want to ask people to subscribe to their YouTube channels. I’m sorry, but get over it. If you don’t want people to buy your merch or subscribe to your channel, then by all means keep it far from their thoughts. But if you do want those things, be straightforward about it. No one will think less of you, other than maybe some other artist who also hates talking about merch and subscribing. Don’t allow preconceived notions to deter you from sharing your art and reaching more people.

Being boring. Some forms of promotion are zero fun—such as asking people to click on something, or sharing a poster that’s mostly text. Posters, in general, don’t have very high engagement; if you’re going to use one, incorporate some mind-bending visuals to at least get people to stop scrolling for two seconds. Putting creativity into the promotional material will always get better results. It also makes it more fun for you as the creator. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking promotion can’t be creative, artistic, or personality-driven.

Not doing it at all. As mentioned, some creators don’t promote in general. They feel the work should be dropped into the world and encounter whomever it may (which is often no one). They believe their art’s merit alone should determine its success. Perhaps that’s how it should be, but it isn’t. “If you build it, they will come” is not good business advice—it’s a misquote of Kevin Costner’s character in Field of Dreams, a 1989 movie about ghosts who play baseball.

I understand the hang-ups about self-promotion. It can seem narcissistic, uncomfortable, or simply isn’t what you’re interested in spending time on. But it’s essential to getting a career off the ground and keeping it afloat. It may not be your favorite activity, but it can often be turned into something fun. And it doesn’t make you any less of an artist.

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There are lots more insights in the book, as well as a good number of funny stories, and in other places it's definitely the most vulnerable of anything I've ever shared. Here's that pre-order link again if you're interested. Thanks for all your support over the years!