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Howdy, art friend!

Been looking up “how to grow on social” guides?

Maybe even read one of mine?

Keep seeing “NeTworK mORe”, “gET ImmERseD”, “tALk tO PEopLe”, but you’re like "uhhhh how???” and “do i have to? 😬"

Y’know what? Fair.

I get it. It can be stressful to put yourself out there. I used to be there too. I used to be scared to get on calls, text people, or even comment on stuff.

Heck, when I first started I would get genuinely nervous simply texting with clients and put off responding. But now the thought of using a mic or webcam is as easy as breathing.

So trust me when I say making friends and talking to people is a skill you can learn like anything else. Just start small and slow, and over time you’ll build up your confidence until you’re a social ninja.

But nobody wants to go slow, right?

So here are some tips you can borrow that I learned through trial and error to help you start the right way.

Don’t just hit up random people with “Hey, plz share or like”. That’s lazy and forgettable. No one will like you - and no one will share it.

Think about it - are you more likely to support someone who DMs you out of nowhere with copy paste garbage or someone who talked to you like a human being?

Exactly. Goes both ways.

Stop thinking about what you get as your priority.

When you engage with someone your last focus should be your brand. It should be making a friend. That's it. Genuinely - nothing more or less. And don't be fake about it. I mean really try to make friends.

Friends are the real assets - the money and attention are by products.

What, do you not leave the house?

It’s okay, I don’t like leaving the house either 😆

Kidding! But like IRL you make friends first with a conversation, then by finding and nurturing things you have in common - cuz people like people who are like them, get it?

Just like walking up to any stranger, start with saying hi. Follow it up with a REAL compliment (don't be fake). Then ask a question.

If you need something concrete, just follow this template:

Hopefully they answered one of those open questions with something you genuinely like talking about. Congrats. You’ve started a conversation.

People you resonate with and people whose work you love is a good place to start.

You can get very strategic about targeting your networking - though that’s bigger than this guide. Starting from resonance and liking their vibe is a great place to start and will come through in your messages.

Don't DM people you don't actually want to connect with.

You are wasting your time. That time you put into a dozen mid DMs, you could've spent that time building the relationships with the people who will end up ride or dying with you. You want the ride or die friends, trust me.

You can think of it like doing cold outreach to close friend sales.
The Friend Marketing Funnel:

There are literally billions of people out there on the internet. You can be a little picky. Quality over quantity, k?

A practical note: a good general rule is engage with other accounts in your community who have 1-10x your following. You’ll get a better response rate. (like if you’re 1k, don’t message someone above 10k)

If you feel DMs are still too out of the blue, try starting with a comment on their work.

Ask a question in your comment. They'll probably respond. Ask another question in response to their response. They'll probably respond again. Go to DMs (say something like “didn’t want to clog your comment section”) and keep asking questions.

If that's still too much, that’s ok. You can comment on their posts for a week or two, planting lots of question and compliment seeds. If they don't get more than a few dozen comments a post, they will likely see you exist.

After seeing your name on their posts for weeks, they are very likely to respond to any DM you send them. They know who you are, and there's already the spark of a relationship there.

You could even comment, “can I DM you?”. Asking permission is never a bad thing, and they’ll know to look for the DM.

An excellent way to build rapport with people is by being helpful. People love people who help them. I know, unheard of, right?

Remember that almost everyone wants the same thing you do online - fans, recognition, status, money, groupies, awards, groupies, private jets, groupies, etc. But honestly most are probably pumped with just some fans and money, so ask yourself: "What do I know that could help someone achieve more money and fame?"

Do you have a strong background in a useful skill? Staying consistent? Making good reels? Getting commissions? Selling out at shows?

After some back and forth you'll probably bump into (or at least have some sense) of what they're struggling with. Can you use your knowledge to help someone else succeed? Help them in a way that matters to them, and they’ll be way more likely to return the favor.

Note: Honestly? You can probably just ask for a share after you build some rapport. Most people understand the online grind. After some back-and-forth, you could bluntly ask, “Hey, you wanna cross-promo or collab or something?” Once someone is familiar with you, it’s a pretty high hit rate.

People love giving their opinions. If you’re out of things to talk about, ask for their honest take on your work, brand, or content. It’s a win-win:

Something as simple as, “Hey, I really respect what you do - could I get your opinion on something?” can open a lot of conversational doors.

You could even open your DM with this.

This changes with where you are.

When you’re below 100 follows, the goal is literally work for your first follows - one by one. The first sale is selling someone on following you.

This gets you that critical initial attention to start actually catching momentum.

From 100+ the goal switches more to building your network, finding work, and compounding momentum. You focus less on directly hunting for followers.

Now you can focus on:

Btw: if you need more info on how to DM with intent, I’m currently working on a bigger, much fancier guide sharing my know how from my years in the client trenches - so keep an eye out for that.

Online networking is all about conversation, connection, and friends. Don’t be needy. Don’t be desperate. If someone never shares your work or never responds, that’s fine. It was never meant for this world.

Force nothing.
All shall be as it needs to be 🙏

Focus on making connections with the people who actually align with you and your work, where you can both help each other grow for the long term.

And remember…
It’s ok to be yourself!

Peace and Love,
Brosatsu