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 hundreds of thousands of individuals day-after-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 individuals on Twitter, to his in style 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 attention-grabbing train in private branding that everybody ought to strive.

Callout: This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.

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 concentrate on private branding, and would you name what you’ve a private model?

The best way I give it some thought is: I’m simply making an attempt to place myself on the market. It’s like once you’re in a automotive and have the music so loud that different individuals can hear it from their vehicles. No matter I’m, I need it to be loud sufficient that if any individual hears it they usually 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 take pleasure in these ideas and have comparable ones to share. It’s simply my approach of attracting like-minded individuals to me.

Q: And when did you begin this technique of attracting like-minded individuals?

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

In the end, I wished to stroll in and depart 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, they usually need it to be favorable. So I assumed that, as a substitute of making ready solutions to their questions, I ought to contemplate what I wished them to know and bear in mind about me.

I used to be interviewing with two firms that day – Stripe and an thought lab known as Monkey Inferno. And I made a decision that once they mentioned me, they’d all say, “He’s actually ‘clean’, ‘clean’ and ‘clean’.” I assumed 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 simply talked about the phrases as a result of that ties in properly to my subsequent query: what three phrases would you utilize to explain your private model?

Going again to my interview prep story, I bear 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 may not be the neatest individual within the room, however I may all the time consider artistic methods to win.

Naturally, lots has modified since I first did this train, and my most well-liked final phrase is: Profitable as a result of I discover that folks 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 high 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 might cause them to 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 might assist that pillar. And I might fill [the pillar] out.

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

There’s additionally one final piece of the puzzle you can additionally add as a pillar which is what you aren’t. I need individuals to say, “He’s not clean.” I might say the phrases to replenish the house listed here are: pretend and robotic. I don’t need to come off as both when interacting with somebody.

Q: You do many issues – podcasts, newsletters, posting usually on Twitter, launching a course. Which of those has been your favourite medium of expression? Which one do you assume is the best on your model? And the way do you steadiness doing all these items on the similar time?

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

When it comes to worth, I believe probably the most worthwhile content material medium for me has been the podcast, however all of them go collectively. It’s like a funnel – on the high is the place individuals uncover you, and that discovery tends to be by Twitter for me. I grew my Twitter within the final 12 months from possibly 20,000 followers to 300,000 followers. And I did that as a result of I wished individuals to have a simple, light-weight touchpoint.

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

Anybody that wished to go additional can then be led to the underside of the funnel by 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 speak to most individuals. So it helps construct a really worthwhile relationship with individuals.

Q: What three techniques would you advocate individuals strive when determining which autos they’ll use to construct their manufacturers?

I might say do not do it should you’re simply making an attempt to construct a model. As a result of then you definately’ve simply created work for your self. And truthfully, if you are going to work that onerous on it, you would possibly as effectively construct a enterprise or work at a job. The best way I take a look at it’s I need the tasks I do to be what I already take pleasure in.

I recommend you discover what kind of content material you wish to create, whether or not interviewing individuals or curating stuff on 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 of sooner or be extra intentional about it, however the extra vital half is discovering what you take pleasure in.

And even when no model bought constructed out of it, it will 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 individuals to pay attention – I assumed that was most unlikely. I used to be extra concerned about having interviews and conversations with attention-grabbing individuals. Certain, some individuals 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 once 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 notice: individuals can inform should you’re having enjoyable along with your content material since you’re nerding out about this subject that you simply love. That can also be what makes content material pop.

Q: You tweeted not too long ago that all the things you’ve achieved, regardless of how random, has labored out and contributed to your success. Which of your tasks was the turning level for you? When did you understand, “Yeah that is working?”

I’ve a philosophy: the people who find themselves my prospects are those who love what I do. If I really like what I do, then the appropriate individuals will discover it as a result of it will resonate with them the identical approach it is resonating with me. So the primary signal of success is simply liking your individual work. Most individuals fail at that, both as a result of they’re approach too harsh on their work, or they’re making an attempt to please different individuals, they usually do not even like what they make. And that is a recipe for failure, in my view.

And second, earlier than the numbers get huge, you will begin to get emails or feedback that can maintain you going. And it is wonderful. You’ll be able to 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: Attention-grabbing. You talked about in an interview with Sacra that you simply had been capable of 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’ve got a rolling fund that lets different individuals make investments alongside me within the startups I spend money on. I’ve a great 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 speculate on this rolling fund. However the creation and progress of the fund wasn’t one thing I might have predicted stepping into – it was a byproduct of doing the work.

The podcast and my Twitter account had began getting in style. Then I tweeted, “Hey, I will increase a rolling fund, and I need to increase one million {dollars} from individuals 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 saved going.

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

These are usually not individuals 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 spend money on the fund.

Seeing that conviction come by, particularly as a result of individuals had been giving me their cash, was the sign that constructing a private model and constantly 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, after all. 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 on your tasks after publishing constantly on social media?

I began making content material as a result of I assumed it would 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 it’s the podcast or Twitter has led to the chance you contemplate probably the most worthwhile?

I wrote a thread about Clubhouse when it was actually in style. All people 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 believe it is gonna play out.”

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

The same tweet and end result was one I did on the metaverse, primarily saying, “Folks 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 should you had been ranging from scratch?

I might 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 of extra.

Presently, I am fairly broad – I’ve The Milk Street, which talks about crypto, and I’ve Twitter, the place I speak about no matter. Then there’s my private e-newsletter, 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 kind of areas, I believe I may grow to be possibly probably the most well-known individual in that department in that area of interest, however I did not do this. So I believe that might be the one enchancment that I might recommend 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 in contrast to software program the place you make it as soon as, and other people simply use it every day. I believe that is in all probability the largest draw back – you may’t automate creativity. One other factor is the extra in style you get, the extra individuals 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 really 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 here are a number of the greatest takeaways from our chat:

• Take management of your narrative: With out prompting, Shaan talked about the three-word train that has grow to be commonplace in Social Proof interviews, framing it as “pillar branding.” Utilizing the pillar-branding train is a artistic method to visualize what you need different individuals to get out of their interactions along with your on-line persona. Tell us on Twitter should you’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 considering. This reveals that it’s very important that you simply not solely take into consideration the way you need to be perceived but in addition take actions that correlate with that notion. Wish to be seen as educated about social media? Experiment with completely different platforms and techniques along with your accounts.
• Leverage your status: 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 status is kind of attention-grabbing. You is probably not elevating hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for an funding fund, however the work you’ve put into rising your on-line presence shouldn’t be siloed. Reap the benefits of the connections you make to get the alternatives you want.
• Choose mediums and niches that you simply take pleasure in: Whether or not it’s by writing or talking, Shaan has discovered his most well-liked strategies of getting his ideas on the market. You’ll be able to’t be in every single place or speak about all the things, however prioritize discovering and settling in your most well-liked 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 greatest: you may’t automate creativity. What you can automate is how you set your artistic work on the market – and that’s the place Buffer can assist you. Reap the benefits of our stacked Freemium tier to construct a behavior of consistency and assist maximize your creativity.

Get began now.