I\u2019ve tried to respond to messages that I get from people on all social media accounts, but it\u2019s honestly really hard. And it isn\u2019t because I\u2019m super busy. It\u2019s hard because many of the messages just aren\u2019t worth replying to. Consider this a tiny guide on how to contact slightly famous people on social media, whatever your purpose might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#1. Don\u2019t send a message that\u2019s just \u201cHello\u201d, \u201cNamaskar\u201d or \u201cHlo\u201d! There is no way you\u2019re getting a response to that. My message inboxes are full of these, and I replied to some in the early days. It\u2019s never gone well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#2. Don\u2019t send a message asking for a mobile number right off the gate. It\u2019s not happening. At the very least let me know who you are and what the purpose is. To the extent possible, try and get your query handled over email. Mobile number is honestly a bigger ask than you can imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#3. Don\u2019t message me with a ridiculous ask that\u2019ll require hours of my time, with no clear value add. If you have a major ask, at least think of why I\u2019d do something like that and incorporate it in the message you send.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#4. If you\u2019re asking for a job \/ internship, at least send me something about yourself \u2013 what skills you\u2019d bring, why you\u2019d be a good fit. One to two sentences. Just a message saying \u201cI want to work for you\u201d doesn\u2019t help either of us. [PS: Not hiring right now, but check back in 2021!]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#5. Don\u2019t send LONG messages. This is a HUGE one. Human beings are self centered. They care about their own lives and problems more than yours. If you can\u2019t fit your ask in 3-4 sentences, it\u2019s too big of an ask for a random message over social media. As a matter of principle, if the first few lines don\u2019t explain where it is going, I stop reading long messages. Keep it short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#6. \u201cI want to meet you\u201d \u2013 That\u2019s great. I\u2019m happy that you do. But I have no idea how to respond to it. At least let me know for what purpose. If it can be handled over email, don\u2019t ask for a meeting. [Definitely not happening in the COVID era, and not many have asked this recently. It was a frequent message earlier though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#7. This is not a requirement, but it is a good one that\u2019s worked for me when I\u2019ve contacted others. Do something for the person you message. For someone who\u2019s written a book, write a book review. Share their podcast, give feedback on it. Read one of their articles and write a short line on why you liked it in your message. Or even just a genuine compliment. This increases your likelihood of a positive response drastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#8. Don’t expect an immediate reply, and don’t pester. No sending question marks everyday after sending an initial message. One or two follow ups after a week are fine, multiple messages the same day isn’t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note: Great things have happened via messages from random people. I\u2019ve hired great people from it, I\u2019ve gotten work assignments from it and I got a college scholarship because I interacted with a major donor over email. This isn\u2019t meant to dissuade messaging, it\u2019s meant to make it more effective for you. Also, the \u201cslightly famous\u201d part is complete clickbait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve tried to respond to messages that I get from people on all social media accounts, but it\u2019s honestly really […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[200,221],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n