Social Media Tips for the Introvert

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Answering questions is not showing off. It's being helpful. It's what friends do.

“I feel like I’m being pushy.”

“I want God to get the glory. I don’t like drawing attention to myself.”

“It sucks up my time and makes me lose focus on my tasks.”

As I have had coaching consultations with dozens bloggers and ministry leaders the last couple of years

, these are some of the most common comments I have heard.

They are talking about social media, of course.  The blessing and the curse of people who have a message, product or service to share.  And if you are naturally an introvert, it tends way more to the curse side than the blessing.

But it doesn’t need to be that way.  If you are struggling to drag your introverted, God-honoring self into the social media conversation, you may need to adjust both your attitude and your actions.

Adjust your Social Media Attitude

It’s not all about you.  Did you notice  all of those statements up there are focused on “I” and “me”?  But guess what? If what you have to offer encourages, entertains, informs, helps or generally makes life better, it’s not about how you feel.  It’s about how the reader feels.  You are offering them something of value and so you don’t need to feel bad about helping them find it.

Be a light.  Especially as Christians, we are prone to feel guilty about promoting ourselves.  But the internet, and particularly the social media platforms, can be dark and scary places.  Highlighting our positive content, engaging in encouraging conversation and putting Jesus above our platform shines light into that darkness.

conversations

Adjust your Social Media Actions

It’s a conversation, not a megaphone. Often when I go look at the profiles of people who feel uncomfortable with social media, I find most of their posts are promoting their own content.  No wonder they feel uncomfortable!

Highlighting our positive content, engaging in encouraging conversation and putting Jesus above our platform shines light into that darkness.

Social media is a conversation, so it helps to treat it like one.  Respond to what other people are saying, share things that you find interesting or helpful.  When someone asks a question and you know the answer or have an opinion, answer it!  That’s not showing off … that’s being helpful.  It’s what friends do.

Post often.  Before you get all clammy thinking you are going to wear everyone out, remember how fast social media moves.  Especially Twitter.  I know I don’t see everything in my Facebook or Twitter feed and I bet most people don’t.

If you look at your own Twitter profile, under each tweet there is a row of icons and one of them is three little vertical bars.  Click on that and you can see how many people have seen that tweet.  It was eye-opening for me to learn that on average, less than 10% of my followers actually see any individual tweet!  That made me much more comfortable in posting several times a day (6-8).

FOLLOW-UP NOTE:  For those who asked in the comments, here are some screen shots from the iOS mobile version of Twitter, to show you where the three little bars are (they only show on things that you have posted yourself):

 

This was ta few days ago, so it has been seen by pretty much everyone who is going to see it.  Out of  my 1800 Twitter followers, only 87 saw it!  That is less than 5%!

I don’t worry so much about posting the link to the same post or offer at a few different times throughout the week because I know most people are not seeing it every time.

Make a plan and use some tools.  Figure out what you want to post and when, then use one of the scheduling tools to automate it.  You can schedule all of your informational posts at one time. I love using Tailwind to schedule Pinterest and Instagram.  I spend about an hour on Sunday afternoon doing this.  Then the rest of the week, I can limit my social media time to just the fun parts of responding and chatting it up.

 

RESOURCES

For more of my thoughts on social media, visit here:

Don’t Go Naked on Social Media

These articles about being an introvert in a noisy world were helpful to me:

9 Ways Introverts Can (Quietly) Outperform All the Loud People Around Them
Unleashing the Power Within Introverts 

For more helpful resources and discounts on my business and ministry coaching services and courses, join the Do A New Thing Newsletter!

 

RESPOND

How do you feel about social media?  Share your stuggles, and your best tip for getting over your discomfort.

 

Linking up with Crystal Storms at #IntentionalTuesday,  Holly Barrett at #TestimonyTuesday, Kelly Balarie at #RaRaLinkup, Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeart, Susannah Kellogg at #FaithandFellowship, Susan Mead at #DanceWithJesus, Dawn Klinge at #GraceandTruth and Missional Women at #FaithFilledFriday, with Kelly Balarie at #RaRaLinkup, with Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeart, with Crystal Storms at #HeartEncouragement, with Susan B. Mead at #DanceWithJesus, with Arabah Joy at Grace & Truth

45 thoughts on “Social Media Tips for the Introvert”

  1. Love these reminders. I often feel “over myself” and other probably are too…because I’m posting all the time. But it’s true, most people don’t see ALL the posts…only a few.

    And it’s not about me but making God known and for that I should be shouting from the mountaintops…all the time, right! 😉

    Thanks Christa!

    Reply
    • BethAnn, I follow all of your social media and I can assure you … I am not “over you”! You are definitely not posting too much.

      Reply
  2. “If you are struggling to drag your introverted, God-honoring self into the social media conversation, you may need to adjust both your attitude and your actions.” Wise advise Christa! I need to write this down and post it everywhere so I remember it.

    Reply
  3. This was good for this introvert to read. Especially interesting about the tweets, although it makes sense with the vast number of accounts that most people follow. (I still can’t find those three little vertical bars though! I am Twitter inept!)

    One social media aspect that I’m still not sure how to handle is Facebook. I keep my personal Facebook page locked down pretty tightly, and keep my circle of friends small. But I also see a lot of bloggers using FB to hold conversations, reach their audience, etc. It feels strange to set up a specific account for my blog and then ask my friends to follow that too…that weird self-promotion thing.

    Reply
    • Rae,
      I just left the house but later today, I’ll do a screen shot to show you where those these little bars are. I don’t think you see them in mobile apps. Just on the desktop version.
      As far as Facebook is concerned, I would encourage you to set up a page for your blog. Especially if you have keep your personal page tight. The blogger page gives your readers who are NOT your FB friends a place to engage with you and an easy way to share your content.
      FB constantly changes their algorithms and doesn’t show your posts to everyone who has liked your blogger page, but I still think it is a valuable way to engage with your audience.

      Reply
  4. I love this, Christa! I’m a die-hard introvert and some things about social media, especially self-promotion, feel strange to me! And now I feel better about tweeting several times about my new posts. Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Christa, great info. I never knew what those three little parts revealed. I read a post of Emily Freeman’s that helped me look at marketing or promoting posts a new way. She simply calls it sharing. Now, sharing doesn’t seem so intimidating or self-promoting. As you said, it’s Jesus were promoting. Thank you, Christa, for sharing your heart at #IntentionalTuesday on Intentionally Pursuing. : )

    Reply
  6. I love how these tips focus specifically on us introverts. It might take a little more coaxing to get me out of my social media shell, but when I do, awesome conversations happen.

    Reply
    • I agree, LeeLee. I often find that introverts have some of the most meaningful thoughts. And sometimes, once you get them going, they (we!) don’t stop!

      Reply
  7. Christa- I loved reading this. While not a true introvert, I do have introvert leanings, especially on social media. I need to remember my mission is to shine Christ.
    And the information you shared about posting often blew me away- I never want to be ‘that girl’ who posts way more than people want to see – but it’s possible less than 10% of what I post is even seen.
    Wow!

    Reply
  8. ACK! You must be inside my head because I’ve been having this very conversation with myself all week. It feels very audacious for me to put myself out there and say, “Hey, guys, I wrote this and you should read it!”
    You’re right, though. It’s not about me and never was. Going back to re-read.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • No, I can promise you it is only the things going on in my own head! Instead of saying “I wrote this, you should read it” you are saying “God gave me this message. I hope it is helpful and meaningful to you as we journey together.” Now wouldn’t you feel good about someone saying that to you??

      Reply
  9. Hi Christa,
    I’m visiting from Holley’s link-up today and I love these practical tips! I struggles with feeling like I was bothering everyone too, but you are so right that so few followers actually see your content that you have to post it multiple times and places and in a few seconds, they’ve already forgotten about you! Enjoyed my visit here (and inspired by your post, I’m off to tweet!) 🙂

    Reply
  10. Thanks so much for these reminders! As an introvert, this is definitely something that I struggle with. I just need to remember the reason that I am doing it. It was also really helpful to see how few people see each tweet. I have had trouble getting any traffic on Twitter at all, and I now realize that is probably due to the fact that I don’t tweet nearly enough!

    Anyway, thanks so much for helping others build their own platforms for the glory of God : )

    Reply
  11. I felt like this was a really helpful post and definitely pinned it! I liked the starting conversations one. I don’t connect with people that only use their social media for promotion and it makes sense that others wouldn’t either!!

    Reply
  12. SO helpful to me, Christa, thank you. I’m totally one of the introverts you describe here, reluctantly fumbling around social media while constantly second guessing myself. Your tips are so useful and the facts speak for themselves. Thank you! This changes thing for me : )

    Reply
    • You do so much better than you think you do, Bethany! Just keep shining your light where you are and people will be drawn to the conversation you are having.

      Reply
  13. So very true, Christa … social media presents opportunities for us to cultivate conversations that matter. How we choose to do that reflects who we are … as a born and bred introvert, I’ve found blogging to float my boat. What a joyful connect with other kindred spirits!

    Reply
    • I hear ya on the introvertness. That’s me too. I pray that my social media interactions truly are conversations that matter.

      Reply
  14. Christa, what a great post! I’ve been working over the past few years to build my social media, and to get a handle on all the posts we’re supposed to be putting up. That’s hard for me! I’m not as deliberate as I should be, and in part it’s because I don’t want to overpost stuff. I appreciate the perspective that the same people rarely see our posts, especially on Facebook and Twitter. So helpful! And, I never knew I could find out how many people were seeing my tweets. I LOVE knowing that. 🙂

    Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom!

    Reply
    • So glad you stopped by, Jeanne. Social media is not nearly as scary as we try to make it. Having a plan and a healthy attitude toward it really helps!

      Reply
  15. Thanks for the great tips! Social media is such a challenge for me as an introvert, but tow points in particular struck me: Its not about me, Its about God, and not everyone sees every post. Thanks so much!
    colleenarnold.org
    (visiting from Purposeful Faith)

    Reply
  16. Thank you for this, Christa…I needed it since the “social media struggle” is ongoing for me. I have worshiped the idol of numbers in the past (see, “college GPA”) and do not want to do it again. Thank you for this refreshing perspective. Stopping by from #Grace&Truth!

    Reply
  17. Some really great tips! I try my best to schedule my stuff for Facebook at the beginning the week, engage in any conversation, and leave it at that. Is my Facebook doing everything it could be? Nope, but I have limited time and that’s the best I can do at this point.

    Reply

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