Forget the Haters

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I had 2 haters when I started posting on LinkedIn, way back in June 2022.

The worst bit was, I knew who they’d be before I even started posting. Then it hit me:

Worrying about what these 2 people would think had stopped me sharing my story for years.

What a waste.

So the first few times I shared my thoughts in the big blue box, I was bloody nervous.

Truth is, I had FOPO. (Fear of Posting Online, AKA Fear of Other People’s Opinions).

I worried about what people would say & think about my ideas.

Guess what? The worst happened.

When I started sharing my thoughts on LinkedIn, my haters came out of the woodwork with sarcastic comments and messages. They forwarded my posts to mutual friends and laughed at me behind my back.

It felt s#@t.

I thought about quitting, getting back in my box.

But there’s one thing I did that made it easier to keep going.

Before posting myself, I’d spent the previous few months leaving thoughtful comments on other people’s LinkedIn posts.

Commenting on other people’s content is a great way step gradually out of your comfort zone. You get used to the idea of words published on the internet with your name & face nex to them. Plus, thoughtful commenting exponentially widens your reach, helping new people find you.

Best of all, it’s a gentle way to start tackling your FOPO.

Here are my Do’s & Don’ts of Commenting on Linkedin

Always

Try to build others up. Leaving a genuine, specific compliment could make the author’s day.

Be as specific as possible with your praise. Try to avoid “thanks for sharing”. “nice post”. etc. Explain what you really liked about the piece & why.

Add value. Offer genuine advice or lessons you’ve learnt. Build on the Author’s idea.

Be Concise. Use bullet points or line breaks to make your message easier to read. Kill unnecessary words.

Tag. make sure you @ mention anyone whose comment or post you’re responding to. It’s the best way to make sure they see it.

Never

Be vague or generic. Especially with compliments. If all you have to say is ‘Thanks for sharing’ - use the Like button instead. The author will appreciate your specific compliments 10x more than generic ones.

Be argumentative. If you disagree with a post, share your opinion constructively. Use softeners like “I’d never thought of it like that. I think [opposite].”

Try too hard to be funny. Being funny is great. But don’t beat yourself up if the perfect witty one liner doesn’t jump out at you. Build the author up with specific compliments and move on.

If you’re grappling with FOPO, see if you can build a tiny habit of leaving 1-2 thoughtful comments per week. I bet you’ll naturally find yourself working up to longer thoughts & opinions which could turn into fully-fledged posts one day.

Know someone who’s got FOPO? Why not forward them this breakdown & help them start getting over it :)