The Dive Podcast

45: Building a Social Media Presence Without the Cringe

• Taylor Scanlan • Season 3 • Episode 45

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In this episode of The Dive Podcast, we explore how emerging artists can build a professional online presence without feeling cringey. Learn how to showcase your authentic self, use social media as a career tool, and show up confidently online.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Why online presence matters in today’s industry.
  • How to post authentically without overthinking.
  • Tips for using social media to grow your career.

Key Takeaways:

  1. If they can't see you, they can't consider you.
  2. Consistency doesn't mean constant.
  3. Your brand is about being YOU.


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Speaker 1:

Okay, fabulous. Well, welcome everyone into this call. I'm excited to have you here, and this is actually also going to be put up as a podcast. So hello to all of the fellow podcast listeners on the Dive podcast and if you are new here, welcome in. It's great to see you here. Yeah, we welcome you in with open arms.

Speaker 1:

This podcast and this community is all about helping artists emerging artists looking to get into the industry and learning how to do it in a sustainable way, way that can not make you feel burnt out and will allow you the space to step into the industry from a place of confidence, from a place of ease and really just understanding, from a place of passion and not overwhelmed. So if you're all about that, welcome in here. We're also live on our Performers Mindset Hub community on Zoom, so, if you don't know anything about that, I run a free community on there where we have workshops like this. But there's also lots of other exciting things on this platform, from yoga flows to an audition prep toolkit and all different types of things to help you build a really powerful and supportive mindset going into the industry. So welcome in, welcome in. I'm excited to have everyone here today we're going to be diving into the topic that's been coming up quite a lot lately in the industry, and that's how to build a professional online presence without feeling like you're cringing every time you post. I don't know if you've felt this before. We go and maybe want to post something, and then we kind of come away and we're like, oh no, we're not going to do it. We get a little bit scared or we're not really sure if it's worth posting or if it's good enough, and so then we end up just kind of going silent, and so we're going to unpack this today what it means and how to show up authentically on social media, how to use it more so as a tool to help you grow your career in musical theatre and, most importantly, how to do all of that in a way that actually feels good to you. How to do all of that in a way that actually feels good to you. So if you are ready for all of that, stick around and let's get into it.

Speaker 1:

But before we dive in, I just thought I'd also mention that I want to share a little personal update, if you haven't been following me for a little while. I'm currently in Singapore performing in a show or actually running the dance department as dance captain on sunset boulevard here in singapore, and I'm honestly just loving every second of it. Being here and surrounded by such a beautiful community and a beautiful um culture I've never been here before has been really special. It's just reminded me of how important it is to just stay connected, both in person, but also online and um. Social media has just been a really cool role in sharing that and sharing with people my journey as well, and so it can be a really special place for us to show up. All right, let's start with a big question on here, and if anyone is on live we have a few people on our Zoom call Feel free to use the chat box at any point if you have any questions about what I'm going to be sharing today, and if there's anything else you have questions on, I'll keep looking at that. So feel free to use the chat as well.

Speaker 1:

But the biggest question that we get a lot is why? First of all, why does having an online presence even matter? You know, back 10 years ago, or even not even that far, oh, not even that far it wasn't really a thing that we that was important, right? It didn't really matter if you had a were on social media or not, and whereas there is still a place for that in the industry, I want to to say that you know, becoming a performer is all about just becoming the best version of you, right? And it's about showcasing you and being okay with showcasing yourself and being visible and just allowing people to see you and to find you and a lot of the things.

Speaker 1:

Now, today and in today's industry, your social media isn't just the fun side thing. It can be a real powerful thing and a powerful tool to open doors for yourself. Casting directors, agents, choreographers they're all online, and even recently, I was getting asked about someone or thinking about someone for a show, and the first thing I did is just went onto the Instagram because someone needed to see this person perform or sing or dance, and so if that wasn't there, they may not have been able to be seen very quickly and considered. And so I like to start off with this If they can't see you, you can't be considered. Right, you know they can't consider you if they can't see you a lot of the time, and whereas it's not about having this perfection, beautiful layout of Instagram page or social media page.

Speaker 1:

I want you to think of it as this kind of just living and breathing, ever-changing portfolio of you. It's a space where you can showcase things like your talent, but also your growth. Remember that you're human and by just showing little bits of yourself and instead of everything being so polished, you're actually going to show that it's actually more powerful. If I came onto your page, and way back when you posted something singing, and now you're posting more regularly and it's improved, that shows me that you're doing the work and you're showing up, and it doesn't have to be a, you know, a 30 minute thing online. It can just be a minute or it can be just something that you're uniquely. You're sharing your personality as a performer and getting that across. But I get it A lot of the time the idea of putting yourself out there and feel free to comment in the chat if you felt this before that putting yourself out there can just feel super awkward.

Speaker 1:

You're just. You know you might be wondering how do I do this without feeling like I'm just posting for attention, right? Sometimes that's what kind of feels like you know, I want to post this, but I don't want all the eyes to be on me, and that's exactly what we're going to kind of talk about today. So what we're going to do is I want you to break down. If you have a pen on paper near you, it's just to kind of get this out and just break. We're going to break this down a little bit, and this is about how to build a professional online presence and one that feels good to you.

Speaker 1:

So, to break this down, what this really means is to have an online professional presence. Spoiler alert it doesn't mean your feed has to look like I said, perfection, like a perfect, curated magazine. Remember, those big platforms have massive marketing team, a bunch of people creating this and we're just one human. So, first of all, recognize that You're just one human and that's okay. You can only do so much at so time, and so being a professional is actually more so about showing up consistently, authentically and in a way that aligns with your goals, more so than it being perfect. So here are a few key steps. I think there are about four or so things that you can do Just and in a way that aligns with your goals, more so than it being perfect. So here are a few key steps. I think there are about four or so things that you can do. Just get started with building a professional online presence for yourself.

Speaker 1:

So the first and foremost may seem simple, but you want to use good quality photos and videos. So if you have an iPhone on you or something, you want to make sure that you are lit. You know natural lighting I'm in natural light right now. Make sure that we can see you and that it's a good quality. Not necessarily what you see is good quality, it doesn't have to be that, but the image that you're being seen from and the videos that are being seen. So I saw a question come through on the chat. What I'll do is feel free to ask as many questions on here and then, once I finish what I'm sharing, we come back. I can go through those questions. So feel free to absolutely go in there. But, yes, nothing fancy. Your phone is just fine. You don't need to go and buy a multimillion-dollar camera. Just make sure that you can clearly, we can see your work and we can clearly see you.

Speaker 1:

The second thing that I would recommend is to kind of create a vibe of your feed. I think about picking colors, fonts and just overall aesthetic that feels like you, not like someone else. So if you go to, I'll tag in my Instagram at the moment you'll start to see I've got kind of my own colors with my branding, with my coaching business now happening with the black and a blue colors in there, because that kind of represents both my style I like I'm from Melbourne, so I wear a lot of the time a lot of black, but I love blue and whenever I go to auditions I wear blue. I've got blue eyes and I feel most connected when I'm wearing blues and earthy sort of colors. So you can start to do that with your feed Pick out colors, some fonts that represent you, and that kind of helps people recognize your style without it feeling forced. So that's a really good way that you can start by going through your feed and having a look at different things and, without it kind of publishing necessarily yourself completely out there with an album or something, you can just start to really start to understand what your brand is. And this is something that we go into in an online program I run called Momentum 2.0. This recently launched and we already have a bunch of students going through that and in week three out of six we actually go in and share with you how to create a unique brand for yourself. So if you're looking for how to actually create a brand and what that looks like, I'll leave a link to this program that you can go check out. There's a free masterclass that you can watch that explains it all, and then a landing page that gives you more details on that. So feel free to go check out that if you're looking to create a brand that stands out and that connects uniquely to you.

Speaker 1:

The third thing that you can do, for simple thing that can help you get started, is to just mix up your content. So share performance clips, rehearsals, even behind the scenes moments. People want to see you as a human, so even personal reflections of your journey, you know, coming on and just sharing what you've kind of learned for that week and allowing people to see you and connect with you. You don't necessarily need to do that on a reel or per se as a post, but in your stories, you know, share that you're going to class or what you're working on. People love this and we want to connect and see you as a human and that's something that you can start with as well. So know that there doesn't have to be these polished performances, and maybe that's something that you can start with. If you're not feeling confident to post online with a minute reel of you singing or performing, you can maybe put it on a story on Instagram. This will allow it to be there for 24 hours and, remember, after that it's going to go, so maybe that's something you can start to go in with. You can start to just putting on a story as a taster and then what you could do. If you want that to be something that people can access over time, you can add that to a highlight on your instagram too, so it's not necessarily on your post feed that people can see at any time, but it can be in a highlight section of your instagram too. If anyone wants any more details on how to do that, I'm pretty sure this generation knows exactly how to do that, but please feel to reach out in the community. We can definitely help you do that.

Speaker 1:

The fourth and final thing I would suggest to just simply start is to keep your bio simple. Remember it's seeing you as a professional and as your own brand and, just like I said, we do this in a program that I'm running, but really to help you right now. It would just to keep your bio simple. So when I come to your profile, I need to know who you are, what you do and how I can connect with you. That's all you need. So have a look at your bio and maybe just start to see yourself and have a look at mine. Have a look at other people that you look up to in the industry. What are their bios? The more simple the better. Remember, our attention spans are usually only about three seconds or so, so when you're clouding it with heaps of emojis or complicated text, it just makes it a little bit harder to understand who you are. And when you approach your online presence as an extension of who you are, rather than something that you have to fake or to force, it will start to feel more natural, not only for the audience watching, but for you to post and getting more consistent with that Sound good, wonderful.

Speaker 1:

So now let's tap into something that's been coming up as well and that is kind of more of an elephant in the room. How do you do this? How do you show up without feeling cringy? And I don't know if anyone knows that word. I don't know if it's Australian word or where it came from. But it's more about a feeling. How can I show up and post without it kind of feeling icky or about I don't know, just a bit like unsure, because I know that's such a part of us that stops right. It stops us at this section where we want to but we don't feel like it's not like finished enough or perfect enough.

Speaker 1:

And remember this all starts with the mind and that's why we're here in this platform and the Performance Mindset Hub. It's the mindset shift, it's learning that it's actually not about you in the way that you might think. It's about your art, it's about your process and it's about your growth. So I want you to think of social media as just another stage. Right, you're performing, you're sharing your journey, not begging for likes or validation. We don't go and perform on stage and wait for validation. We just go out and perform. We're there, we've made it, we're performing. People are going to clap, more people will come. It's done.

Speaker 1:

So if posting full performances for you right now feels too much and in fact you don't need to be posting massive, you know long form content, maybe, if you want to go into that, um, we I show you how to do that in the program about how to build a website for yourself, how to kind of create a separate section that you can kind of look at, um, where people you can send to casting directors to be able to see your brand, um, that's fine. But when it comes to social media like Instagram or even TikTok or something, you can just start small and just share things. Like I mentioned, it can be a minute of you performing, it can be rehearsal clips, it can be behind the scenes moments and even your warm-up routines. The more you do it and the more you just share you, the more natural it will feel. I guarantee you right now, when you start to post, it's going to feel like but it's always going to feel like that if you don't post. And again, I want you to always come back in a way and realize that this is something that's going to support you and help you be seen and help you be more visible, so that we can see more of you and your growth.

Speaker 1:

Remember, it's meant to be fun. Social media is actually meant to be fun. We go on there to receive that dopamine, to be inspired, and so I want you to kind of come into this If you are looking to build your personal brand and a presence. Remind yourself that post in a way, that's fun, what actually makes you light up. Post more about that, because that shows me so much more about you as a person than it does you as a performer. So yeah, like I said, the more you post, the more natural it will feel. And, trust me, everyone you know is going to feel that awkward at first. I absolutely definitely did. But the more I did it, the more I'm so used to hearing my voice. Now it doesn't feel. It doesn't feel awkward Sometimes it does when you post things, but you start to get over it after a while. So what does it actually mean?

Speaker 1:

As we come to the kind of end of this kind of workshop about being on social media, it really comes down to what does it mean to be fully present and what does it actually more so mean to be visible? And it's not just about posting for the sake of posting, right, it's. Being visible means showing up regularly enough that people in the industry know you're active and engaged in becoming a performer. So it's about building a digital presence that reflects who you are as a performer, and this is the best thing that you'll probably hear today is that you don't have to post every day. It's more about consistency. Consistency doesn't mean constant. It means finding a rhythm that works for you and sticking with it. And if that doesn't work, you can change it.

Speaker 1:

And visibility isn't just about the posts, it's also about engagement. So this can also mean you know, go, and if you want people to interact with you, go on the platform and start to follow people that inspire you, not the people that you watch and then you feel compared to and then limits you Follow and even unfollow people that don't inspire you. You know, if you've got a few people I'm sure we all do right now that when we're looking at it it doesn't make us feel good. Unfollow them just for the time being. You can always follow them back if it feels more in line with you.

Speaker 1:

Remember everything that you're consuming, from the food you eat, the people you're around, things that you're viewing on your phone this is all information and it's all feeding your mindset and you're feeding your future self, and what I mean by that is whatever you're kind of like, absorbing, you're becoming, and so make sure that all of the things that you're kind of surrounding yourself are in alignment with supporting you to becoming the best version of you, and social media is much more about community than anything else, and if you start to see it through that lens, I hope that it can help you start to show up more visible and start to be okay with being visible, right, I feel like there's this thing in our performing world that we're scared to show ourselves because we might feel as though we're coming across as cocky, right? I don't know if you've felt that before. Feel as though we're coming across as cocky, right? I don't know if you've felt that before, um, but yeah, just know that it doesn't. Um, doesn't have to come across this way at all. Uh, yeah, uh, what else is gonna say? I just realized I don't even think I am. Oh, yes, I'm recording. Oh, thank god, I didn't think I was recording. There we are, um, but yes, like as I said, visibility isn't just about showing up. It's about that consistency, but it's also about being okay with being visible, being okay with being seen, and that is kind of something that is a little bit deeper, and I teach a lot more in the programs that I run if you want to check more about that.

Speaker 1:

But, yeah, just start small, know that it's meant to be fun and so that you can move forward in that way. So I guess the only thing I want to share about before I open the floor and would love to hear any questions that you have is social media isn't also just a platform. It can be really more so just a tool for your career. It's just another tool. Think of it as though, as your digital resume and you know it highlights your skills, who you are, your growth and the passion for your art, but it can also be a really amazing networking tool. So, as I mentioned, start to follow people in the industry, even casting directors, choreographers start to see their work and start to see who you gel with right, start to see their life, do you connect with them, do you connect with what they're doing and start to use that as inspiration. I think that's about it. Yeah, as I mentioned, I've shared a lot of value today.

Speaker 1:

If I was going to recap, let's recap for a second. So let's take a breath, because there was a lot of information, I guess in there, breathing in and breathing out. A little recap of what we did when we started the call. I just kind of went into a little bit about, obviously, the podcast that I'm here in Singapore, but more about the question of why does it even matter? Why does it matter in today's industry to have an online presence, and I've just shared a little bit more about that. It's just a tool to be seen and so for casting directors to see you and if they can't see you, they can't consider you and it's just another tool for them to be able to check out what you're doing, what you've been up to. Are you actively sharing your art and going to class or working on your art in a full-time or outside of full-time, what you're doing?

Speaker 1:

And then I went through four key ways to help you build an online presence that helps you feel good. We talked about using high quality footage and photos, how to create a vibe for your feed, looking at the colors and the fonts and then learning about how to mix up your content, so we don't want to always just see the same thing. Have a look at how you can add some variety in there. We spoke about what else did. We spoke about About the bio how to create a simple bio for yourself, how to show up without feeling cringe, how to be a little bit more visible and being okay with that, and I guess that was about it. But, yeah, lots of value I shared with you today, and if you're still feeling a little bit unsure of how to really define you as a personal brand and how to show up in a way that feels super aligned with where you want to go, then this is a definite call to action for you to go check out Momentum 2.0, a program that I recently launched and people are going through, as mentioned in this podcast in week five. We go in depth into this and help you uncover your unique selling proposition. So this is actually how we go in and understand who you are as a unique brand and help you build a brand that reflects. That reflects you as an individual, your strengths and the values that you bring, so that you can show up online and in auditions with total confidence in knowing who you are. That's it Well. Thank you so much for listening in.

Speaker 1:

I now just want to open the floor. If anyone has any questions, you feel free to message in the chat. I'm just going to be reading one here, so we have one from John May. I ask a question Is interacting with your followers and fans who comment on your posts, a good strategy to grow your online presence and social media. I saw many actors, singers and dancers that love to interact with their followers and fans, like liking and commenting or replying to their comments to interact with their fans. I think that's a fantastic way. You know what I think.

Speaker 1:

At the end of the day, we're all just looking to connect as artists, right? So if you're wanting more people to comment and interact with you, you know, let's not wait for them to do that. Go out there, comment more on other people and, you know, highlight them, acknowledge them. If someone's where you want to be, comment on their posts and interact, you know, maybe even direct message them and just saying you actually really inspire me. I'd love to know how you got to where you are. If someone's already where you want to be, the fastest way to get there is to speak to that person and get an understanding of what they did to get there.

Speaker 1:

And that's a lot about what I share on here, because I don't want to gatekeep anything that I've learned, because I believe that there is so much space for all of us to have this be in this industry, and so, yes, please go and like follow, comment, um, maybe give some leeway. Don't be bombarding our fellow performers and just know that a lot of the time I know there are a lot of performers and friends of mine that maybe see posts. We may not get around to always commenting back, but they've definitely seen and they're definitely acknowledged, um, and it's definitely appreciated as well. So, yeah, what you put in is what you get out, I think a lot of the day too. So, before I finish up, if there's any other questions, um, the people on live here feel free to message in the chat group.

Speaker 1:

When it comes to building an online presence, one that doesn't feel cringe or anything else related to social media, please ask your question below. Or if you feel like coming on and unmuting yourself and asking it live as well, and you're happy with that being on podcast, that's fine too. Yourself and asking it live as well, and you're happy with that being on podcast, that's fine too. Jasmine is asking um, when would you recommend making a website? This is fantastic. Another thing we go inside, uh, the program that I run, momentum, but I would say that when you're looking to create a website, it can really be done at any time in your performing arts career. I would say it's really crucial especially if you just graduated about branding yourself. That can be a really great way to start showcasing yourself as a professional.

Speaker 1:

The difference now between your social media and a website is social media is kind of just like this snapshot of who you are, but a website is when you start to have show reels, when you have a bit longer content that you can upload on there. Your headshots If you've got dance shots of yourself on there, you can also have on there. It's much easier for a casting team to see that and to really go in depth. You know they're not going to be distracted by any of your other content. They may be just sharing a little bit about you. It's really that online CV of you. So you can put photos on there recent work that you've done, gigs that you've done if there's any footage of that and that's what you have 100% control over as well your website Whereas Instagram and social media can come and go, but a website can be something that you can tap into and really just make it simple.

Speaker 1:

Again, our attention span is three seconds or less. So if you're looking for a website, think about, go back to your branding, think about the colors and the fonts. Make it really, really simple. Show yourself as someone that is smart and yeah, I can't go into depth with the explanation of what that looks like, as I do in a program that I run and of course, I've mentioned it many times. But if you want to go check that out, now is the time to go check that out, as we go into that in week five.

Speaker 1:

But, yes, I would say that there's not necessarily a best time to create a website. If you feel like you're in a place of where you're doing auditions and you're just looking for something else to put yourself out there, a website is a great time to do that. Where it isn't a great time to probably build a website, I would say if you're in your first year of training, that's more about learning your technique, who you are as an artist, getting your Instagram or your social media up to see that progression. But then, once you've graduated or you're about to graduate, I think that's a really good time to start looking at your website and starting to see some of the gigs that you're maybe starting to do or performances that you're starting to do. You can start to showcase that a little bit more on your own website and that will build over time as well.

Speaker 1:

But then, in saying that, I myself don't have a CV website, I just have my own CV and I use my Instagram and auditions and over that time of that I've now built connections and people within the industry. So it's not as relevant in a way, but I could totally. I've always myself thought about doing that. Recently, building a new website, yeah, I would always come back to. Just to finish off, this wonderful session is to always come back and ask yourself what's going to feel more supportive for me right now.

Speaker 1:

If it's going to add more overwhelm and anxiety to you to build a website right now, don't do that. Listen to yourself, listen to your body more than anything, and just know that there is no rush, right, there's no rush. You can take it step by step. Just start small and you'll not recognize yourself in a year from now. Remember improving 1% each day, showing up consistently. One year from now, you're going to be so further along than you could even imagine. So know that it's all built in those small moments. Wonderful, great questions. Everyone. Thank you so much for being on this call and this amazing community that we've built Again.

Speaker 1:

I'll finish off by saying if you're not a part of the Performance Mindset Hub, if you're watching this as a podcast episode, it is a free community so far.

Speaker 1:

It may be becoming upgraded to a paid one, so you want to get in now.

Speaker 1:

We currently have 55 members inside this group.

Speaker 1:

We only launched it, I believe, this year, so there's a lot of wonderful things happening in there, from yoga flows, audition prep tools and year. So there's a lot of wonderful things happening in there, from yoga flows, audition prep tools and just essentially, the community to be able to build confidence off from learning how. It's been amazing seeing you all actually connect together and ask questions about mindset and even journals and all different sorts. So it's a wonderful place if you're looking for a place to come in as an artist to learn more about mindset, but also to come in and feel supported by people that are exactly where you are Graduates looking to get into the industry and learn more about their mindset. And that's it. Everything that we've spoken about today will be in the show notes of this podcast episode and, as always, it's my pleasure and privilege to be able to coach and teach mentor students like yourself, and I will see you on the next episode. Bye-bye for now for everyone. Have a wonderful rest of your week and I will see you on future workshops.