Why you should share how you do (and think!) with your community
You have knowledge to share, and you may be wondering if you should share it for free. Sometimes, giving away valuable insight can actually net you more in the long run.
How can I share my mission while giving back to those in my community?
Every professional should ask themselves this question.
For startup founders, their community is often other founders or those who are touched by the problem they’re trying to solve. For many founders with a mission, it can be energizing to talk about the issues that are plaguing their particular communities, but they may feel like they don’t have the time to do so.
When you’re stretched thin as it is, why and how should you impart your knowledge to those who want to listen?
how DO you share your knowledge regularly without burning out?
Provide value to your community in a manner that is authentic and enjoyable for you.
Why This Works
This works because you're a passionate founder with a dream. And in sharing insights on a topic you're passionate about and can authentically speak about, you're creating reciprocal value for a community of like-minded peers.
Okay, so that’s cheesy, but it’s not wrong, is it? This works because you have something impactful to say and you’re doing something you enjoy.
Startups are launched because someone saw a problem that needed to be solved. Through your founder journey, you’ve learned a lot of lessons and gathered your own perspective on many topics. While you are building your startup to solve a specific problem, you can help even more by sharing what you know.
Why Do This Now
The real question is: why not do this now?
The idea behind this concept is to do something that you enjoy, something that fills up your cup. If you choose a medium that you like working in, this project should make you feel like you’re simply doing an activity you enjoy, not completing another tedious task on your to-do list.
There’s no better time to start doing what you love than right now.
As a founder, you started your company because you wanted to make the world better, in whatever way makes the most sense to you. Help do so, in part by sharing your unique knowledge with those who need it most: those who were in your shoes before.
how We Do: Figure out how to share your unique knowledge and insight in a way that fills your cup.
Find the right medium for your voice
Writing. Use LinkedIn posts or create a newsletter where you regularly share your knowledge for free. Cadence and reliability are key here. Pssssst…there’s this cool newsletter for startup founders and operators called “how We Do.” Not sure if you’ve heard of it…
Speaking on “Lives” or a podcast. Social media platforms offer excellent opportunities to connect with your community live. Use those regularly to share your knowledge and answer questions that people have in real-time. Alternatively, pre-record a podcast where you share information that recently inspired, supported or helped you.
Hosting office hours. Use a platform like Zoom to hold regular office hours where people can come and pick your brain about particular topics.
Joining a community. Where do your people hang out? That’s where you should be. Get in there and contribute! Answer questions, add comments, and share knowledge without expecting anything in return. Who knows, maybe they’ll DM you for more information!
Mentoring. Every community has newbies. What did you need when you started? Endeavor to be that person for someone else.
Sit down and write out what you enjoy and what energizes you. Is there a certain creative medium that you find yourself always doing back to in your downtime?
Next, write down what drains you. What is a daily or weekly task that you put off until the last possible second because thinking about doing it makes your soul leave your body?
Use these lists to help inform which method you’ll use to share your insight. Does the thought of getting in front of a camera make you wish your face would melt off? Social media Lives may not be for you. Does the sound of your fingers flying across your keyboard make you feel like you’re actually flying? Maybe writing is the way to go!
Next, take this one step further. Just because others in your space are sharing their experiences in one way, doesn’t mean that you have to as well. Maybe you don’t mind writing, but you find yourself blanking when it comes to long-form blog posts. Can you write something shorter? Can you express your ideas by writing fiction instead? Whatever helps you get your unique ideas out there that are uniquely you is the way to go.
Tools 🛠️
Leaning on the “why” above, the tools that you use to support the “how” depends on the format that most excites you:
Newsletter platforms such as Substack, Beehiiv, or LinkedIn
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok
Collaboration and community tools such as Zoom, Google Suite, Slack, Circle, Discord, or Reddit
Rules (Process) 📝
Carry this out in a way you enjoy makes it sustainable. You’re too busy to take on yet another draining task. Find a way to share your insight that fills your cup, rather than burns you out (framework for this below!).
Don’t wait too long! Once you have an idea, run with it! The hardest part is starting. You can always make the excuse of not having enough to start, but it will come with more experience as you go. Don’t get in your own way.
Also, remember that you don’t have to produce everything alone! Rely on your team and others in your space to create more. Support others! Plus, the author will cross-post your content on their channels. Backlinks, anyone!?
Fun fact: it’s possible that no one will care at first. You may be doing LinkedIn Lives for 0 people or you’ll get 0 subscribers to your newsletter for the first few weeks or months. JUST. KEEP. GOING. *This is where liking what you’re doing comes into play - if you’re enjoying yourself, it doesn’t matter if anyone cares, right?
Be willing to pivot. If you’re burnt out or you’re not getting any traction after several months, don’t be afraid to find a new way!
People 🫶
One of the biggest misconceptions you can have here is that you need to do all of this alone - stop! Whether you’re creating a newsletter or producing a podcast, there are plenty of people who can help you out. Lean on your team and other collaborators, especially when you’re running low on energy and ideas. After all, they have their own unique perspectives to share, too, and may welcome a thought partner. Just make sure you credit them for their work and share it far and wide!
Ensure that you're reaching the right audience with your content. Share information that's relevant to your niche and make it easily accessible to your audience, no matter where they are.
Even if you aren’t converting people regularly, that’s okay! In fact, your goal should truly be helping your community - this is an altruistic effort. However, the more you put yourself out there, the more people will see you as a thought leader and refer others to you.
Actually Actionable
Nice article. Now what?
We’ve taken the ideas above and created an action plan for you and your team.
Brainstorm what you want to share and where to share it (1 Hour)
Figure out which topics you’ll share and where you’ll share them
Decide who will be producing the content and how often
Framework for deciding on what to share and how to share it (2 Hours)
A. Who is your community?
Founders in a particular niche, moms of toddlers, those who need help landing a career in tech? Find your people!
B. What do you enjoy doing?
Writing, public speaking, mentoring, creating video content? What medium are you excited about?
C. How can you give to your community selflessly?
Give brands more visibility, provide empathy and tips, offer tactical advice, strategic insights, interview “experts”?
"I'm going to use [B] to help [A] by doing [C]."
Time Investment
Written word. You can create a buttoned-up newsletter that goes through several rounds of editing, or you can create LinkedIn posts that are typed without being polished. Some of that unpolished content actually performs better. (15 min - several hours)
“Lives” or a podcast. Timing here depends on how “produced” you want the final product to be. If you want to make podcast episodes that have a script and are highly edited, this will take more time than hopping on LinkedIn live and chatting about a topic for a half hour. (30 minutes - several hours)
Join a community. Dedicate time daily or weekly to see if there are any questions within your community that you can respond to authentically. (30 minutes)
Mentoring. Hop on a daily or monthly call with one or two mentees to help them with whatever they’re struggling with at that particular moment. (1 hour)
Before you go
This is genuinely an undertaking in giving, however, it doesn’t come without its benefits.
Becoming a thought leader in your community is a great way to attract new people to you and your company. The more you put yourself and your knowledge out there, the more value you attach to your experiences, perspectives, and offerings. By pushing out valuable insights, an engaged audience is the byproduct of quality, authentic, and impactful content. And, in doing so, you’re giving back to and supporting others in a genuinely authentic manner while growing and having fun along the way.
Writer: Renata
Interested in working with Renata through of All Trades to transform your marketing operations? Email founder@weofalltrades.com for more on how to bring her in as an embedded operator in your startup.