So, You Want To Be An Influencer?

The guy giving away $100k on Twitter, Gary V., and behavior that stands out.

Photo by Y. Peyankov on Unsplash

There’s an interesting movement happening. People are talking about their “personal brands.” I’m seeing more and more people attempting to become “influencers” on social media.

As the internet gets more democratized, more and more people are able to share themselves with the world. In general, I think this is a good thing.

The only trouble is that I see a lot of the same behavior. I see a lot of the same posts. I see a lot of the same approach toward becoming an influencer. And that’s sort of backwards, right?

An influencer is someone people listen to because they’re unique or they stand out from others.

Let’s take, for instance, Mr. Beast. Mr. Beast is known on YouTube for his elaborate stunts and pranks. I’m not sure how he started out, but these days, he does massive giveaways and gets his fans involved in unique ways. He’s currently at around 56 million subscribers—which, if you don’t know, is absolutely insane. He’s like the Bill Gates of YouTube.

This last week, he launched “finger on the app” for the second time. The idea is that you download an app to your smartphone. When the timer starts, you move your finger on the moving orb without taking it off your screen. The last person standing wins $100,000.

This is so simple, yet I’ve never heard of anyone else doing something like it.

Of course, if you’re trying to be known for your important work in Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, developing an app and giving away $100,000 probably doesn’t make sense—but my point is about uniqueness.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Gary Vaynerchuck, but he said something a few years ago that still resonates with me:

“If you want to be an anomaly, you need to start acting like one.”

I think this is true for anyone who is trying to make something happen.

It’s tempting to follow the route that we see others take.

Write articles for LinkedIn, post quotes on Instagram, give a talk at a conference, maybe even write a book. All those things are fine, but they’re just the channels. The way in which you engage with people through those channels must be unique enough to stand out from the crowd.

If you want people to remember you for something, you’ll need to do something memorable—something different.

Consider this an attempt to encourage you to challenge yourself about your approach to whatever you’re working on. I hope it’s a helpful one.