5 Social Media Mistakes That Cost Me Money

1. I hid behind the brilliance of other people.

I used to caption my photos on social media with lyrics from badass songs and Rumi quotes. I was so caught up in looking “cool” that I ended up hiding my heart behind other people’s brilliance. Ultimately, didn’t allow my audience to feel close to the real me because I was afraid of what people would think. 

2. I focused on the wrong metrics.

3 years ago I got twice as many likes per post as I do today. But 3 years ago, I was making $5,000 a month as a photographer, and this year I am averaging $15k per month. As likes went down, profit went up. When I started to focus on bringing real value to the lives of a niche audience, I connected more deeply with my dream clients. It took a couple bruises to my ego to learn this lesson.

3. I searched for the perfect words.

I added all sorts of fancy words because I badly want to be understood and respected. But each word created distance between my heart and the audience. I now know that the TRUTH is not in the words you use; it’s what you feel in your heart. And the closer your audience feels to your heart, the faster you can work with them.

4. I didn’t take enough risks.

There’s a direct correlation between content that nauseates me and content that leads to paid bookings from my dream client. In fact, my most profitable post this year is the one where I shared that I have $43,000+ of debt. If you would have told me this last year, I’d call you crazy. But as it turns out, knowing that I am REAL matters just as much as my ability to take great photos. 

5. I asked for money too often.

Last year, every post had an ask. It wasn’t forceful; just a part at the bottom of each post that had a call to action to my promo for that month. I’ve stopped doing this for 80% of my posts. My philosophy changed here: I focus on delivering SO MUCH VALUE that my audience feels inspired to contact me. And before we talk about my current promo, I want us to talk about life first. By the time we’re ready to talk about photos, the conversation is less about “Should I book?” and more about “When will I book?”

Have you made any of these mistakes too? Please tell me it's not just me. Share your fave from my list above or share your own below, so that we can all grow together. #strongtogether