The Ultimate Guide to Online Networking
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Networking.
Your greatest asset.
I wrote an extended blog post on the importance of People Skills in the last issue - so if you missed it and want a primer before this Newsletter - read it here.
Today I'll continue to teach you People Skills.
But before we start, here's a short intro to this topic.
You might have heard I'll host a live training on people skills later this month.
When I was tweeting about this on X - a couple of people pointed out another pain point:
They didn't know how to network online.
That's what we're covering today. :)
So! How do you network online in the best way?
Here are 10 secrets I do to network the best way, online:
1) Boost their dopamine
This is the main thing you want to do in networking. Whether in person - or online.
The more you boost their dopamine WHILE they spend time with you - the more time they want to spend with you.
They have made an association:
Spend time with X person = feeling good.
We humans want dopamine so badly. There are a ton of studies on this.
And you can see in this our behaviour.
Most spend way too much time scrolling their phones (that feeds them dopamine).
Most eat unhealthy food (which gives short-term dopamine.)
Most are fascinated on the idea of gambling (even thinking of it raises dopamine).
When you make a person feel good - they're more likely to remember you. And that's what you want, of course.
Now, what are good ways to raise their dopamine levels?
2) Say their name
People love hearing their names. Our names, of course, are special to us.
And not lots of people mention you by name... when you look at it from a certain point of view.
Your friends might call you "mate." Or "bro" or "sis".
All these are cool. But when networking, you want to mention their name.
Not only does it show you've listened to what their name is, but you're boosting their dopamine.
Now - don't mention their name in every sentence you write - that gets a little weird. But mention it here and there. Especially, the first time you're interacting with the person.
Examples!
When I say Good Morning on X - 99% of the time, I say...
"Good Morning [name of the person]."
1) This avoids repetition of "Good Morning" - which can get you shadowbanned for spam.
But it also
2) Boosts the person's dopamine.
You can say this when you're thanking someone. Or complimenting them. Or just saying hi or bye.
Takeaway: Say their name back.
But how do I consistently engage with the people I want?
That's our next step.
3) Don't be too repetitive
When you're trying to get someone's attention, you must stand out from the crowd.
Let's say the person you want to network with, has 50k+ followers on X.
What this most often means is, that they have lots of comments.
And lots of similar comments.
Especially if they're in the NFT space.
People will say GM to them all day long.
But... if 200+ people say GM - how likely is it that they're gonna care about your GM comment - when they don't know you?
I'd say very little.
Sure - if you are consistent with your GMs - and you GM every day for many months or a year - they might start to notice you.
But this is a maybe.
Many big players are busy people. They don't check their notifications often - and when they do - they don't pay attention to GMs that much.
(This is one of the reasons why in-person networking is much more effective.)
But when they do check them - make sure to stand out with your comment.
Maybe they post a piece of art with their Good Morning tweet.
Comment on the art. Maybe say...
"Loving the blues in that piece. Such an incredible piece of art. An amazing pick, [name of the person]!"
This way, you:
1) are not repetitive - and stand out
2) compliment them (which boosts their dopamine) AND
3) you mention their name - that boosts their dopamine further.
Let me tell you an example of NFT Paris I attended earlier in 2023.
There was this guy called Felix (hi if you're reading this).
I didn't know who was Felix. I met a ton of people at the event - and certainly forgot some of them.
But Felix stayed in my mind the most.
Why?
We talked about how difficult it is to remember names at times. And he mentioned this trick he does.
He said... (I'm paraphrasing):
“Connect the person's name with something funny. And you'll remember it better."
I was like wow this makes sense.
I don't remember if was it he - or did I learn it from somewhere else - but I knew I should only not connect them together. But imagine the connection as absurdly as possible.
Then... I, of course, thought about what connects Felix and something funny.
We in Finland have a ketchup called Felix - and I imagined Felix being a ketchup bottle.
Silly. I know. But that’s why it worked.
Sure, I remember him partly because of connecting him and something "funny".
But why I remember him the most, is that he connected the dots for me.
I was "upgraded" at that moment.
I couldn't see how this wouldn't be the case.
And when he taught this trick to me, my dopamine shot up.
I was so happy to have learned something new.
And now, Felix was my teacher at that moment. And he sticks out to me from NFT Paris the most out of anyone.
This all applies to online networking.
Stand out. Say things others don't. Boost their dopamine.
And...
4) Be consistent (and how to do that most easily)
Show up consistently to talk with this person.
If you comment on their post once a month - they're likely to not notice you (unless your comment is very different).
But the feed on X or other platforms can be an absolute mess.
So... you shouldn't rely on this.
This is what I do to consistently engage with the people I want:
1) I have notifications on
2) I have a list only for them
Let's dive deep into both of those.
1) Notifications on
I want to make this clear - don't have them on that they pop up when you're not on your phone. Or when you're in a different app.
I hate notifications. I can't understand how people can try to focus on work without them.
(But people keep them on because they get dopamine when they get a like, comment etc.)
So - I'd absolutely recommend to have them OFF overall.
But I love how X has it.
You can enable someone's notifications, but not have them pop up in the normal notification way. Let me explain.
This is what my X notification tab looks like. This is on the top of it.
(Translation: “New post notifications from funghibull and 4 others.)
There is a list of accounts I have notifications "on" for.
What they have tweeted, I can find out by pressing the blue area.
This way, I won't miss tweets by them. And... I won't get distracted by continuous notifications.
So how to do this?
1) Enable notifications for people in-app WHILE having notifications ON for your entire app.
2) When you’re done -> Switch notifications OFF for X in your phone settings.
This I find to be a game changer.
Now step 2 - The Lists
What is a list on X? It's a list of tweets from people you've selected for the list.
You can follow lists from others. But also, create your own ones.
(That's what I do.)
I have loads of lists. I'm gonna admit. Probably 5-8.
Do I use them all? I don't.
But you can pin 5 lists that show up next to "For you" and "Following".
Let me give you a peek at my lists I have not shown before.
So my lists:
1) The people I want to engage with (the largest list)
2) "Risers" (people who could boost my career loads)
3) Collab (people I want to collab later on)
4) Noble (as I want to be part of them)
5) Collectors
Here I have lots of people organized accordingly.
No longer do I need to worry if will I see their tweets on my feed. It's not down to the algo anymore.
Now that you're doing all these steps, this next is crucial:
5) Have a good-looking profile
Ask yourself: "Does my profile look like it could have 1 million followers?"
If the answer is no, it needs changing.
The text you have on your profile - matters.
It's one of the first things people see when checking your profile out.
I say:
- My age
- I'm a photographer
- And that I help creatives achieve their full potential
+ I mention I was part of the 6529 Memes (to add more authority).
What should you include? To be honest, many things can work.
But the question that will get you far is:
"Does my profile look like it could have 1 million followers?"
Only you'll know how that looks for you.
If you lack ideas, check out other people's profiles. And see what ideas you get from there.
Next up...
Your profile picture.
Ah, this is so important - that it partly pisses me off to see people with a poor-quality selfie profile pics.
Don't be one of those (and if you are, change it).
Why?
Is it professional to have a poor picture of yourself?
Could a profile like that have a million followers?
Unlikely. But maybe - if you're already famous (like actors, directors and so on).
What if I'm anon - and don't want my face to be shown?
That's fine. Although having a picture of yourself can make people connect with you better - it's not the biggest deal to not have yourself in the pic.
But... having a great quality pic matters.
Whether it's you. Or a PFP NFT you own. Have it high quality.
I don't mean resolution-wise - as X and other platforms compress it.
But in a style wise. Does it look professional? That's what matters.
6) Send them something that reminds you of them
Don’t underestimate this. This will make you strengthen the relationship between you two – a lot.
For example, I had joked on the timeline with @teexels and he came to my mind when I was scrolling some photos I had taken.
I sent that to him – and we had a little laugh.
You could:
- send information you think they could find helpful
- send a pic from your travels you talked about
- send a picture of… dogs if you both like dogs…
It can be anything. Just like many share social media posts with their friends. And especially like the youth, they share TikTok posts and so on.
Sharing bonds you together.
7) Make a Thread about them (or mention them in one)
This can require quite a lot of work. But this is a great way to stand out.
Let's say you admire an artist.
You love their art. And you want to connect with them.
So why not do a thread on analyzing their art? And then having them tagged, of course.
This way, they're much more likely to notice you.
And, attention is power.
When you do 1 comment under an artist's post - it can be seen. But it'll be fast-scrolled by.
BUT - if you make a thread - now the readers must pay more (with their attention) to read what you have to say.
And the more people spend time reading, the more likely they'll check your profile.
Of course, the thread will not only get you seen - but the artist will get a dopamine boost.
How huge? Depending on the size of the artist I guess.
Most artists have never had a thread made analyzing or talking about their art. But then some bigger ones have. But everyone appreciates you making the effort.
My friend Ben Skaar, made a fantastic post on Sam Spratt's work back in the day.
I don't know if he was just being nice - or strategically wanting to connect with Sam better.
(Connecting and being kind often go hand-in-hand.)
The thread was a huge success. Not only did Sam like it - but massive players in the NFT space commented and shared the thread - like Cozomo.
Here's the thread he made. Check it out for some inspiration for your threads.
Now, if you don't want to make a big thread on analyzing someone's content - maybe - you make a thread on a topic that interests you.
For example, I made a larger thread on X about why 4 hours of work per day is enough to succeed. In this, I mentioned 3 people.
Sure, to show proof for 4 hours is enough. But to connect better with the 3 creators.
Here's the screenshot. Charles (@HODLFrance) is already a friend of mine - but Grant and Ali are still people I want to get to know. :)
Make an effort for your already-existing friendships. And make an effort to make new ones.
Those who put in effort will get rewarded more than those who don't bother to.
8) Share people's posts
But when you do share them, also share your own comments.
On Instagram, you can do this on your Story and by adding some comments of your own to it.
On X, you can QT and tell your own comments.
On Instagram, don't forget to tag the creator. This way, they can re-share your Story.
On X, you don't need to tag them - as the share automatically pops up to their Notifications. And they can share it with their own audience.
Every creator who knows the power of testimonials loves it when other people QT their work.
(For those who don't know, testimonials sell better than anything you say.)
So, when you're sharing a post with your own comments;
1) You give them marketing material (which they appreciate)
2) You boost their dopamine further AND
3) You stand out by sharing that way. (Most don't bother putting a few comments).
9) The Main thing in Networking
This point, I'll just keep very simple. As the point itself is very simple.
Find what connects you two.
That's how you bond.
If you know the person you want to connect with likes cars - but you don't know anything about them - DON'T TALK ABOUT CARS!
(Sure, you can be curious and ask why are they passionate about cars. But you can’t connect on this topic.)
Networking is all about finding the things that connect you. Ignore the things that don't.
This leads us to our last step...
10) The most important thing:
Don't pretend to be interested. Be interested.
People can see if you're writing a long answer for someone just wishing they answer. Or that they check your profile. They aren't stupid.
Maybe you've done this. I guess most of us in the NFT space have.
And many also on Instagram and other platforms.
Be actually curious. See what you find interesting.
Example;
I love lore and mythology. And when someone builds their own world. Like Sam Spratt.
I love his work. So of course, I compliment it.
But lore is the thing I love the most about what he does. So I have commented on that quite a lot in the past.
When I met Sam in NFT NYC this year (2023), he recognized me. I don't know how did he recognize me. But I would bet - it was because of I have been commenting on his post. And not in a general way;
"Amazing art man"
"Wow that's cool"
"Those colours *insert fire emojis*" (lol)
But I actually commented on what I liked. And in a different way than others.
That's my theory on how he recognized me.
The same thing could be said for many of the other connections I've made in the last 2 years.
Both IRL - and online.
Ask or comment on things you care about.
Everyone is unique. So you want to get answers to different things than some people. Thus, you'll stand out. And you increase your chances of getting noticed.
Be you. Don't pretend to care if you don't. Ask what you want to ask.
What next?
Now you know how to network online. Amazing!
But guess what’s even better than online networking? Yes, in-person networking.
Online networking is amazing – and you can potentially reach any person you want. No matter how famous
BUT – as it often is the case:
The people who could change your life – are extremely busy. And won’t check their notifications that much. And might not scroll their timeline at all.
That’s why you want to embrace networking face-to-face.
The bad news is… that it’s a totally different game to online networking.
Sure – some things overlap (like boosting their dopamine and showing interest).
But for example… did you know – that 80% of your first impression is non-verbal?
Yes, that means, they have made their mind up 80% of you BEFORE you have shared A SINGLE WORD.
That’s why one needs to study for it separately.
And of course, you need to be able to carry on the conversations IN THAT MOMENT.
You don’t have “endless” time to figure out how to respond.
IRL networking is definitely a challenge. It was a massive challenge for me. That’s why I went on a crazy obsessive journey and learned as much as possible about it.
I’ve made a ton of strong connections with these skills. And have got to places I didn’t think I’d get to.
I want you can do the same. And that’s why, I’m hosting Social Mastery - a live training on this on October 23rd. (You’ll get a recording if you can’t make it then).
My promise is that after the training, you’ll be able to:
✅ get more opportunities
✅ get paid more / get more sales
✅ eliminate the awkwardness in conversations
✅ explain your ideas with much more clarity
✅ be able to be confident in social situations
✅ be able to make a great first impression WITHOUT using a word
✅ be able to THRIVE in networking events and no longer waste your money with them - as now you can actually network
✅ be able to start and end a conversation without awkwardness
✅ be able to read the other person - their emotions - and know what exactly to say...
No longer will you...
❌ painfully watch opportunities slip by your fingers (as you didn't know how to approach someone)
❌ have extremely awkward conversations
❌ run out of what to say
❌ have to think whether you should hug or handshake someone
❌ read the other person completely wrong and step on their toes
❌ make terrible first impressions - and miss out on great connections
+ more.
Basically, I’m sharing everything I know about networking with you.
This way, you don’t have to go through the same pain I did to get these skills.
Enroll here!
“Hugo - does what you teach actually work?”
Here are 5 screenshots of whom I’ve networked with these tips I’ll teach you:
See you at the training. Make sure to sign up before the enrollment closes. 😊
Enroll here.
(If you can’t join for any reason, you’ll still receive these Newsletters weekly!! If you’re subscribed, of course. Subscribe from the form below.)
Here’s the link once more to Social Mastery:
Enroll now before enrollments close.
Hugo
(P.s. Feel free to share this with a friend. I put so much effort into this Newsletter – and would love to spread the knowledge I’ve gathered on online networking. Thank you!)
