Ascend 101

Lessons about building a one-person business, writing, and self-improvement

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The road from 0 to 1,000 followers is the most difficult one.

You:

– lack social proof
– get no eyes on your content
– still have to figure everything out
– feel lost while everyone seems to know what they’re doing

But luckily for you. The solution, while sometimes tedious, is straightforward.

It’s all about engaging with others. Building connections gets you from 0 to 1,000 followers. How much (and how well) you reach out to others determines the speed of your growth.

Engaging and reaching out can be done in numerous ways. Today we’ll focus on one of the most important ones. Sending DMs.

Not only is this the most personal method that allows you to make the deepest, longest-lasting connections. It’s also the foundation for building trust and setting up sales calls. So the more practice you get, the better.

Step 1) Find someone you want to DM

Let’s make it clear from the start. You don’t have to DM everyone you come across. That’d be exhausting and unproductive.

You only want to DM people you:

– are inspired by
– would want to work with
– would want to strategize with
– see potential for mutual benefit with

This also makes you more authentic. You actually have a reason to DM people. You can just be yourself.

Too often people try to DM everyone. People they don’t care about. It’s hard to get a genuine conversation going that way. Trust me. I’ve been there.

Start by DM’ing people that are more or less within your follower range. And work your way up.

Example

– At 500 followers aim to connect with people at 500–1500
– At 1000, aim for people with 2000–3000
– At 5000, aim for 5000–10000
– At 10000, aim for 20k–30k

Where do you find people to DM?

– In the reply area of your favorite big accounts
– In the “following” list of accounts that you like
– In your timeline as accounts your peers engage with

Step 2) Send a genuine compliment

First impressions matter. Be nice. Genuine. And thoughtful.

Send them a piece of content they made that resonated with you and tell them. Share why it resonated and what you liked about it.

Give a thoughtful comment about how their profile looks or what they talk about.

Don’t say “Hey I like your tweets”. Be specific. What tweet? Why? What made it stand out?

Bonus: look for tweets that got less engagement. Even better if you see they were passionate about it. If they put a lot of work/thought into a piece of content and it flopped then it’d be even more meaningful to them if you complimented it.

Step 3) Show interest

Ask them about:

– their goals
– what they’re building
– what they do for work
– how long they’ve been on Twitter
– what made them decide to start on Twitter

The best way to go about it is to imagine you’re at a house party. Introduce yourself to people and start asking questions about them. Don’t be a weirdo and start pitching what you do for work or asking people “to connect”.

Have a normal conversation like you would otherwise. Show you’re friendly and not overly formal.

Step 4) Lead with value

The goal now is to show people you’re not just in it to get something. Whether that be a follow, engagement, or a new client.

Show them you’re a giver. Give without an expectation to get anything in return. We’re here to build goodwill first. A following/a bank account second.

These are your first options:

– See where you can help
– Send actionable tips (tips they can implement immediately)
– Send resources, systems, or videos you’ve created

No matter what you may think. You always have value to give people.

Even if you don’t have enough knowledge about the subject or haven’t created anything. You can always:

– send a resource someone else made
– connect them with someone else in your network
– just continue having a friendly conversation and keep showing interest (too many people on Twitter take things way too seriously)

Step 5) Get on a call to make a deeper connection

I’d like to say this is optional. But this is a real game-changer. It’s easy to message people and start hundreds of conversations. But how many of those are actually meaningful and memorable?

Hopping on calls with people will make a much deeper connection. Seeing each other “face-to-face” is priceless. They’ll remember you like no other. You can show them your authentic personality and mannerism. You can connect so much better.

If you want to make long-lasting connections. Hopping on calls is the way to go.

All you need is a Calendly account:

– Create an event (call it “social calls”, doesn’t actually matter much)
– Fill in your availability
– Send the link to people asking if they’d like to hop on a call sometime soon to get to know each other better

Step 6) Follow up

The initial conversation will eventually die out. That’s alright.

Wait a few days. Maybe even a week. And hit them up again and offer some more value. This could be another resource you’ve found/created. An idea you came up with. Or someone new you’ve met that they’d be interested in getting to know as well.

Example:

– “Hey ____! I remember you telling me about your plans for ____. I found this today and thought it could be useful for you.”

Step 7) Make an ask

Once you’ve built a solid connection. Meaning that you’ve given value to the point where they are ready to return the favor.

Then you can:

– ask them to join a mastermind group
– send them a post of yours that you put a lot of time into
– ask specific questions you have without paying for consulting

If you’re sharing a post of yours hoping to leverage their audience. Be sure that it’s a post they’d want to share. It has to align with their content and the wants/needs of their audience.

Example:

– “Hey man. I just posted this and thought you'd enjoy it. It was inspired by our previous conversation.”

Do not ask for engagement. Let them decide for themselves. They will share it if it’s something they like.

Wrap-up

This is the only 7-step framework you need for building connections through your DMs. That being said. Pitching and selling your offer requires a slightly different approach.

One which is built on a different framework. A framework focused on educating your prospect and moving them up the levels of awareness.

Reply to this email if you’d like to know more about that framework as well. If enough people show interest I’ll make it the subject for next week’s email.

Until then. Have a great week. And start building those connections.

Cheers,
Alex

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P.S.

Whenever you’re ready. Here’s how I can help you:

1. Hop on a Clarity Call with me: Remove all of your uncertainty. Get clear on what you have to do, when you have to do it, and how. Let’s get you on the right track to achieving the freedom you deserve.

2. Work 1-on-1 with me: We’ll determine where you stand and where you want to go. Then we’ll devise a roadmap to get you from A to B. And get you there in the next 30–60 days.

3. Download all my products for FREE: Ranging from every resource I ever read to everything I know about content creation. It’s all waiting for you to claim it. Start your journey to financial freedom the right way.

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