Muskan Sabharwal’s Post

Hey everyone! Ecstatic to announce that I’ll be joining Indian Institute of Management, Indore, this year for their flagship PGP program❤️ After almost 2 years of highs and lows wrt mock scores and interviews, this feels like the perfect new chapter. Excited for how it all will go :) 

I am a big HYPOCRITE. I don’t follow what I preach. If you read what I write, I talk about consistency 24/7. For who? Creators. I am a LinkedIn creator myself. Yet, I did not post anything in the last 7 days. And I have a bunch of excuses. Firstly, I went on a family vacation after 18 months. I planned to work while commuting but oh well- Secondly, I am moving out of home soon. There’s so much to pack! My room is a mess. I’ll be living alone for the first time. (Life update coming soon xd) Thirdly, I have to write for my clients. I did not plan and procrastinated. There were so many drafts to write. I can choose not to be consistent. But I have to ensure my clients are consistent. Cause I get paid for that, lol. I struggled with creating content for myself. Cause I had no time. No energy. No will. Plus a MAJOR writer’s block. I had literally no ideas in my head. Which I feel is okay. I would’ve written something mediocre if I tried. Because I would’ve been doing it for the sake of the C word. However - it is ALL ON ME. I need to plan my content better. Because life happens. I need to stop relying on impromptu ideas. And follow what I preach! Fellow creators, help me out. How do you post every day? #linkedin #writing #freelance #client #personalbranding #content

I analyzed over 500+ LinkedIn Viral Posts last night and found something VERY INTERESTING - less than 10% were well written. A month back, I attended a LinkedIn workshop and we got an Excel sheet with links for viral posts. And I was definitely surprised. When we think of a Viral Post, we picture something: > Amazingly written and easy to read. > Provides Value + Relatability. > Tells a story that touches our hearts. I pictured something similar too. All of these posts had 1,00,000+ likes and thousands of reposts. What was common in all of them? They were generic. Don’t believe me? Here are some paraphrased examples of the storylines: > Stop calling your colleagues your friends. Don’t trust anyone - they will stab you in the back. > HR Managers, give freshers a chance! You have a chance to make someone’s career. > Personal stories about UPSC/ NEET/ CA exams, etc. ( You’d see a lot of Edtech companies using this) These stories emotionally attack the core audience of LinkedIn aka Job seekers (plus people in unhappy jobs). I’ve personally seen so-called personal branding strategists randomly posting about this every once in two weeks to get their influx of followers. Reliability sells. Using emotions goes a long way. And does not matter how well you write or the value you provide - you can never predict success on social media platforms. And that’s a harsh truth. #personalbranding #marketing #linkedin #growth #socialmedia

LinkedIn can be a VERY demotivating platform. Most people here are: > Flexing their 6-figure-incomes. > Posting workcation pictures from resorts. > Getting into top firms/colleges. Result? We end up not feeling good enough. Imposter syndrome kicks in. Looks like everyone is richer/smarter here. Questioning: What am I doing with my life? Two years back, I used to feel the same. Having read thousands of ‘success’ stories now, they don’t affect me anymore. Why should I be jealous of a random stranger I’ve never met? Most people are showing you one side of the coin. You see that agency owner flexing about earning $$$ - they are facing their own battles. It is possible that they’re overworked and stressed. The situation is never rosy. People fabricate lies all the time. And lastly, how to not let the platform impact you? Scroll and forget. Retain valuable information. And sleep peacefully at night :) #linkedin #mindset #socialmedia #socialmediacontent #success #like

How to land your first freelance client (without any experience). You do need a skill like Copywriting, Graphic designing, etc. ( v imp) If you have a skill, the process to get started is simple. 1. Create a basic portfolio. I designed mine on Notion. Clients want to see some proof of work. Create distinct samples. If you are a copywriter - Take random brands and write copies for them. Make it diversified and distinct. 2. Have an offer that solves problems and creates FOMO. ‘I will help you build a 5K+ community in 90 days’ ‘I will help you increase your impressions by 50%’ This will make things easier for you and your clients. BUT make sure to deliver these results. Don’t overpromise. 3.  Now that you have a portfolio and offer - focus on pitching. What all you can do- > Attend meetings and networking events offline. I landed my first high profile client via this. Best part? I wasn’t even trying to sell. Basic conversation. After the meet, she texted to book a meet. Yay! > Build in public. I talk about my work and clients on LinkedIn. Start creating content on Twitter/ LinkedIn/ IG. Subtly tell people that you’re open to work. And talk about why do they need you. Do this consistently and people will reach out to you. > Outreach. Send 10-15 cold messages a day. Use your irresistible offer to pitch people. You can offer to do a sample for free. I wrote a free post for a few prospects. And it worked well. It had a major downside though. (See comments) Lastly, it is all about being consistent. Deliver value and show results to everyone. Clients will come to you :) #ghostwriting #copywriting #freelancing #linkedin #networking #community #freelance #writing #marketing #personalbranding

What to NOT DO if you create content on LinkedIn. Our feeds are full of advice and generic gyaan. > Post 7 days a week > Comment 100 times a day > Text 50 people a day Result? People are chasing quantity over quality. Don’t kill your online brand by doing these (annoying) mistakes: 1) ChatGPT Comments Two words: Just don’t. These are spottable from a mile away. Put just a bit more effort and give your opinion. Commenting for the sake of commenting is useless. 2) Generic connection requests Yes, writing something differentiates you from 90% of people. But don’t copy paste same things to everyone. ‘We are in the same industry and would love to learn from you’ I have 50+ requests that say the same^ Make it a bit personalized. Just a bit. 3) Frequent long posts I’m guilty of ignoring this. Write the first draft. And then cut it short. Be precise and to the point. Most people scan and don’t read word for word. How you present your content is important. Lastly, the biggest mistake would be quitting. Personal branding is not a get-famous-quick scheme. Takes time and effort. Keep posting :) #content #marketing #branding #personalbranding #startup #contentwriting #marketingstrategy #linkedin #growth #brand

I’ve been financially independent since I started college. Here’s how I made it happen: Earning money is tough when you’re 18 and have no skills. Plus - less than 20% of people secure a decent paying internship. ( and asking parents for money to eat at some decent cafe leads to guilt :/ ) Things that worked for me: > DU Competitions -  I have earned cash prizes as low as Rs 250 to as high as Rs 5,000 per competition. I have probably participated in over 100 competitions - mock stocks, case studies, debates, etc. Find a decent team and stick to them. However - do understand that this is NOT an easy process. I have way more losses than wins. > Freelancing - I took freelancing seriously a couple of months back. I work in Content Marketing and help founders out with their LinkedIn strategy and content. In my second year, I used to work on blogs and web copies. Managed this alongside my internship :) > Good ‘paid’ internships - Thankfully, I’ve had an opportunity to work at places with decent pay + flexible routine. Internships paid me between Rs 10,000-25,000 per month. Finding a decent internship takes effort. I used LinkedIn and Angellist to find work opportunities. > Collaborative projects - I worked on different marketing/research projects on a short-term basis. For example - I worked with a founder to help him set up an initial launch plan and help set SOPs. You can try teaching tuition and solving doubts on different platforms like Chegg. All of these things require a headstart - don’t get into these for the sole motive of earning money. Get started and keep going - you’ll get where you want to be. #college #university #internship #linkedin #student #finance #tuition