Without self-promotion, many of the success stories you’ve heard of likely wouldn’t be possible. To succeed and make progress, you need to be willing to take risks and put yourself out there. Self-promotion can evoke feelings of vulnerability, but it’s an indisputable way to receive your due recognition.
Your professional growth depends on your ability to advocate for yourself. What’s more, knowing how to promote yourself can result in promotions, job offers, and new opportunities. Learn when and how to discuss your achievements with others to strengthen your career prospects.
What is self-promotion?
Self-promotion is when you highlight your accomplishments or something you’ve made. By doing this, you showcase your experience and competency to others. It also helps you reach industry experts and share your talents.
Self-promotion isn’t about bragging or “tooting your own horn.” It’s simply knowing how to present your best self and the evidence of your hard work. Self-promotion can also involve leadership campaigns, marketing your product or service, or gaining an audience on social media.
Anyone can take part in self-promotion: entrepreneurs, business owners, contractors, artists, and more. Self-promotion is a great way to work on your personal brand and broadcast your name. Whether you’re preparing for an interview or changing your career, you can use self-promotion to help you stand out from the crowd.
Where is self-promotion necessary?
There’s a difference between appropriate self-promotion and shameless self-promotion. Making this distinction requires tact and emotional intelligence. Promoting yourself at an inappropriate time could potentially backfire. As with most conversations, there’s a time and place for everything.
Here are a few examples of situations in which self-promotion can be a good idea:
- Requesting credit as a contributor for a project you helped with
- Describing your strengths and weaknesses in job interviews
- Meeting with potential investors to discuss your startup business
- Highlighting your leadership skills
- Writing an article or research paper and sharing it with others
- Posting a promotion announcement or award you’ve won
- Discussing with your boss how you increased company profits
The following are examples of inappropriate times for self-promotion:
- At an awards ceremony for another person
- Immediately after a colleague shares their accomplishments
- At a wedding or birthday party
- When someone else is discussing their problems or emotional hardships
Why is self-promotion so challenging?
If you’re someone who struggles with self-promotion, perhaps you feel awkward talking about yourself. Maybe you worry about coming off as a braggart. Or, maybe you struggle with imposter syndrome and don’t feel your own accomplishments are worth talking about.
Women especially struggle with these feelings. A 2022 study in “The Quarterly Journal of Economics” highlighted the gender gap in self-promotion when it comes to male-dominated fields. Women assessed their work less favorably than equally performing men, ranking themselves an average of 13 points lower. How individuals evaluate their performance may influence future decisions and their success.
However, modesty doesn’t necessarily work in your favor. An article from Harvard Business Review describes how people respond more positively to self-promotion when prompted. Refusing to talk about achievements can result in being negatively perceived by others.
It’s not uncommon to undermine your skills and feel uncomfortable discussing your strengths. Representing yourself by speaking realistically about both your strengths and faults may help. But rising above and getting out of your comfort zone is a worthwhile effort. By overcoming self-doubt and learning how to believe in yourself, you can master the art of self-promotion.
Tips for self-promotion
Since self-promotion can be tricky, it helps to know how to approach the subject. If done correctly, promoting yourself will appear natural and not egotistical. Developing the confidence for savvy self-promotion can even make you appear more personable.
Following these tips can result in more effective self-promotion:
- Uplift others: Give credit where credit is due. If you notice your coworker has been working hard on a project, provide positive feedback. If anyone has assisted you or contributed to your success, acknowledge their help. Sharing the glory is part of essential teamwork skills.
- Be honest: Avoid making exaggerated claims about your accomplishments or capabilities. It’s important to be and present your best self. At the same time, you don’t want to set unrealistic expectations and then get overwhelmed by the standards others hold you to. A personal SWOT analysis can show your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. In turn, you can self-promote from a place of honesty and awareness.
- Practice conversations: If you’re nervous to talk about yourself, it’s common to stumble over your words. Rehearsing an elevator pitch, answers to interview questions, or other conversations can boost your confidence. You can do this with family, friends, or even with yourself in the mirror.
18 strategies for self-promotion across environments
The next step is figuring out how and where to implement self-promotion. These top strategies for promoting yourself can help you ease into feeling comfortable in the spotlight. The workplace, networking events, and the internet are all great places to start.
Self-promotion in the workplace
The workplace is perhaps the most important place to practice effective self-promotion. Of all the people who should know your value, your boss and coworkers are certainly among them. Much of self-promotion at work simply involves acknowledging your own contributions. If you’re a good team player, there’s no shame in being proud of your work.
These self-promotion examples are excellent ways to promote yourself in the workplace:
Self-promotion at networking events
Knowing how to network is an essential skill for your professional life. This applies whether you’re an entrepreneur, working as your own boss, or working for someone else. Networking events are gatherings designed to connect professionals. Industry professionals with the ambition to put themselves out there can swap ideas, interests, and contacts. At these events, you can promote your skills and find others with the skills that can help you.
Here are some ways to promote yourself at networking events:
Online self-promotion
The internet is one of the top places for self-promotion because of its shareability. If you create something that others love, they’ll want others to learn about it.
Online self-promotion is also often low-pressure. Your audience online typically consists of users who already follow and enjoy your content. Algorithms also work to find target audiences for your content with similar passions.
There are websites built specifically for networking purposes. Social media platforms like LinkedIn can even lead recruiters right to your profile. Messaging a recruiter on LinkedIn directly is also an option. Directly reaching out to recruiters gives you an opportunity to promote yourself and network.
An online presence lets others know you’re dedicated to your personal brand. Your personal brand is important because it allows you to stand out before others interact with your work.
Try out these online self-promotion tactics:
- Use LinkedIn messaging to reach out to others in your field and gain opportunities.
- Post on social media platforms to broaden your audience.
- Start an educational podcast talking about your field or related topics.
- Share articles you wrote or are mentioned in.
- Create a professional website and update it with regular blog posts.
The importance of self-promotion
Without self-promotion, you could do hard and meaningful work that’s easily overlooked. Self-promotion reminds others of your value. The more visible you and your assets are, the more people will remember them. Self-promotion helps to reinforce positive self-talk. Becoming unafraid to speak about yourself can accelerate your career development, too.
Self-promotion can also help with leadership development and upward mobility in your career. The ability to showcase your strengths by weaving them into an impactful narrative is beneficial in itself. Building a story of your achievements helps others recognize your contribution and worth.
However, to promote your skills effectively, you need to develop self-awareness and reflect on your capabilities. Doing so can help you feel more confident at work. When you put thought and consideration into the unique things you have to offer, you become more self-assured.
A 2023 study found that self-promotion by superiors can inspire lower-ranked observers. In a way, confidence is contagious.
Overcoming the fear of speaking about your accomplishments can lead to increased satisfaction in your professional life. As you become more confident in your capabilities, you minimize your limiting beliefs. Discussing the positive highlights of your professional life can also help you become more confident. Recognizing challenges you’ve overcome encourages you to set new goals and face new obstacles.
Using self-promotion to build your career
Focusing on self-promotion helps shape your career path and fuels professional growth. If your modesty has prevented you from progressing in your career, it’s not too late to make changes.
You can invest in your future by learning to overcome feelings of hesitancy and self-doubt. Resources like motivational podcasts and books for overcoming imposter syndrome can help you overcome insecurities.
Another highly effective resource for boosting your self-promotion skills is working with a personal coach. An executive coach can help you build confidence and identify your most prominent strengths.
You have valuable knowledge and experience to show the world, and coaching can help you realize that it shouldn’t be overlooked. Break through your timidity and let your strengths shine through. Become a confident self-promoter through one-on-one coaching with BetterUp.
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