How to Talk to Your Idolđ¤
And why no one is unreachable
The other day, I was listening to an Answer in Progress Patreon podcast episode.
One of the hosts, Taha, mentioned how he and Hank Green became good internet friends just by reaching out â which eventually led to Hank Green being in a Youtube video with him.
Taha recalled that he never expected to message, befriend, and feature Hank Green as Hank was one of his idols. If it wasnât for Tahaâs self-imposed challenge of asking for what you want, this opportunity would have never happened.
Taha explains the challenge:
âBasically, if you are in a room with someone where they can help you with something you want or need, the rule was I had to at least ask.â
The rule revolves around asking for what you want and seeing if others are willing to help. Most of the time, people will help you as long as it is reasonable.
I know this probably sounds too simple to be true â and youâd be right. But thatâs the key to why it works.
Since everyone assumes it is too simple and easy, no one does it â thus leading to fewer interactions and requests.
Allow me to indulge myself and tell you why Tahaâs story deeply resonated with me.
How I Interview Who I Want
Some of my most successful blog posts had guests who were willing to be interviewed for half a day.
How To Become a Moroccan Esports Player (With FoxGamingâs Founders)
How Representation in Art Matters (With 66Seks, an artist/concert photographer living in France)
How to Become a Graphic Designer in Morocco (With Violegraphica, a graphic designer who is constantly booked out)
How To Create Educational And Informative Social Media Content (With Saad, a social media filmmaker with +100K followers)
*Title to be determined* (With Milfaya, one of the biggest creators in Morocco)
The list of guest interviews is nothing to scoff at as all of these people have full-time jobs and side projects going on. Yet, they chose to sit down and have hours-long conversations with me.
While I am grateful for their time and cooperation, I am also proud of myself for learning how and when to reach out.
No other projects demonstrated my work more than my interview with Milfaya. Not only did it take 14+ days of waiting, but I had to jump through several hoops to make it happen.
During that period of waiting, I doubted myself and assumed that she wasnât interested. But that did not stop me from double emailing (no shame about it) and ensuring that I am heard.
How You Can Reach Out to Anyone
Nobody is unreachable if you try hard enough. However, spamming your way for attention wonât help your cause.
Instead, you must learn and develop a strategy for reaching out.
Lucky for you, you are subscribed to this newsletter, so here are some tips for reaching out.
Know the whyđ: Never reach out to someone just for the sake of reaching out. If you donât know what you want help with, how will others help you?
Figure out the best contact pointđŹ: Whether by email or social media, every person has their preferred contact point.
Message on all platforms đ: If that doesnât work, there is no shame in reaching out to someone via other options like Email, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Just make sure to give every option a few days before moving to another.
Double-TextđŹ: Bumping an email or a message is a follow-up reminder to the person to check your message. People are busy and they tend to forget. You should ditch your ego and follow up after 7-10 days of your initial message.
Keep your request reasonableđ: Once you do get their attention, your request should be reasonable and pleasant.
Donât be afraid of rejection or ghostingđť: If all fails and your message is left on sent, seen, or refused, donât take it personally and move on. Remember, you have no enemies.
And that does it for this newsletter. And Eid Mubarak đ!
Who do you plan on reaching out to?
What Iâve been up to
For this week, Iâm currently working on:
The cat is out of the bag and the next article will be about Milfaya.
Preparing for client work (this one client is being extra pushy)
Packing up for a writing workshop
Mentally getting ready for something exciting
What have you been up to?