A lot of times while surfing through the internet, we stumble upon catchy subheadings like “How to X and Y in 5 easy steps”, “You will be a fool not to read this…”, etc. And inasmuch as I understand that those catchy headlines mean more readers/traffic to that post/website, it annoys the sh*t out of me. Yes, I am a content creator and I understand that headings matter, just like the one I used to make you want to read this, I'm also about being realistic.
Imagine posting that I can make thousands of dollars in 5 easy steps or learn a skill in 3 steps and in the person's mind, he/she has just solved the world's greatest mystery.
As a content creator (I will be writing a mini CV below this), I have learnt that being realistic is the real key to storytelling. Let me rephrase that… Telling your own story sells more copies than any concocted story. Take a look at the Bible; God's own story - sold billions of copies. This also goes beyond being a writer, but in every sphere of our lives.
While writing that CV, be realistic. Don't cook up everything you see on the internet. While attending that job interview, be realistic and true to yourself. While selling yourself or mere talking about yourself, be realistic. While updating your social media page bio, be realistic and true.
N.B: Reality or being realistic is peculiar to each person. Your own reality might be earth bending and my reality might have not moved beyond the human plane we know presently. In communicating with another person, let your reality match theirs. This isn't about “faith moving mountains.” There is no faith granting you thousands of dollars in 5 steps.
Meanwhile, here are the skills I have learnt so far:
Book cover making.
Advertising animations.
Graphic designing.
Commercial video making.
Video editing and photo editing.
So, come and give me work to do, let me begin putting my new skills to practice.
And now, the mini CV…
Ibukunoluwa Olawunmi Olaniyi is a graduate of Chemistry from the University of Benin. He is a teacher at heart - good at what he does. He is known for his eagle eye and hence, a top choice for Editing. He has a flair for creativity and this is seen in his poetry, short stories (only because he is too lazy to write a full-fledged novel) and articles. Olaniyi has led several writing communities (online and offline) and co-authored some books while being a proud Editor and proofreader of many others. Olaniyi presently works as a content creator and doubles as the head of the department of content writing amidst other roles in an EdTech start-up in Nigeria.
Yasssss…. That's me.
Your turn. Sell yourself on what you are good at/doing presently, in 100 words or a little over 100 words.
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There you go. No more excuse(s). Share that link to them and get them to sign up.
Talk to you soon,
Niyi.
Well damn, money moves! If I have a job to do, I know who to come meet. And yah, those headlines irk me too. Thanks for this, Olaniyi.
Thank you. Creatives especially need to talk more about this always