I reviewed 3 subscriber profiles. This is what I learned

Hey everyone!

Every week, we learn how the best creators use content to grow their audiences and businesses.

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Last week I asked Steal Club subscribers to submit their social media profile.

The idea was to do a quick public audit so we can improve a few of them and learn what makes a good profile.

This is all rooted on the idea of a follower funnel.

This is how people decide whether to follow you or not (not just on Twitter, but also on other social media platforms) 👇

I believe that your social media profile is the equivalent of a digital business card.

Most people will decide if they follow you based solely on your profile and what they see there.

If you want to dig deeper, you can read this past Steal Club issue.

The analysis will take into account mainly these 3 elements:

• The profile pic
• The bio
• The pinned tweet

We’ll also look at the link, the header and the username.

The #1 mistake people make about their profiles is that they make it about them when it should be about their audience.

People want to see what they get from following you (we are all selfish like that 😅).

It also needs to show some sort of credibility and differentiate you somehow.

Let’s see what we can do!

Goals: Sell services, products and share ideas with the world

Problem #1: Too much “you”

At a glance when looking at David’s profile, I see his face three times. On his profile pic, on his header, and on his newsletter box.

It’s great that we can see your face, but we don’t want to overwhelm people.

Fix: Remove the headshot from the header and the newsletter.

I would focus the header on something simpler. 

Maybe a graphic, maintaining color consistency from the profile pic, with the 2-3 core topics you talk about.

About the newsletter, simply change the pic for a simple logo and you should be good to go!

Problem #2: We need more credibility in your bio

The first part of the bio is quite good. 

It tells us what to expect regarding content and what you do (Digital Nomad Indie Developer).

But the last part is not useful as it is.

It points out to the newsletter, but there’s already a dedicated box for that. I would instead use the space to add more credibility.

Fix #2: Try to substitute the last part of your bio with 1 sentence that adds credibility to what you do (Teach devs).

It could maybe be how many devs you have taught in your career for example → “Taught 100+ devs” or something along those lines.

Problem #3: Confusing newsletter description

The newsletter subscription box is super useful, but the description gets cut short in this case. Even more on mobile.

This makes understanding what it is about hard for potential subscribers.

Fix #3: Try to come up with 1 sentence that sums up what your newsletter is about.

Something like “Get early access to tutorials and courses about building a business in IT” (I got this from your site).

The value is clearer.

Other notes:

• ✅ The link is great. it points to your personal site where we can learn more about you
• ❌Try to reduce the “Following” count. You can simply switch people to a list and see their tweets from there.
• 🤷‍♂️ The pinned tweet is fine for the moment, as you are starting out Ship 30 for 30. With time, I’ll change it for something with a tweet or thread you feel it’s a good example of the type of content you create.

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Goal: Sell my services

Problem #1: Needs more clarity on the bio regarding services

Especially because we want to sell your illustration services. Asking people to DM you is a good idea.

What fails here is how you are doing it.

Fix: Instead of telling people “Want me to design visuals for you”, tell them what types of visuals you do and who you do them for.

Pick a niche you want to serve.

Example → “I help CEOs better pitch their startup with visuals. DM for info”

If I’m your target audience, this will already tell me you are available for work and that I should DM you.

Problem #2: Lacks visual consistency on story highlights

It’s great that you have so many story highlights. It signals you have an active account.

But I feel it lacks some brand consistency.

Fix: That would be easily fixed by adding a simple cover to each highlight with a white background and a simple icon.

Also, you might want to change the titles to make more clear what it is about. 

For example, since we want to attract more clients, the 🧡 emoji could be changed to “Happy customers” or “Testimonials.”

Other notes:

• 🤷‍♂️ If you could get a domain without the carrd.co that would be better. It’s not 100% necessary but helps add to the “professionalization” of the profile.
• ✅ You have a huge follower count that acts as solid social proof
• 🤷‍♂️ The profile pic is valid, but if we could get a better shot of your face, it would make it even better!
• ✅ It’s a good idea to point people to your newsletter.

Goals: Sell my brand consulting services and build relationships with fellow entrepreneurs.

Problem #1: Too much “Ian”

We have a similar problem to what we had with David above. I see Ian’s face twice when I only need to see it once.

Fix: The face profile pic is good, but I feel you could use something different for the newsletter. Maybe a small logo with your green?

Problem #2: Color consistency feels weird

The visual you have as a header is PERFECT. It just shows what you do with a visual representation.

That’s a 10/10 from me.

My only issue with it is that the contrast with your profile pic background color is too much. 

I see you tried to fix it by adding the arrow on your header with the same color, but I feel that’s not enough.

Fix: I would keep the structure the same, but I’ll try to balance the colors in a different way, so it has a better flow.

Problem #3: Bio needs more punch

The first part of your bio is great. It tells the audience how you can help them.

But it’s missing something a little bit more tangible.

“Branding into stories” makes sense for you as a branding strategist, but if I’m only familiar with branding, this might mean nothing to me.

Fix: What are the clear benefits of branding?

Is it more customers? More leads? More revenue?

If we can add that, it would make your bio more impactful.

Something like “I help entrepreneurs by simplifying branding into stories so they can get more leads for their business.”

I don't know if that’s the case, but this sentence above clarifies how you can help me.

Other notes:

• ❌ I would remove the “Entrepreneur” category. I don’t feel it adds to your profile. What you have is more than enough!
• ✅ You have a good following/followers ratio
• 🤷‍♂️ The link feels a bit redundant. It points to your newsletter, but I also have the newsletter subscription box right below. You might want to change it for simply a link to your personal page.
• ❌The newsletter description gets cut short on mobile. You might want to reduce it a little bit!
• ✅ The pinned tweet is great! It tells a bit more about you and your story, perfect for anyone curious to learn more.

Takeaways

That’s it for this first round of analysis!

I’m sorry I couldn’t do everyone, I received over 50+ requests, so it was impossible to check all of them! 

Let me share a few general things I’ve noticed in most profiles, in case that’s helpful:

• Be more clear about what you do and what you offer. What you do gets people more clients? Say it. Whatever the 1 big benefit of what you do is, it should be all over your bio.
• Remove credibility killers. Stuff like “new on Twitter” or “just learning” might be true, but don’t add anything positive to your profile.
• Add numbers. Have you helped 10+ people? Say it. Have you made X or Y $$$ in revenue? Say it. This might seem like bragging, but to most people, it just adds credibility to your actions.
• Make your profile feel like a brand. This is easily achievable with colors. It doesn’t mean you need to label everything with color, but it definitely makes you look better. Have a simple colored background for your profile pic and your header. Keep it simple.
• Watch out for your follower/following ratio. I actually don’t like to say this as I feel you should follow anyone you want, but some people might see this as a bad sign.

And this is it for now! 

Let me know what you think about this week's issue by voting here:

• 👍 Worth it
• 😐 Meh - was ok.
• 👎 Not interesting to me

See you next week!

Alex Llull

Thief Master

The Steal Club

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