Ep 10. The 3 second follow test: How to make your profile irresistible to your sweet spot client

Ep 10: The 3-Second Follow Test: How to Make Your Profile Irresistible to Your Sweet Spot Client

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Your social media profile should be about you, right? Kind of.

I see so many people treating it like a CV or a personal intro when really it’s a three second audition for your ideal client’s attention.

And today I’m gonna show you exactly how we can make those three seconds count.

Hello and welcome back to Quite Confidence with myself, Anita Popat.

If you’re new here, this podcast is all about helping introverted entrepreneurs to market their thing without changing who they are.

I’ve looked at hundreds of social media profiles now, and the thing I see over and over again is that you spend weeks crafting the perfect post, but your profile still talks to everyone and no one at the same time.

I get it because sometimes when we create a new profile, you just fill in all the details and think, oh, I’ll come back to this later. ‘Cause it needs a bit more thought and you never get around to it.

So, I hope today’s episode encourages you to have a look at it with some fresh eyes.

Because what happens when someone lands on your profile, maybe they found you through someone sharing your content, or you popped up in the suggested follows on Instagram.

They have zero context about who you are, what you do, and in those first few seconds, they’re literally making a decision about whether they’re gonna be following you or not.

And we’ve also gotta remember, if they’re looking at you on social media, they’re probably glancing at your profile while they’re making a cup of coffee. Or they might have a toddler yelling in the background, or they might be scrolling while they’re watching Netflix.

They say you have three seconds, but it’s not really the best of their attention. So your profile needs to work extra hard.

A lot of people fail this test, not because you’re not talented or because you know you don’t have something valuable to offer. It’s just because you haven’t looked at it from an ideal client’s point of view.

Let’s start with why most profiles completely miss the mark.

So when someone lands on your profile, they’re not asking, who is this person?

They’re asking is this person for me?

And if they can’t answer that question quickly, they’re gonna bounce.

A lot of business owners, especially on LinkedIn, treat their profile like a CV. So they list their credentials, add in buzzwords and vague claims about like passion and transformation.

[00:02:00] That’s all good, but none of that answers your sweet spot client’s actual question, which is, “do you understand what I’m going through right now?”

And I think this is really common for introverts because you feel uncomfortable about making bold claims about what you can do. We write these really humble generic bios that could apply to anyone in the industry.

And while these might be true, they’re not really specific enough to make someone think, oh my God, she really gets it.

Remember your sweet spot client isn’t looking for someone who helps everyone. They’re looking for someone who understands their very specific situation, their very specific struggle, and can speak to it in a way that makes them feel seen and understood – remember the trust bridge from the previous episodes.

Let me talk you through the psychology around that three second decision.

When someone lands on your profile, their brain is doing a super fast pattern recognition process. They’ll be scanning for visual cues, reading your bio, looking at your recent posts, and they’re asking themselves these questions almost unconsciously.

Does this person understand people like me, do they work with my kind of problem? Are they speaking my language? And what would happen if I followed them?

Am I gonna get value from this or am I just gonna get constant sales posts popping up in my feed?

And here’s where it gets really interesting.

They’re not gonna make this decision based on logic. They’re gonna make it based on feeling.

Have a look at your profile and think, does it help them feel understood or hopeful or like they found someone who actually gets what they’re dealing with.

This is why knowing your sweet spot clients deep desires is so important because when you understand not what they say they want, but what they’re actually craving underneath all of that.

You can address that deeper need in a way that stops them in their tracks.

So what actually makes someone hit follow in those crucial three seconds?

I’ve been auditing profiles for years and I’ve found that the profiles that convert have these three essential elements working together.

The first element is what I call the mirror moment. This is where your sweet spot client really sees themselves reflected back in your content.

This could be in your bio, it could be in your recent posts, somewhere in those first few seconds, they had the moment where they think, oh yeah, [00:04:00] this person really knows what it’s like to be me.

The second element is the bridge.

So this is where you show them what’s possible, not in some generic, like live your best life way but in a very specific way that connects to their actual situation. So you’re showing them the transformation that’s available to them, and you’re doing that in a way that feels achievable, but not overwhelming.

And then the third element is the invitation. This is your next clear step. It’s not pushy or salesy, but it’s obvious so they know exactly what they need to do to get more what you’re offering.

That can be like the link in your Instagram bio or the things that you’re sharing in your featured posts on LinkedIn.

When these three elements work together, you create what I call the trust bridge.

Someone can land on your profile knowing nothing about you, and walk away feeling like they found someone who might actually be able to help them. And that feels good, right?

I wanna get practical on how you can apply this. When your sweet spot client’s scrolling through social media, they might be trying to unwind after a long day at work and a day full of client calls.

And while they’re scrolling, they’re gonna have this constant internal monologue where they’re thinking about their problems, their frustrations, their hopes, their fears, and most of the content they see doesn’t connect to that internal conversation at all.

So if she’s scrolling and she sees a piece of content that she really likes and then goes onto your profile, that really speaks to what she’s saying to herself in her head, she’ll stop and follow you if you pass the three second test.

So instead of writing a bio that says, I help busy entrepreneurs grow their business, you might change that to be more specific. To something like, for the entrepreneur who’s tired of choosing between growth and peace of mind.

See the difference?

The first one could apply to anyone. The second one speaks to a very specific internal struggle.

You’re speaking to something much deeper than just what they do. You’re speaking to how they feel about having to do it.

We’re not being manipulative or pushing those emotional buttons, we’re being genuinely empathetic and showing that you understand not just what they’re trying to accomplish, but how they feel about the journey to getting there.

And as introverts, we actually have a huge advantage when it comes to creating compelling profiles because we’re naturally empathetic.

We notice all these deep desires and nuances, and [00:06:00] we also tend to think about these things on a more deeper level instead of just skimming the surface.

So where extroverts might create profiles that are all energy and excitement. us introverts create profiles that feel safe and thoughtful. And for a lot of people, especially people who are feeling overwhelmed that sense of safety is exactly what they’re looking for.

In my opinion, you don’t need to be the loudest person in the room create a profile that converts. You just need to be the most understanding person in the room. 

The key is to trust your natural instincts instead of trying to copy what works for the more extroverted personalities. And the good news is that you are quite confidence is actually what makes you trustworthy and your thoughtful approach is what’s gonna make you feel safe to follow. So take advantage of that. 

I find examples really help my brain get to work. So let me give you some real examples to see if, they do the same for you.

The first one is from a client who was a business coach and her bio said something like helping female entrepreneurs scale their six figure businesses to multiple six figures through proven systems and strategies.

Mouthful. Technically tells you what she does, but it doesn’t tell you anything about who she is or why someone should care. And she was just blending into every other business coach’s bio, if I’m being honest. 

So after we worked together, her bio became for the successful entrepreneur who’s tired of sacrificing her health and relationships for her business, let’s build something sustainable instead.

See how different that feels?

The first version is about what she does. The second version is about what her sweet spot client is experiencing and what they’re really longing for.

I had another client who was a brand strategist whose original bio was brand strategist, helping businesses tell their story and connect with their ideal customers.

Again, technically accurate, but completely blendable into all the other brand strategies out there. So her new bio was for the business owner who knows what they do is important, but struggles to talk about it without feeling salesy or inauthentic.

Instantly you know exactly who she serves and what problem she solves. But more importantly, if you’re someone who struggles with talking about your work, you’re gonna feel seen and [00:08:00] understood and possibly reach out to her.

I hope some of those examples helped to get your creative juices flowing.

Although your bio is crucial, it’s not the only thing people will see in those three seconds.

Remember, they’re also gonna be looking at your recent posts, and those posts need to reinforce the same message as well.

This is where a lot of people get tripped up and you have a really targeted bio, but then your recent posts are all over the place.

One day you might be talking about morning routines, the next day is productivity tips, and then there’s some inspirational quote, talking about believing in yourself.

 Your recent posts, especially the top nine on your Instagram, should really feel like a preview of what someone will get when they follow you.

It’s also really important to have your face somewhere within those top nine as well to again, reinforce that familiarity into whose account they’re on.

What I’m saying is everything should feel really cohesive and intentional. Like you know exactly who you are talking to and what they need to hear.

Here’s a simple audit you can do to see if your profile passes that three second test.

If you’re on Instagram, it’s probably the easiest one to do, but you can do it on LinkedIn as well.

If you’re doing this on Instagram, take a screenshot of your profile, that will include your bio, your recent posts, and everything someone would see when they first land on your page.

And then set a timer for three seconds and just look at it. When the timer goes off, stop looking then ask yourself these three questions and answer them honestly.

1. Is it really easy to figure out who you serve?

2. Is it easy to tell what makes you different from everyone else who does the same thing as you?

3. And more importantly, if you were your ideal client would you feel understood and curious enough to hit follow?

Now, obviously if it’s your profile, you can say yes to all of these, but just be honest with yourself.

You’re the only one asking yourself these questions. And just see if anything comes up.

If you’ve got any business friends, don’t ask friends or family because they won’t get it. Do the same thing with them.

Give them three seconds to have a look at your profile and ask them the same questions and see what comes up.

And if you, or they can’t answer these questions clearly as well, that means your profile needs a bit of work. And that’s okay because most profiles do, and they’re always evolving too.

This is the kind of thing that gets easier once you know what [00:10:00] you’re looking for and listen, I do this work all the time, so if you’d like my expert eyes on your profile, then I’m offering listeners a profile audit for only £47 pounds, (they’re normally £175).

For that I’ll go through your whole profile and all your content and share a video where you’ll get at least three areas that you can improve on.

So if you’d like my marketing lens on what could be improved then head over the link at the top I can get that sorted for you, no problem. 

If you wanna start on your own right now, go ahead and look at your bio and make it about them, not you.

Speak to their internal monologue and show them that you understand what they’re going through and what they really, really want.

Then look at your recent posts and make sure they all connect back to that same core message.

And everything that you do going forward should feel like is coming from the same person who wrote that bio.

Remember, your profile isn’t about you. It is about your sweet spot client, and when you make that shift, everything changes

Until then, keep showing up with your quiet confidence so you can make that loud impact that you deserve.

Speak soon.