In November, I had the chance to interview Swish Goswami on an episode of The RE/MAX Hustle Podcast.
Swish is a 22-year-old serial entrepreneur, three-time TEDx speaker and UN Youth Ambassador. He is founder and CEO of Trufan, an audience management platform that helps brands and influencers grow their social community, distribute viral content and sell directly to their top fans. Trufan has raised more than $1 million to date and is backed by several NBA players, media executives and Canadian venture firms. Swish has been published in more than 100 national and international publications and has been recognized as Startup Canada’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He has also won the United Nation’s Outstanding Youth Leadership Award.
I met Swish in October at our annual Canadian RE/MAX conference. He was the closing keynote speaker, and after delivering a ton of value from the stage, he agreed to share even more of his expertise on a podcast episode. Swish is no stranger to podcasting. Last year he launched The Tech Haus, which brings Fortune 500s and cutting edge start-ups together to talk about how emerging technologies are changing our world.
During my interview with Swish, he explained there are four types of content you can put out to get maximum engagement on social media, especially LinkedIn.
1 - Informational Content
Informational content is more than simply sharing articles or relevant industry news. Swish explained that when you share this type of content, it's important to add your own perspective to whatever you're linking to. By talking about key takeaways from the articles and adding your own personal experiences and how they relate to the content, you will greatly increase your chances of engagement on the post.
2 - Inspirational Content
Among Swish's many words of wisdom during our conversation, this may have been my favourite quote:
"I believe that every professional should have a podcast or written series on LinkedIn where they interview people. The fundamental way of networking is providing value upfront."
Not only do interviews provide you with content you can share on social media, but they also are a great way to get to know other professionals in your city on a deeper level. For those who don't have a huge social media following, this may be a way to tap into the audience of your interviewee as well.
3 - Discussion Questions
By asking questions on social media, you can easily trigger engagement. Swish said the most important thing about this type of content is your responses and replies to the information your audience provides you with. You should be responding to every single comment that comes your way on social media, and bonus points if you aim to do so in a unique or memorable way.
4 - Personal Anecdotes
We are often inclined to only post about our business wins, but Swish challenged listeners to tell the stories of their losses as well. There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from failures, and that kind of information may be of incredible value to your network.