This could be a small guide through self-promotion, instructions on how to win the person you care about on any basis, and to make it effective and within the limits of good upbringing, culture and the like. The goal is to present the best version of ourselves – without excluding other people and without aggressive imposition. This is how professionals do it.

You have a choice

Choose one of the offered answers that best follows the familiar phrase “Let others talk about you, and”:

• Observe that nothing will happen because you are invisible.
• Observe how you are overtaken by those who speak for themselves.
• Pray to God that they have a good opinion of you.

Or forget all that they have taught you about modesty and take control of your reputation.

What to do?

This does not mean that you will talk about yourself at all bells, but that you will start applying thoughtful and subtle steps that will eventually build an image of yourself in the eyes of other people – just the way you wanted.

Why do you need it in your life? Because sometimes you will want to negotiate your promotion. Because sometimes you will need the support of a larger number of people or interest groups (competitions, voting, lobbying). Because a good reputation is an intangible asset that opens many doors for you, both in the business world and outside it.

Whatever your goal, self-promotion is inevitable and that is why it is desirable to master it in the right way, which means that you will not sound like a braggart, but you will make wise moves.

Creativity in communication: Be a good storyteller

No: I know… I did… Not a dry enumeration of facts that makes the interlocutors think “What a braggart!”, But putting your abilities in a certain context and whenever possible, through an interesting story, anecdote and the like. If someone has experienced your story as a promotion of your qualities, that is not good. But if you “involved” your interlocutors in an interesting story whose main actor you are — but oh, completely irrelevant to what you wanted to tell — you got the attention of the listeners.

Politicians who are almost always great narrators in the service of self-promotion can serve as a good example.

Use every opportunity to talk

The positive opinion of others about you will not build on itself and beyond you. So use every opportunity to be in places where some people could be key to your career or goal (with an emphasis on love) that you have set and make sure you meet them as often as possible. Sooner or later, there will be an opportunity to start a conversation with some of these people, and all you need to do then is to use your five minutes.

What does it mean to be ready in such a situation? It means being aware of those qualities that you want to emphasize and demonstrate in front of a “key” person. One of the best ways is to offer your engagement around a job that your “superior” expresses fear that it won’t be done on time or as planned, and you know you’re good at it. One “you can leave it to me” gold is valuable for your good reputation.

Keep in mind that the higher the person’s position, the more problems he/she is dealing with, so there is always room in his / her environment for someone else to take the initiative and send the message: “Everything will be fine, I will do it”. In that way, you will let your sweetheart know that I care about her and that you are able not only to be of help to her but that she can always count on you. A very important detail in the conquest process!

Feel the pulse

Or: Choose the right time for self-promotion. These are the finesse that adorns connoisseurs who know exactly when to jump in. You don’t want people to think of you as rude, so you won’t start a story about what kind of “king” you are at someone’s funeral or at a time when the person you want to make a good impression is going through any form of crisis – personal, business or any others.

By the way, the crisis is the worst moment to try to get any benefit for yourself. If you can, help without calculating, if you can’t – get away and don’t bother.

Don’t relax on social media either

They are a powerful tool for self-promotion and play a significant role in building a good reputation, and are probably the most immediate way to do that. Don’t be fooled by their basic purpose, because it has long been surpassed. If it weren’t so, employers wouldn’t check your social media profiles, and Facebook wouldn’t place only those ads that have something to do with your interests with such precision.

If Facebook has managed to get to know you so well, believe me, every little better maker will be able to create your psychological profile based on the pages and posts you like every day, the places you visited or how often you change your profile picture. “Oh, you’re so upset and insecure today when you change your profile for the third time.”

When can you relax and not think about impressions?

Never. In fact, no matter how much it seemed to you that you could apply all this in a short period and convince others that they should think the same about you as you do, it is a very long process.

What is encouraging is the fact that after a while all these mechanisms become a part of you, so you do not need to remind yourself what you should and should not do at a given moment. And finally, one more thing – don’t let anyone convince you in the 21st century that self-promotion is a bad thing!