Your Talent Needs PR

Talent is overrated but hear me out before you stay in the sun for too long and get worried about why things are not working. Your talent needs PR. That loud, consistent, influential and exceptional exposure that communicates your essence to the world is important. This is the missing link in 95% of talented and creative products I’ve seen in over a decade of working with creative individuals and businesses.

Do not be conservative. Don’t hold back with showing off your stuff. Decisions are made over what is available. People can only choose from the options available on the table, not from an absent option. Do not be quiet. Quietness brings nothing to people. The portion of the quiet is shared among those who speak up. Use your voice. Let it be the echo that lingers in people's minds and in the room long after the meeting ends. Don't wait for other people to talk before you air your opinion. It might be too late. The compere might decide the time is far spent and they have to stop the session. New opportunities truly comes but its best to use the one that presents itself now. Why waste the one at hand just because another one is coming. Don't wait to be exceptional before you set out because you might be an answered prayer to someone somewhere just as you are. You might be what they need exactly. You cannot be the creator and be the judge at the same time. You might be judging yourself too harshly, your yardstick might be shrewd. Your judgment might be one-sided, you may be wrong about your worth and the value you bring to the table. No matter how imperfect people may be, everyone always gets their audience.

Don't argue with the contradiction in your spirit that says you're running too fast. You are just a few years from being too slow, from growing silver hair. It is better for people to say you are moving too fast than for them to say you're moving too slow.

Don't move with people in your league. Look for those who are smarter than you, richer than you, more resourceful than you. People in your league are fighting for the same opportunities you're fighting for. They are your competitors. They can't see beyond the walls of the current reality, just like you. They are also most likely doing trial and error. Move with people who have proven their formula and achieved feats with it.

There's nothing here for people who cannot shout. Those who cannot shout do not even get the crumbs anymore. They go hungry. There's nothing special about talent without commensurate attention. You NEED to be within the view of people so they can appreciate and patronize your value.

Don't wait for anybody to find you out, instead be discoverable, be findable. Gold Fishes don't hide anymore. They stay where they can be caught, where their beauty can grace the sight of people. What is the benefit of the craft/talent that is not engaged? People have a lot going on for them than looking for you with a big torch. Make it easy for them, and be findable.

Get your folks to share your work. Beg them to post your content without being entitled. Post that content yourself too and do the heavy lifting.

Yes, I am shouting!

Being creative and visible are not mutually exclusive. You can do the two at the same time. If you don't show people your work you will never know what they think about it. Creating a fantastic product is one of the puzzles. It's the minimum. Marketing yourself is the main deal.

Products are sold. They don't wait for people to buy them. Coca-Cola is not only physically available, it is mentally and psychologically available.

That picture in your head about people beating the path to your doorstep, calling your line till your battery drains just because you are good is fiction. Very few people are that good. Maybe 1% of the population and you are most likely not part of that number. The rest of us must both create a good piece and also shout our good product into visibility.

You are not doing enough! You have not even scratched the surface of doing enough. Your life depends on this. Push your products out!

Design posters. Make videos. Make posts on social media. Go to meetings. Collaborate with people. Spend on Ads. Ask your friends, colleagues, and even your enemies to publish your products. You cannot do this alone.

Do you remember Bartimaeus the blind guy who kept shouting for Jesus to have mercy on him? Do you remember Zacheus? How about the woman who kept pestering the judge in Luke 18?

Using your voice, climbing the tree and pestering the judge are signs of optimizing for visibility. No One will do this for you, you have to do it by yourself. That angelic visibility you're looking for requires your major input. Have a great week and breakthrough from within.

©Abiola Iyiola, 2025