One visibility hack we overlook as writers is

ONE VISIBILITY HACK WE OVERLOOK AS WRITERS IS...

Something happened in my school over the weekend, which I believe isn't a new thing in higher institutions; be it universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and every other institution.

It was time for the students' election, and everywhere was so rowdy, going to school that day was a big deal for me because my health was very unstable. But a lecturer said something that made me leave the comfort of my bed and head to school that morning.

I already have my candidates for the SUG president position, the vice, the welfare and so on. But it wasn't an easy voting process as the whole students gathered together in one place to vote for their candidates.

Now, before that time, the SUG president aspirants and the vice president aspirants were two each, with each of them supporting their chosen vice president.

What I mean is, that a Sug president supporting a vice president and vice versa, meaning that those students supporting the sug president and those students supporting the vice president would also vote for him and the same with the vice president.

I don't know if that description makes significance.

But what I want you to understand from this story is the act of collaboration.

They collaborated and won the election. That's a very strategic way to aid in winning.

Bringing it home now

A lot of us want to increase our visibility but we are neglecting this one hack in our field which is collaboration.

For example, you admire someone in your field so much not only because you love how he or she does his things but also because the person has been able to build visibility and command influence, and you would want that for yourself.

Now, what you have to do is collaborate with such people, either to host a training and they are the guest, or during your book launch, they would be the guest or any other form of collaboration you can think of.

Yes, it works, but note this one thing.

There are some people that you need to have a level of relationship with before such collaborations take place. Don't just wake up one morning, jump into someone's DM and start asking for you to collaborate with him or her.

I guess you know "the ignore button" that would be your case.

And please, many of you who do some collaborations do it in a very wrong way.

How would you say you want to host a program and invite someone of great value then you would say the person's act of collab is for FREE.

That's being selfish.

Don't make the mistake of chatting that person up with the mindset that, "He or she would do it for FREE."

Like they don't have their stuff to do abi?

Ori, they are jobless ni?

After tending your proposal to such people, ask them for their terms; as someone that is well trained, then it is left for them to give you their terms for payment or say themselves that they would do it for FREE (this would be possible if it's your best friend.

After this, there is a place for negotiation. If their terms are cool to you,  fine. If it's not cool then, chip in your terms and either seal the collabo or cancel it.

Do you get the gist?

What would you be doing differently from onwards?