I think people should stop making posts about participating in things. These posts are lowkey stupid and don’t make you stand out.
Make posts about what went wrong and how you could’ve improved.
Like bro nobody cares that you “had an amazing time at X conference.” Nobody cares that you were “honored to compete.” That’s expected. You showed up. Cool.
What’s actually interesting, and what other people can learn from, is what broke.
I’ll start.
In a recent The Brik pitch at a college pitch competition, I missed the room. The judges were clearly more community-focused, and I framed everything around product and margins. I should’ve sold the community angle: students, everyday carry culture, accountability, identity. That’s what would’ve resonated.
I also got pressed on the Apple-only tracking chip. My answer was basically “60% of Americans have iPhones.” That’s not strategy. That’s a stat. I should’ve addressed ecosystem lock-in, roadmap expansion, and how we’d think about Android long term.
That’s the real stuff.
The only way to improve is to be brutally honest about where you missed. Not the applause. The gaps.