Say it publicly, not just in the DM
Private praise is nice. Public praise is a credential that can be pointed at, quoted and used.
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The BeingKind editorsPublished How this is written
Why it lands
For freelancers, jobseekers and anyone building something, third-party praise is an asset — it is the thing they cannot manufacture for themselves. A private message is warm and evaporates. The same words in public are durable and can be shown to a client. If you are going to say it at all, the public version costs you the same and is worth substantially more to them.
How
Say the specific thing rather than a general endorsement, because specifics are what get believed. Tag them so it is attached to their name. Do it publicly and then message them privately as well, which is not redundant — one is useful, the other is personal.
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