If your desire is to be a published author, I’m sure you’ve heard how important it is to have a platform.
What is a platform? It’s a number, and a bit more. A platform tells prospective agents and editors how large your reach is into the big, wide world. How do I do it? Where do I begin?
1. Start with a bit of brainstorming. What is unique about you? Or what is unique about your book? What is a good hook to draw people to your platform?
2. Keep your online presence simple at first.
Linda Yezak loves coffee, so every day she posts a meme about coffee on social media. Simple. Easy.
You can share photos of sunsets with a Bible verse for the day. Or your breakfast plate. Or your dog sleeping while you exercise. Anything – as long as it is genuinely you.
3. Relate your social media posts to your book in some way – even if, or especially if you aren’t published yet. My next book is a cozy mystery that takes place at a Bed and Breakfast in the Black Hills. Tourists are a big part of the stories in the series, so starting this week, I’m not only posting pictures of our area, but news about what to do when you visit as a tourist.
4. Be consistent. Make a plan and write it down. For example – commit to posting a meme on social media every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And then don’t forget to do it!
5. Give shout-outs to others. Not only is it great for your friends and favorite authors when you talk about their new book, they will remember you and return the favor when your book comes out. Platform-building and marketing doesn’t need to be all about you.
6. Decide how much of you and your life you will share and draw a firm line. We all know that we only catch a glimpse of a person’s life on social media, and that’s how it should be. We need privacy and other people deserve it. I have decided to share very little about my family on line (although the dogs are on Instagram a lot!) but you might decide to make your children’s smiling faces part of your platform. No problem. The point is to decide and then stick with your decision.
What about a website? Or a blog? Or a newsletter? I thought I needed those.
Yes, you will need a website, but maybe not right now. Think of it as the place where your readers will land. How to build an author website is a huge subject – definitely too much for this post. For now, a great place to find information is Thomas Umstattd’s Author Media (link here.)
And a blog? Mine is connected to my website, and I post at least once a month. My goal was once a week, but life has gotten in the way this summer!
And a newsletter? Yes. It’s a great idea to have one. I've committed to sending out my short and simple newsletter once a month.
Again, the key is consistency. If you can’t be consistent, then don’t promise you will be. But it’s a good idea to make time in your schedule for at least a once-a-month website update and/or newsletter mailing.
Also, remember that not everyone is on social media. If you rely only on Facebook or Instagram for your marketing, you’ll be missing a lot of potential readers.
So spread yourself out - but not too thin. I'm on MeWe, Facebook, and Instagram. I keep my website updated and post regularly on my blog. I catch a varied audience because my outlets are varied.
Are you working on building your platform? Tell us how you're doing it!
