Every Writer Needs a Platform. Start Building Yours Like This.
And avoid the pitfall too many authors tumble into.
I’ve been writing online in various forms for years, and I’m more convinced than ever about one thing: every writer needs a platform.
Let me explain.
When I first started my business, I had no audience (give me a break, I’d just started the darn thing!) and no experience cultivating one. I barely used Instagram before that point, and the other two (Facebook and Twitter) were exclusively for arguing with friends about football.
My business — really just a blog at that point — was like a fart in the wind.
Had I wanted to sell something at that stage, it simply wouldn’t have been possible. I was just a lonely voice yelling into the void.
“Hey, look at these photos! Read this article! Acknowledge my existence!”
Maybe you can relate to that sort’ve jazz.
Nothing much happened with my fledgling company until I accidentally stumbled across a gloriously-straightforward way of gathering content. Content, as you know, is the lifeblood of business in the 21st century.
And for me, that content came from other people.
To sum it up, I shared other people’s amazing content (crediting them, of course) on my Instagram feed, other people noticed, and started tagging my company so I’d share their content too, and the rest is history.
I had a platform.
It wasn’t long before that platform grew, expanded across multiple social media accounts, funnelled people to my website, and fed my email list.
Now, I had a platform that could actually sell.
I created an eco-friendly clothing brand inspired by my home country of Northern Ireland, sold advertising space on my website, and developed training materials for the business owners who partnered with me. And now, Trek NI is my 9–5, bread and butter.
But none of that would’ve been remotely possible without a platform.
Enter the novelist
He’s written a fantastic young-adult thriller and he couldn’t be happier.
It’s been beta-read, edited and polished until it gleams, and a plucky little indie publisher’s snapped it up. It’ll be on bookshelves within six months.
Amazing, right?
Well, it would be, if our Hero Author had a way to sell the gosh-darn thing after it’s been released.
Sure, his best mate’s promised to grab a copy. His Mum’s buying a dozen (she “couldn’t be more proud!”). He’s sure he’ll be able to shift a few more to his Facebook friends. It’ll be fine. He knows it’ll be fine.
But before long, something worrisome starts to become apparent…
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