Building Your Author Platform - Part 3

Once you’ve decided who your audience is and what message you want to share, you have to decide where to share this message.

Think like your audience:

What websites does your audience check daily? Are they more likely to read the newspaper or an online version? Where do they frequent both online and off?

Recently, I saw a bumper sticker that really caught my eye. The message was simple and effective. As a consumer, I wanted to know more about this company and their products.

But no matter how hard I squinted, there was no website address, no P.O. box, nor was there any contact information of any kind.

It shocked me that in today’s society, the company didn’t take the time to print their web address on the bumper sticker.

It’s the same concept with your author platform. Sure, you can broadcast your message but if I don’t know where to go to learn more about you and your products then you’ve essentially just wasted your time (and mine).

When you broadcast your message, you need to create a place where readers can go to learn more. If you haven’t already, you need to create a website. It is an investment in your career just like ink for your printer.

Now that you’ve established your website and chosen the places your audience is most likely to frequent, begin connecting with people in your target audience.

Create profiles on websites your audience visits and update your profile frequently. Log in, interact with other users, and become an active participant in the community.

Think outside the box. Spend some time visiting other websites and resources your audience will visit and ask yourself where else might my audience visit that isn’t immediately obvious?

Liked this post? Stay tuned for part four - How to Connect with Your Audience - tomorrow!