Most authors know that they need to build their author platform, but they don’t know what to do to build it. In this epic guest post, bestselling author Jason Gracia explains why it is so important, and then walks you through what you need to do to build your Author Platform.
It’s a whole new world out there. No longer can you rely on someone else to reach the readers. No longer can you rely on outside platforms to work their magic in your favor. Today it’s all on us. The only problem? Not everyone is heeding the message.
Thousands upon thousands of writers and authors are still placing the bulk of their hope in someone or something else to make their book and business a success (yes, that book of yours is a business). It’s Field of Dreams thinking–and it’s completely backwards.
Yes, a platform like Amazon can help. It can introduce your work to an audience that may never have seen it and, for those few breakthrough books, it can open the door to a flood of sales (though at drastically low prices given the true value of your work).
But there’s a better way.
How I Sold Thousands of Copies of My Books
I’ve sold thousands of copies of my books at premium prices without ever relying on outside outlets. Not a single sale took place on Amazon, and still I sold over a million dollars’ worth of my work. You can do that too.
How exactly? An author platform.
In my humble opinion, the path of a successful author begins and ends with a homegrown, fully independent audience. Everything changes when you build your own community, a community you can engage, serve, and sell to.
Two Scenarios
Let’s do a quick thought experiment. In scenario one you rely on Amazon to drive all of your sales. You hope the algorithms calculate in your favor and that enough eyeballs land upon your title. You don’t have much time or space to fully tell your story or build a relationship, so the entire interaction is out of your hands. Hopefully they like what they see enough to pay $2.99 for your heart and soul. And when they do, you’ll never know who they were. There and gone in a whisper and a flash.
Scenario Two: You build your own audience on your own platform. You have a list of several thousand people that you can contact directly through email, Facebook, and Twitter. Because of this setup, you’re able to connect with these people and figure out what they truly need and want. Even better, you’re able to give it to them, time and again.
You send them content to knock their socks off, free information and entertainment that leaves them wanting more. They grow to know you, trust you, and like you. When you’re ready to make an offer for your book (or workshop or course or coaching), you can do so directly, not to a faceless Amazon visitor but to a member of your community who is invested in you. And when they make the natural decision to buy, you’ll know them by name.
Scenario One is built on hope and a bit of delusion. Scenario Two is built on certainty and security–you are in control.
To be honest, this isn’t a difficult argument to make; most authors agree a platform is crucial to their success. The real problem is that they don’t know how to build it. That’s why I stopped by.
I’m going to walk you through the very same steps I followed to build an audience of tens of thousands of subscribers, readers, and customers.
Step One: The Author Website
You need your own website hosted on your own domain. This is the homebase of your platform and this is a must. If you ignore every other word I write, latch onto these: Your success as an author relies on having an author website that positions you as an authority, delivers value, and offers an opportunity for future engagement. In other words, I want you to have a website that makes you look good, hosts great content, and asks for the opt in.
Chances are you already have this step checked off the list…but do you have a modern site that instantly conveys a great impression? As much as we’d hope to believe looks don’t matter, they matter a great deal. In three seconds people judge how good we are based on how good we look. This used to be an expensive problem to solve, but with today’s WordPress themes–or freelancers whose work is stellar–you can present a professional images with just a few clicks.
The Get Noticed! Theme, created by author and online superstar Michael Hyatt, is a great place to begin your search. If you’re looking for more control over the look and feel of your site, my go-to theme is Avada. I build all of my sites, as well as my clients’ sites, on this versatile theme.
Step Two: Create a Lead Magnet
Once your website is up and running, I want you to create a compelling lead magnet. If you haven’t heard the term before, a magnet is simply a free piece of content offered in exchange for a visitor’s name and email address (thereby building your email list). Magnets range from PDF reports, checklists, and cheat sheets to videos, quizzes, and software. For us authors, a free chapter is another common choice.
Along with a great design, I want you to create magnets that deliver actual results. If your topic is investing, teach me something that makes me money. If your topic is dog training, share tips I can use today to get Fido rolling over tomorrow. Such an obvious instruction, for sure, but hardly anyone follows it.
When someone reads or watches or listens to or uses your lead magnet, you have the perfect opportunity to make a real difference for a new member of your community. Make it and they’ll stick with you forever. Mess it up, and they’ll leave you for good.
Step Three: Attract Your People
The stage is set: You have a professional website and compelling magnet–the house is built and the cookies are on the counter. Now you have to attract your ideal people through the front door.
There are as many ways to get traffic as there are screaming teens at a Bieber concert, but I like to start with three: guest posts, interviews, and ads. The particulars of each approach are obviously unique, but the aim is identical–capture the attention of audiences that have already been built with amazing value–and then welcome them back to your home where your magnet is waiting.
Guest Posts: No matter your how-to topic, someone, somewhere has a blog and audience wrapped up in the subject. Through Google searches, industry chatter on social, or one-on-one conversations with a handful of readers, it won’t take long for you to find a dozen sources that run outside content. When you do, study the brand and content, looking for a hole you can fill with your expertise. Either through an introduction (best), email, or social, reach out to the owner and offer your services.
Interviews: I love win-wins on the Internet. It didn’t take long for crooks and hooligans to flood the digital waves with get-rich-quick schemes and snake-oil shenanigans, so anytime I see two people serve each other–as well as their audiences–I’m thrilled. Interviews are that amazing breed of win-win-win. Podcasts need guests, guests need exposure, and audiences need great content. Using the same sleuthing techniques above, you’ll quickly find leading podcasts (or up and comers) to reach out to and connect with.
Advertising: A bit advanced but wickedly effective, advertising is the most efficient use of time and money to build your platform. As each situation is different, I can’t go into details. I do, however, want to offer a potentially new perspective on advertising. Many see it as an expense to be swallowed, but nothing could be further from the truth. Advertising is an investment that, when done right, will return more than given (especially if you have a stream of offers for your audience). Throwing good money at random ad opportunities is a dumb idea. Spending money on tracked, tested, and proven promotions that deliver a positive return? Very smart. Both happen every day. I’d opt for the latter.
Step Four: Deliver the Goods
You’ve got the site, the magnet, and the traffic, which means you’ll soon have an email list of subscribers–a platform. This is a true honor built upon a sacred trust. Yes, joining someone’s audience takes only seconds. And yes emails fly into our inboxes as quickly as they are deleted. But that doesn’t change the fact that a new email subscriber is a human being who granted you access into their life.
Not only that, but they’re listening to you. Not everyone, of course, but a percentage will open your messages and listen to what you have to say. They trust you, value you. That’s precious and needs to be treated with respect.
And how do you show them respect? Find out what they need and do everything you can to give it to them. Through blog posts, audios, videos, podcasts, insights, experiences, and stories, help them get from where they are to where they want to be.
Follow these steps and your audience will be more than willing to buy your books and more.
Where to Go from Here…
To kick off your platform plans I want you to focus all your attention on getting your website up on your own domain. If you already have your own digital home, consider a new theme if your current setup doesn’t instantly present you as a modern authority with value to share. Design alone can uplevel your brand, so make it a priority.
As you put the other steps in place, I want you to be patient. Please be patient. Building a community of loyal readers or listeners doesn’t happen overnight. “I know,” you say as you shake your knowing head. My clients say the same thing…and then throw their arms up in defeat when results aren’t instant. It’s natural. It’s human. It’s what we’ve been sold. But I can tell you that it’s going to take time…and it’s worth it.
Building this platform brick by brick will teach you so much about your audience and how you can best serve them. It will throw you into your market more than ever before and build your credibility among your community as well as your peers.
Every step you take to build your platform is another step toward the brand and business you hope to create.
Go built it.
Jason Gracia is the author of Shifting the Balance and founder of Authorpreneur U, where how-to authors discover the keys to building their platforms and boosting their profits. For a copy of Jason’s free Authorpreneur Handbook, visit http://www.authorpreneuru.com/handbook/.