Tag: platform

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Blogging Basics

Guest Blogging: Sharing Your Content To Get Noticed

Want to expand your audience? One popular way is to be a guest blogger on a well-known blog. As a new blogger, this will give you exposure beyond family and friends. And that’s what you want. To find your tribe, your audience, and your followers for life.

My First Guest Blog

In the summer of 2012, I reached out to a blogger I followed and respected. She had several books published and at the time, I was unpublished. When I reached out to Mary DeMuth, Author of Thin Places, A Memoir, to my surprise and delight, she contacted me back. Her guidelines for accepting guest blog submissions required a blogger have a strong social media presence. I had some following on Facebook, but no other platform to speak of. Just based on this requirement, I did not make the cut.

BUT, Mary liked my authentic, heartfelt blog submission and agreed to post it. So, my encouragement is to reach out and ask. You never know, you may get a “Yes.” (The article I wrote for Mary DeMuth is archived, but you can find her blog here: marydemuth.com/blog/)

My Second Guest Blog

As my presence on social media grew, so did the opportunity for other bloggers to find my content. In 2015, Corrinne Rodriguez reached out to me and asked me to guest blog for her website, Everyday Gyaan. She lives in Secunderabad, India. Her blog is about keeping life simple, authentic and holistic. Corrinne thought her audience would appreciate a story about gratitude in the midst of unthinkable circumstances. I wrote a previously unpublished blog and sent it to her. The blog posted and a whole new audience halfway across the world learned about our story.

The guest blog posted in November of 2015. I recently checked my website statistics and got a surprise. I still have traffic coming to my website from this guest post. You can read the blog post here: everydaygyaan.com/a-grateful-journey

How To Find A Guest Blog Opportunity

Twitter has a search feature where you search for hashtags, but you can also search phrases. Type in the phrase, Submit Guest Post. A list of recent posts with this phrase will appear. I like this feature because you see the most recent posts first and it is not months old.

You can also do a search on Google with the following search criteria:

  • Blogs accepting guest posts
  • Writing blogs accepting guest posts
  • List of Blogs accepting guest posts 2018
  • Guest Blog for authors

Once you decide where you want to submit your blog post; read several blogs on the site. This will help you get a feel for what blog posts are accepted and see if your topic is a good fit for their audience. Then locate their submission guidelines. Find out whether they accept published or unpublished blogs (most require unpublished), how many words are required, or if you can republish the post elsewhere.

Other requirements may include certain image sizes for pictures and graphics, avoiding use of affiliate links, and promotional free submissions (with the exception of a link in your bio.) Whatever the requirements listed, be sure to follow each one for a better chance at having your creative work accepted.

Other Writing Opportunities

Being a regular contributor for a website is another way to create a writing portfolio which shows consistent dedication and helps a whole new audience find you. A local website called Tampa Bay Mom’s Blog, not only accepts guest posts on their website but a few times a year, they open an opportunity to become a monthly contributor to their site. That is how I became a contributor. If this is your niche, check if your city has local a Mom’s Blog.

I am also a monthly contributor to this column, The Blogging Guide for Almost An Author. This opportunity came by personal invitation.

The Mighty is another online website where I have been published. The Mighty is a digital health community created to empower and connect people facing health challenges and disabilities. They have over 1 million registered users. Go here to submit your story. https://themighty.com/submit-a-story/

At a BlogHer Conference I attended, I was invited to contribute to Red Tricycle. They publish family friendly articles sharing topics ranging from parenting to food & travel. Check out their editorial policy here: https://redtri.com/editorial-policy/

Seek out opportunities to guest blog. Find potential columns or contributor opportunities. Have you written a guest blog or are you a regular contributor for a website? Do they accept submissions? Post those opportunities below to help your fellow writers find a home for their writing.

Evelyn Mann is a mother of a miracle and her story has been featured on WFLA Channel 8, Fox35 Orlando, Inspirational Radio and the Catholic News Agency. A special interview with her son on the Facebook Page, Special Books by Special Kids, has received 1.4M views. Along with giving Samuel lots of hugs and kisses, Evelyn enjoys hot tea, sushi and writing. Visit her at miraclemann.com.

Categories
Dear Young Scribes

Insta-Savvy for the Socials: 5 Tips for Boosting Instagram Growth – Guest Post by Caroline George

Social media provides a new frontier ready for settlers. We gaze at its complex landscape of influencers, followers, and likes, and we often elect to spend our time at a coffeehouse, lost in the dip of an overused lounge chair and writing session than develop our online presence.

Writing matters most, right?

Spoiler alert: Publishers want authors with platforms.

Due to changes within the publishing industry, authors bear the responsibility of marketing their work. If they don’t have an audience for their marketing endeavors, they won’t sell their books. And if they don’t sell their books, they risk losing future publishing opportunities.

Most social-savvy individuals agree Instagram dominates the media world. With its diverse methods of content delivery and communication, the platform offers users the chance to engage with their audiences and expand their reach.

Authors, we need to take inventory of our social media tool-belts and decide which instruments best suit our target audience. For example, each social media platform caters to a specific demographic. Facebook tends to reach more users over the age of 30. Twitter also houses a mature demographic and presents business-geared content. Other platforms (Snapchat, Pinterest, etc.) inhabit the social media world, however, in this post, I aim to provide tips to help you boost your Instagram growth.

Some Instagram features to note . . .

  • Insta-Stories: Temporary posts that appear when a user clicks on an illuminated profile image. Each post lasts 24 hours.
  • Highlight Reel: Insta-Stories saved on a profile’s page, beneath the bio. These posts do not expire.
  • Profile: A user’s main page that houses images, highlights, and stories.
  • Business Profile Analytics: Information stored in a profile’s upper right-hand corner. Shares demographic, best times for posting, content engagement, and more.
  • Linked Accounts: Other social media platforms connected to the Instagram page. Linked accounts share content with each other.

These features combine the experiences of Snapchat and Facebook, which is why, according to Statista, Instagram currently has over 1 billion active users. The platform welcomes various age groups and focuses on engaging audiences with image-centered content.

What does this mean for authors?

  • Potential for tremendous reach.
  • Ability to grow platform with self-curated content.
  • Chance to connect with readers and build community.

I write for young adults, so Instagram helps me share my content with a teen and millennial audience, book-bloggers, fan girls, and other authors. Using the following 5 tips, I managed to boost my Instagram @authorcarolinegeorge from 500 followers to over 12 thousand followers in 2 years.

5 Tips for Boosting Instagram Growth . . .

Find your niche.

The first step of growing your audience is knowing your audience. What’s their age range? What type of content do they like? How do you reach them in a unique way?

Create your brand.

A brand can simply include color scheme, type of content posted, and overall message.

Know your voice.

Determine how you want to sound on social media. Are you fun and friendly? Do you write blog-style captions or share puns? Will users recognize your writing style? Consistency is key, so once you find your social media voice, stick with it.

Use Instagram’s tools.

To reach your target audience and grow your following, harness the power of hashtags. Sites like Top-Hashtag.com share the most popular hashtags for the type of content you publish. More ways to garner engagement:

  • Use the Business Profile Analytics to pinpoint the best posting time for your account,
  • Follow accounts like yours,
  • Add gifs, polls, and such to your Insta-Story. The more Instagram features you use, the more likely your content will appear in users’ feeds.

Collaborate.

Team up with similar accounts to boost your following! Idea for a collaboration: Offer bloggers a free copy of your book in exchange for a book-themed photo and honest review.

Anyone can become Insta-Savvy with these 5 steps!

Want to know more about social media marketing for authors? Follow me on Instagram @authorcarolinegeorge and Twitter @CarolineGeorge_ for more platform tips.

About Caroline:

A 2017 Belmont University graduate with a double-major in publishing and public relations, Caroline aims to pursue a career committed to helping authors, publishers and organizations project their stories to their publics. She spends her time blogging, writing for various magazines and authoring young adult fiction books (her current publications include “The Prime Way Trilogy” and “The Vestige”). She considers herself a not-so-southern Georgia peach, coffee-junkie and delights in being best known for writing the phrase, “Coffee first. Save the world later.”
Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Build Your Platform with Magazine Articles

Last week I taught several workshops at a Christian Writers Conference and also met one on one with numerous authors. As typical for these events, many of the people were at their first conference.  Because I’m an acquisitions editor at a New York publisher and we do many types of books, my schedule filled quickly with appointments where authors were pitching their book ideas.

For a few of those meetings, they were double 15 minute typical length because I was critiquing their submission (something done as a part of this particular conference). In each critique, I was asking the author questions about their publishing experience and learned they had little or almost no experience.

 

While we love the permanence of books, the publishing numbers tell a different story. If a traditional publisher takes your manuscript and publishes it, you will be fortunate to sell 5,000 copies during the lifetime of that book. Yes I know you want to sell more than 5,000 books but this volume is typical sales number in the publishing community and you are doing well to achieve it.

Yet within the magazine writing world, it is common to reach 100,000 or even 500,000 readers with your article. Your choices as a writer are not: books or magazines. You can do both and in fact writing for magazines will help you build your presence in the marketplace (called a platform) and sell more books.

A number of the writers I met with at the conference were writing nonfiction books. Inside their chapters, these writers were including their own personal experiences tied to the content of their book. With a little reshaping, these stories could be the elements in a magazine article. As I suggested this idea to writers, it was a new concept because they were focused on a book and not a magazine article.

How repurposing builds platform

Within the publishing world, this concept of using your writing more than once is called repurposing and a way to get more use from your stories. It is a practice that I encourage you to incorporate into your writing life. For it to work, you have to be aware of the rights you are selling to a publication. You do not want to sell “world rights” because then you give up any additional use of the writing. Instead, you want to clearly label the first page of your magazine article as selling “First North American Rights.” These words give the publication the right to publish your story. After the material is published, then the rights return to you as the author and can be used in your book.

In general, magazines are operating several months ahead. The specifics are different for each publication and you want to notice and keep track of these details so you can get use your stories in different areas,

Many publications are interested in personal experience articles. You can use your stories from your book chapters and easily rework them into a magazine article. As you get published on magazines, you gain publishing experience which is something agents and editors are looking for. You also build your presence or platform in the market. How? This exposure comes from the final part of your article: the one or two sentence bio. In your bio, you include your website which is hopefully something simple like your name or something else easy to remember.

Your magazine articles can be an on-going way to build and reach your audience. It takes some planning and intention on your part but repurposing your work can be easily accomplished with your writing.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. Terry is the author of How to Succeed As An Article Writer which you can get at: Write a magazine article.com. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: Billy Graham Bio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @terrywhalin

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Writers Chat

How to Make Twitter’s Changes Work for You with Victoria Duerstock

Social media can change like the weather. In this brainy episode of Writers Chat, Victoria Duerstock shares how to navigate the new landscape of Twitter. Great info here about automation, platform growing, and staying engaged without letting your writing life fall by the wayside.

(BONUS: She’ll also tell us about the hottest new platform to get your writing seen – you won’t want to miss it!)

Victoria enjoys speaking, teaching, and, of course, writing! She has been busy growing her platform over the last couple years and enjoys sharing the lessons she has learned with others because she’s living proof that minuscule platforms can be transformed with just a few consistent steps of action and purpose. Two years ago she had only 53 followers on Twitter, and has grown to 7,000 today! She enjoys solving the mystery of social media because she knows these efforts will pay off for future books she plans on publishing.

Join us!

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET
on Zoom. Participants mute their audio and video during the filming, then we open up
the room for anyone who wishes to participate with our guests. The “After Party” is a
fifteen-minutes of off-the-record sharing and conversation.

Additionally, you can grow your network and add to the conversation by joining our
Facebook Group.

Categories
Dear Young Scribes

Creating & Maintaining a Blog to Build a Readership: Part 2

In the previous post, we discussed how writers can build a blog readership by establishing a brand, deciding on a topic, and having a clear target audience in mind. But how is a blog maintained once its created?

Here are 5 strategies I’ve found to be the most helpful:

1. Keep the blog updated 1 – 3 times a week.

When I first started my blog, Christ is Write, I blogged three times a week and noticed great results from this. Now, I only blog once or twice a week. There have been times when I’ve gone weeks without posting. It’s during those times I’ve noticed the greatest dip in my page views.

If you want others to notice your blog, it’s vital to produce weekly content for your readers. That way, they will continue to return week after week.

2. Follow multiple blogs within the same category and comment on their posts.

Remember the blog topics you narrowed down in the last post? Now, find other bloggers who post on the same topics.

For instance, when I launched my blog, I followed multiple bloggers who posted on faith and fiction. Those were the people I wanted to connect with.

If you comment frequently on their posts, your name will become recognizable to them. Pretty soon, they’ll return the favor on your blog as well.

3. Interact with your blog followers.

On the “about” page of my blog, I introduce myself, then invite the readers to introduce themselves in the comments. This gives me the opportunity to know more about my target audience, build relationships, and start conversations.

Also, it’s polite to respond to your comments—even if it’s a simple “thanks for commenting!”. Doing this will show that you appreciate your readers, and it will encourage further conversation on the topic. Then, when readers see that you’ve responded, they’ll be more likely to comment on your future posts, too.   

4.  Stick to the main topic(s) of your blogs.

Think of your blog like a magazine. If you typically write posts on health and fitness, then your readers should expect posts on dieting, exercise, etc. Don’t you think they’d be a little disappointed if you decided to write a random post on politics?

However, if you have an idea for a post that doesn’t fall under the main topic(s) of your blog, try to brainstorm ways you can cater the post in a way that sticks with the main subject(s).

For instance: When I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, I had the urge to write a post about this disease. The only problem? My blog isn’t a medical blog.

Because of this, I decided to write the post in a way that could fit into my “faith” category.  I was still able to share my experience and give info on the disease as well. (See Purpose of Trials: 5 Things Being Diagnosed With Diabetes Has Taught Me”.)

5. Write fresh content that will make it easy for others to read, share, and interact.

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when writing a post:

  • Try to keep it between 300 – 850 words
  • Write short paragraphs
  • Include 1 – 3 questions at the end of each post that invite readers into a conversation
  • Research how to write SEO-friendly posts
  • Make it easy for your readers to share the post on social media
  • Always use copyright-free images (you can find them on Pixabay.com, Pexels.com, Photopin.com, Unsplash.com, etc.)
  • Modify your font, size, and colors so it’s easy on the eyes

It takes time, determination, patience, and persistence to grow and maintain a blog. The payoff, however, will be well worth it—especially when it expands your reach and perhaps increases your chances of publication.

For more blogging advice for writers, I highly recommend the book Connections by Edie Melson. Much of what I’ve learned on blogging came from that book, as well as the author’s blog, TheWriteConversation.blogspot.com.

How do you maintain your blog? Let me know in the comments!

Categories
Platform and Branding

4 Must-Have Features For Your Blog

One of the cornerstones of your platform is your personal website or blog. Whether professionally designed or a DIY site, your site needs to include these essential features that introduce you to your followers.

1. Your Name

Your name should be visible somewhere in the “top of the fold” of your site, whether in the header or in the sidebar. (“Top of the fold” refers to the upper half of a newspaper, where the most important information is. It’s also the first part of page that’s loaded on your site.) Visitors to your site will become frustrated if they have to go on a “site safari” to find out who you are.

2. Your Photo

A good quality professional headshot should also be in the “top of the fold,” in either your header or your sidebar. It’s helpful if you use the same profile picture across all your social media accounts. It gives you a more uniform, professional social media presence.

3. Your Social Media Links

social media icons

WordPress and Blogger have a variety of plugins/gadgets that allow you to link to your social media accounts. There are also plugins/gadgets that share those feeds on your page, but be judicious about their use. You want your sidebar to be informative without being cluttered.

4. Follow by Email Option

Give your readers the option of subscribing to your blog. They’ll benefit in that they’ll get updates to your blog in a timely manner. The benefit for you is that you’ll have access to your followers when you want to contact them with information you may not want to post on your website.

Incorporating these simple elements into your site design will allow your readers to scan the page, find your essential information and begin recognizing your brand.

Shareables:

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Platform and Branding

5 Questions Writers Should Ask Before Joining a New Social Media Network

by Susan Stilwell @susanrstilwell

Social media is a part of life and savvy writers stay on top of the latest trends. Each year new social networks emerge, each promising to be the most engaging. Busy writers want to maintain a relevant and growing social media presence, and asking these five questions can help decide if a new network is worth pursuing.

social media icons

1. What do I have to offer there?

Do you have photography skills? An image-driven network like Instagram can give you an outlet for your hobby and also let your followers see some of the things that inspire you.

Do you enjoy creating or curating professional information? LinkedIn might be a good fit.

Are you an engaging public speaker? Live video will enhance your presence by letting your community see you in action. Video is one of the most engaging mediums and many networks are incorporating it in their platforms. The personal touch video provides can benefit any writer.

2. Is my audience engaged there?

All social media networks have a mobile app available, and many of them can access your personal contacts. Allow the app to access your address book and see who’s there. Check out a few profiles of your friends and influencers and take note of their followers, content, and strategies.

3. What is the learning curve? 

This can be difficult to gauge but notice what others are doing and see how your skills compare. Instagram followers appreciate artsy photographs or interesting graphics, so you’ll want to brush up on those skills. If you’re interested in live video streaming, then you’ll want to invest in a “selfie stick” or a portable tripod and practice delivering succinct messages. To create good instructional videos for YouTube or Vimeo you’ll need some basic video editing skills as well as an understanding of how to share or embed your content.

4. How will this grow my platform?

Social media can be used for a host of reasons:

  • building relationships,
  • driving traffic to your website,
  • growing your number of followers,
  • launching books,
  • increasing engagement,
  • sharing your message,
  • learning new skills,
  • introducing you to a new audience, etc.

Decide on your goal, do a little research and then develop a plan. Periodically evaluate your progress and make the necessary adjustments, including leaving the network if it’s not working for you.

5. How will one more network affect my life?

Joining a new network can be fun and exciting, but it can also become cumbersome if you don’t have the time and energy for it. Will another network add to your stress level, or will it energize and inspire you?

 

Social media is an important part of a writer’s platform, one that can also enrich your personal life. Answering these five questions will help clarify your goals and determine if joining a new network is right for you.

Shareables:

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Additional resources:

Hubspot – Visual Marketing Content Strategy

Lifewire – Joining A Social Network

Categories
Platform and Branding

3 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Writer Platform

When building a writer platform, few of us consider hiring a virtual assistant, or VA. Most of us are DIYers, learning the ropes so we can understand what’s happening in the online world.

Not everyone, however, has the desire, time or ability to continue doing it themselves. In those cases it’s wise to enlist the help of someone with experience. A virtual assistant can be a godsend for a busy writer struggling to grow their platform.

3 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Writer Platform

Saves time.

Creating social media content, formatting blog posts, responding to comments and messages, facilitating online discussions, etc. takes time and focus. A virtual assistant can perform many of these tasks for you, leaving you with time to write and engage in the places you enjoy.

Saves money.

Some content requires premium images and designer fonts, and that content often needs to be formatted for different social media networks. Many virtual assistants have access to these types of and can work with you to create a custom look that enhances your brand.

Some VAs are also savvy with WordPress and Blogger, and may be able to help with minor website modifications.

Saves sanity.

Sometimes you need a social media respite due to travel, health, family demands, or deadlines. A VA can help keep things moving forward when you need to take a break.

Other times you may need help because of changes in social media networks. Not only do the networks change, but your audience also changes. What works one year may not engage your audience the next. An experienced VA may also help you brainstorm new strategies.

virtual assistant

Where can I find a virtual assistant?

Finding a good virtual assistant can be challenging but it’s not impossible. Beware of economy sites as many of their sources live outside the US and may not have good English skills. Premium sites do a better job of pairing you with a VA who’s a good fit, but many require you to schedule interviews and pay fees.

A reliable way for a writer to find a VA is to crowdsource. Post the question in a Facebook or LinkedIn group. Ask your writer friends if they’ve worked with a VA or can recommend a VA.

Being able to outsource the things you dislike will not only reduce your frustration level but it will also give you margin. Hiring a virtual assistant can enable you to do what only you can do—write and share your message.

If you’re a writer who loves social media, has good content creation skills, and enjoys keeping up with trends, maybe YOU should be a VA! It’s a great way to hone your skills, help your fellow writers AND earn a little money!

Shareables:

A3 writer platform

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Platform and Branding

3 Tips to Grow Your Writer Platform When You Need a Break

Everyone needs a break from time to time. For a writer building a platform, taking a social media break might seem like you’re losing precious ground. If you’re willing to think outside the box and do a little planning, you can take a break and continue to grow your writer platform.

1. Recycle An Old Blog Post

In the spirit of “going green,” recycle an old post (or two or several). Go back in your archives and find an old post that didn’t get as much traffic as you hoped or one that wasn’t as well developed. Rewrite it and share some insights you’ve learned since the piece originally posted. You may even include some of your reader’s comments.

Be sure to optimize for SEO and include new shareable tweets and images.

2. Line Up Guest Posts

Ask writer friends if they’d like to write for you. If they’re busy or in need of a break themselves, look through their archives and find a post you liked, and ask if you can repost on your blog. (First be sure they’re not recycling it for their own site!)

Add click-to-tweets at the bottom of the post that mention the author. If you’re republishing an old posts, share an attribution such as, “This post first appeared on [friend’s site name with hyperlink to their site].”

Whether the post is new content or a republished post, always link back to the author’s site. Ask the author if there’s a particular page they’d like you to feature. They may ask you to direct readers to their About page. Another option is to link to their home page so your readers can see your friend’s most recent work.

3. Consider Hiring A Virtual Assistant

This may sound like a splurge, but VAs can help with many tasks. They can curate shareable content, research topics, or edit and schedule blog posts. They can respond to comments, coordinate editorial calendars, optimize posts for SEO, or even help with tips 1 & 2 – recycle old posts and line up guest posts!

VAs are unique and have different skill sets, so ask friends for recommendations. Some VAs prefer to work for a stretch of time (monthly or quarterly), but others are happy to do piecemeal work when needed.

Grow platform on break

Time away from writing and social media doesn’t necessarily mean your platform growth will suffer. With a little creative thinking and planning, you can enjoy a respite and still grow your writer platform when you need a break.

Anything to add to this list? Please share in the comments!

Shareables:

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Helpful A3 links:

3 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Writer Platform

3 Mistakes to Avoid With Your Social Media Strategy

4 Simple Rules For Guest Posting

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Platform and Branding

3 Can’t-Miss Tips For Steady Platform Growth

Smart writers invest in workshops, courses, and conferences. Smart and savvy writers will also invest time in building their platforms. These three steps repeated weekly, monthly or quarterly will ensure your platform grows at a steady rate.

Review Your Strategies

Look back over your blog and social media analytics. What content performed best for you? What networks gave your best results? Build on those strengths while taking a critical look at what didn’t perform as well. Should you make tweaks and try to improve, or abandon a failing strategy?

Numbers don’t lie, especially analytics, and so you’ll discover which social media networks fit best in your platform. Where are your readers? Where and how are you getting the best engagement? If a network isn’t getting the engagement you expected, what tweaks do you need to make?

Set SMART goals

Peter Drucker’s SMART management tool works well when setting platform goals:

  • Specific – Determine how much and what you will write, how you will network, what skills you need to learn, etc.
  • Measurable – Set goals for word count, number of articles to submit, posts to publish, manuscript progress, etc.
  • Attainable – Decide what works for you and your schedule, being careful to strike a balance that’s ambitious but also realistic.
  • Relevant – Goals must be timely and meaningful, moving you toward an identified objective.
  • Time-bound – Give yourself deadlines: daily (if appropriate), weekly, monthly, quarterly.

Don’t Neglect Relationships

Writing requires a good bit of solitary confinement, and it can be easy to retreat into your writing shell and neglect relationships. I need a good balance of non-writing friends who I can relax with, but I also deliberately cultivate friendships with other writers who understand the struggles and challenges of writing.

Consider joining a writing group or getting a critique partner. Find writer friends who will understand your goals and hold you accountable. Connect regularly to check progress and encourage each other.

 

Steady platform growth

Building your platform requires an investment of time and energy, along with regular evaluations. Set goals, connect with others, and know where you want to go with your writing. If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.

Shareables:

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Dear Young Scribes

How to Create & Maintain a Blog to Build a Readership: Part 1

Photo credit:

Savannah asked, “Do you have any tips for people who are new to blogging or would like to start?”

I began my blog, Christ is Write, over six years ago when I was 16-years-old. My intention going into it wasn’t to build a readership. I simply wanted to have an outlet where I could share my faith-related reflections and the insights I was learning on the writing craft.

Within the first few months, I reached 100 followers and regular blog visitors.

Creating my blog was one of the best decisions I’ve made so far in my writing journey. Not only has it advanced my career by helping me to establish a readership (which generated book sales), build a brand, and network with other writers, but it’s also granted me the satisfaction of instant publication for my writing.

I’ve grown as a writer through the weekly discipline of maintaining my blog and writing on specific topics. Simply put, there are far greater to blogging other than building a readership.

But as I mentioned in a previous post, agents and editors are becoming more and more strict about platforms. It’s reaching the point where they won’t even consider signing with a fiction author unless he/she has developed a healthy online following.

And one of the best ways to do this is through creating—and maintaining—a blog.

So if you’re an aspiring author hoping to create a blog for the purpose of building a readership, ask yourself . . .

1. What is my brand?

What is the specific impression you’d like to leave on your readers? An author’s brand is the image and/or type of book your future readers will think of when they hear your name. It combines the author’s genre, personality, and unique characteristics in a way that sets them apart from other authors.

What image (theme, mood, layout, colors, fonts, picture, etc.) would best portray this brand and represent your work/personality?

2. Who is my target audience?

Be specific about this one as well, because each post you write will be catered toward this group of people. What is the target age group? Gender? What interests/hobbies do they share? If you’d like to see a flock of readers who consistently return to your blog, as opposed to random spurts of readers, then it’s important to narrow your audience focus by creating a well-defined target audience. 

3. What kind of posts can I write that will reach this audience? 

For instance, if you want to start a lifestyle blog for teen girls, then you could write posts that are popular amongst that age group. (Specific topics that come to mind are prom, makeup tutorials, college advice, developing a healthy-self image, etc.) The key here is to figure out how you can reach this audience through only blogging about topics you’re passionate about.

4. What is the overall theme of my blog?

Choose 1 – 3 topics that are frequently covered on your blog. (For instance, I like to blog about faith and fiction.) This will create the umbrella that all of your sub-topics will be placed beneath. It helps to create a narrow focus for your blog—which, in return, will contribute in establishing your consistent readership.

Eventually, you may feel as though blogging is cutting into your writing time. But as long as you invest more time writing rather than blogging, you’ll be fine. In fact, blogging enhances your writing. Anything that requires the discipline to write will improve your writing. (Yes, even essays!) You’re also practicing writing on a deadline and brainstorming new ideas.

And the best benefit, of course, is attaining a readership for your future books.

In the next post, we’ll delve a little deeper into how to maintain a blog once it’s created.

If you have a blog, what has been the greatest benefit to come from it? If you don’t have a blog, do you think creating one would help to establish a following?

Photo credit: samedaypapers.com

Categories
Platform and Branding

Brand basics – do your colors and fonts present your best look?

Good content is critical for a writer but how that content is presented is also important. In Brand Basics – 2 Considerations For Writers, we discussed the importance of consistency across your social media networks. Using the same images and verbiage will tie together your unique look and help people recognize you. As you develop that look, choose colors and fonts that enhance your brand and help you stand out.

Colors

Response to color varies from person to person, and even between males and females. Most research proves, however, colors convey these basic feelings:

  • Red – fire, stimulating, but also anger
  • Orange – fire, adventure, optimism
  • Yellow – sun, happiness, energy
  • Green – nature, peaceful, but also envy
  • Blue – waters, trustworthy, masculine (favorite color of men)
  • Purple – royalty, sophisticated and artsy, but also feminine
  • Brown – earthy, rugged, but also dirty
  • Black – classic, strong, but also grief
  • White – purity

color wheel, look for writers

 

Lighter shades have a more feminine quality, while stronger hues feel more masculine. The colors you choose should resonate with your audience, enhance your look and also complement your voice.

Choose 2-3 colors to use consistently on your website, and use those colors as often as possible in your shareable images and infographics. Your readers will begin to associate those colors with you and your work.

 

Fonts

With so many free Google webfonts, we’re no longer limited to a handful of options on our websites. Sites like Font Squirrel and DaFont also provide access to many free or affordable options to use with our logos and our graphic design projects.

look at different fonts for writers

When selecting fonts, consider the overall look and feel you want to convey. Consider pairing two different but complementary fonts, using a standout font for headers and a simpler font for body text. Use the same (or similar) fonts on your website and in your shareable graphics and images.

Research

Pay close attention to your favorite authors and influencers and notice how they incorporate fonts and colors in their brands. One of my favorites is Amy Porterfield. She repeats the bold colors from her header in her featured images and infographics. The backgrounds are solid colors and she uses two basic fonts: a handwritten font for standout text and a sans-serif font for her body text.

Amy Porterfield featured image

If you pay close attention, you’ll see the “How to” text on the top line differs slightly from text on the bottom line. The fonts are actually the same family, the top font is the narrow version. 

Fiverr offers graphic designs starting at $5 (hence the name). Although very few of them actually deliver a product for that price, it’s a good place to find samples. Look at the portfolios for some of the top designers and see how they use not only colors and fonts, but also images, graphics and white space. What looks are pleasing to your eye?

Last Word

Remember when choosing fonts and colors: LESS IS MORE. Over 50% of your readers will view from a mobile device (cell phone or tablet), so choose fonts and colors that are easy to read on a variety of devices. Create a look that’s recognizable to your readers and then incorporate those elements as you share your great content.

Tweetables:

[bctt tweet=”Create a look that will represent your #writer brand, via @a3forme @susanrstilwell #amwriting” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”How colors and fonts can enhance a #writer brand, via @a3forme @susanrstilwell #amwriting” via=”no”]

brand basics colors fonts

Resources:

FontSquirrel and DaFont

Google web fonts

how to add to Google web fonts to blogger

WordPress plugin to add Google web fonts: easy google fonts

Fiverr Graphic Design

Font Pairing

Additional Reading:

The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding

Photo Credits

Color Wheel: Sailom, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Amy Porterfield, screenshot

Categories
Platform and Branding

3 Mistakes to Avoid With Your Social Media Strategy

Social media is an important part of building a writer’s platform. With existing networks changing and new networks launching, it can be easy to fall behind or get distracted with your social media strategy. Avoid these three mistakes as you manage your social media and build your platform.

1. Not using a social media scheduler

You’re guaranteed to waste time if you hop on and off your networks to post updates. Hootsuite is one of the best and simplest schedulers, allowing you to connect up to five social media networks with their free plan. It also shows different network feeds, making it easy to share curated content.

Buffer is another great scheduler, although their free version only connects one network. Their most economical paid option, however, allows you to connect ten profiles including Facebook groups and multiple Twitter accounts.

If money isn’t an object and you want a top-shelf scheduler, check out Edgar. You can connect multiple social media accounts and posts can queued and recycled on different networks.

social media strategy schedulers

2. Not using a news aggregator

Think of a news aggregator as your personal newsstand, particularly for the blogs you follow. Feedly is one of the most widely utilized aggregators. Once you set up your account, copy the sites you want to follow and read all the posts within Feedly.

You can also organize your sites and have folders for specific interests. This is particularly helpful for research or for keeping up with agents, publishers, or other writer friends. Best of all, Feedly is free.

Feedly screenshot

Disclaimer: It’s still good to subscribe because of the benefits to being on an email list. But with so many people choosing to email an excerpt of their post, consider the time it takes to open the email, click to the site and wait for the page to load. It’s quicker to read the content on Feedly and then click over to the site if you want to leave a comment.

3. Not setting a timer 

social media strategy - set a timerEven if you use a scheduler and an aggregator, it’s still easy to get sidetracked. Decide how much time you can spend scheduling posts and reading other people’s material. Set your timer and then STOP when it goes off.

Taking control of your social media will keep you focused on your tasks and free up more time for writing.

What are your best tips for managing social media?

Please share in the comments!

3 mistakes to avoid

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[bctt tweet=”Why a #writer needs a news aggregator like Feedly, via @a3forme @susanrstilwell #platform” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”How social media schedulers benefit a #writer, via @a3forme @susanrstilwell #platform”]

[bctt tweet=”Time management tips for social media, via @a3forme @susanrstilwell #writer #platform” via=”no”]

Stopwatch image credit: Pixabay

Resources:

Schedulers: Hootsuite, Buffer, Edgar

News aggregator: Feedly

Categories
Dear Young Scribes

Build a Platform & Increase Chances of Publication

“Does building a platform really increase chances of publication?”

This is a question many beginning authors ask when they are told to focus on building a platform—even before they receive a book contract.

“What’s the big deal?” they ask. “Shouldn’t I spend time working on my book instead of blogging? Won’t I gain a readership when my book is published?”

In the past, aspiring authors did not have to worry about building a brand, blog, or platform. They simply wrote a book, landed an agent, and received a publishing contract.

This is not the case with today’s writing industry.

If an aspiring author wants to gain interest from an agent/publisher, they must try to build a platform. When a publisher receives a proposal from an author, they often do an online search of the author. They want to see how many books the writer will be able to sell based on the number of potential readers they can reach through their blog and social media.

So, how can you, an aspiring author, build a platform—even as a teen?

Here’s how:

It’s pretty tough for an aspiring author to build a platform without writing a blog. Is it possible? Maybe.

But if you really want to impress an agent or publisher, don’t skip this. Blogging is a great tool to brand yourself as an author, build a readership, and build your platform—even before your book is published.

As a teen, you especially have the advantage of beginning to grow a platform early. Since it usually takes a long time to build one, you can try to begin growing it now before you completely dive completely into the writing industry.

But remember: A platform isn’t built overnight. It takes time, effort, and consistency.

However, I still advise that aspiring authors spend the majority of their time writing. Because if you don’t have anything to pitch to an agent/publisher—then, well, the time you devote into establishing a readership will be fruitless.

How has building a platform paid off in your writing career? Do you enjoy blogging, or do you consider it to be a waste of time? I’d love to hear what you think!

[bctt tweet=”Should aspiring authors build a platform? via @tessaemilyhall”]

[bctt tweet=”Build a Platform & Increase Chances of Publication via @tessaemilyhall “]

Categories
Platform and Branding

4 Steps to Boost Your Blog Posts

Blog readers are scanners, their eyes skimming the page for interesting information. Problogger reports the average time spent reading a blog post is 96 seconds. With such a small window of opportunity, how do you engage your reader and communicate your message?

Create visually interesting blog posts!

1. Break up long blocks of text. 

Long paragraphs and large blocks of text are visually boring. They’re also cumbersome to read on a monitor or handheld device. Craft shorter paragraphs with interesting transitions.

Boost your blog post

2. Include an image near the top of your post. 

Images evoke emotion and connect with your reader. A captivating photo can illustrate your message and also give your reader’s eye a place to rest on the page.

(Be careful about copyright infringement and attribution. Personal photos are the safest to use, but there are many resources that allow you to use their images at no charge if you attribute the site and/or photographer.)

3. Vary your text.

Use headers, bold text, italics, block quotes, etc. to call attention to keywords and phrases. Well-placed headings and quotes communicate your main points and keeps your reader’s eye moving. Be careful not to overuse them and clutter your post.

4. Shorter is better. 

Keep in mind the 96-second window, understanding you’ll lose some of your readers with a longer post (500+ words). Write “tight” when you post to your blog. If you find yourself closing in on 500 words and you’ve still got a lot to say, consider making it a two-part post.

Benefits of shorter posts?

  • You’ll retain your reader,
  • They’ll be invested and want to read the sequel,
  • You’ll have another post and an opportunity to link within your site.

Those 96 seconds are precious, so use them wisely and create blog posts that engage and communicate.

Shareables:

4 steps to boost

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Photo Credit
Boost Photo Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Stuart Miles