5 Ways Writing a Blog Helps Authors Grow Their Platform

October 13, 2015 by Lorna Faith

Building an author platform, is important if you want to reach out to more readers. A great way to grow your list of readers who are interested in what you have to say and your books, is to have a website where you blog on a regular basis.

This doesn’t mean you need to write every day or even once a week. Even if you only wrote something every two weeks, but did that consistently, you’d find more and more readers connecting with you.

If you are a writer who wants to continue to put books into the world, readers need to easily find you and your books. There are other ways, besides blogging, to connect with readers. I wrote a list of some different forms of content marketing for authors that help readers to discover you.

In my experience, blogging has been the most beneficial content strategy I’ve done to grow my relationships and connections with readers.

In a recent survey where I asked what readers #1 struggle was with marketing their book there was one question that came up the most. It was: Does an author need a website or blog to sell their books?

My answer to that is: I think the advantages of being a blogger outweigh the disadvantages, especially if you are a new author.

But, I would also say that the writing journey and goals are different for each author. There is no ‘one’ way. I would venture to say that having some type of strategy for content marketing is vital so you can connect with more readers who want to read your books. This is important for all authors, whether you are traditionally published or self-published.

I’ve definitely benefited from writing a blog for the past 3 or so years. Writing a couple times each week has really helped me grow as a writer and at the same time has continued to grow my platform.

5 Ways Writing a Blog Helps Authors Grow Their Platform

As writers and authors, asking the question of why should you blog, or why be on Twitter or on Facebook, are important to consider. When you don’t understand your goals, you can’t make informed decisions on how to manage your writer life and get a great strategy – that works good for you – on how to market your books.

Here are three successful indie fiction authors that I know who have chosen to Podcast once a week instead of write blogposts. This is a unique content strategy that has worked well for them. Popular New York Times Bestselling authors like John Grisham or Stephen King, have websites where readers can find them, but as far as I can tell they don’t write a regular blog.

For non-fiction authors, it helps you network with other bloggers/writers in your niche and readers who are interested in your subject will find you. Two great examples of helpful blogs that have also grown the authors list of potential readers are goinswriter.com and thecreativepenn.com.

Personally, I’ve experienced so many benefits because of a commitment to regular blogging.

Here’s 5 ways writing a blog can help you as an author grow your platform:

1.It gives you a home base where readers can find you and opt-in to your email list. As your hub, your blog is your home base where you can direct people to as you surf the internet. When you post on forums, leave comments or guest post on other blogs, readers who want to find out more about you have someplace – your blog- where they can find you. As they read different blogposts on your blog, they can sign up(opt-in) to your email list when you have an opt-in form on your blog. This is a great way to have more conversations with your readers and it also helps you learn to really listen on how to give your readers more value.

2.Blogging gives you another place for creative expression. I have blogged every week since the start of 2012. This has not only given me an outlet but has encouraged me to create a publish what I write. I’ve learned to practice in public, which has helped me find the courage to also write and publish books. As a writer/author blogging helps you find your writing voice, and you learn how to tell a riveting story. All good reasons to blog.

3.Helps you grow content over time and test out ideas. Since it can be overwhelming to sit down and write a 80,000 word book, if you write 80, 1,000 word blog posts, that’s seems much simpler and do-able. Making the task of writing your ideas into small bites, can really empower you to help you meet your writing goals. Each blogpost, is also a awesome way to test out your ideas on a subject that you’re passionate about. Listen to how readers respond and what topics they would like to see you talk about more.

4.A place where other bloggers, podcasters, book reviewers and others can find you. It’s so important that people online can find you. Whether it’s other bloggers, podcasters or book reviewers, you need a place where they can ‘stop by’ to find out more about you and your book. This is also true for people who find you via social media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, etc. – they can find you easily and if they read your blogposts, very often if they like what you’ve written, they’ll share it on social media. It’s good to have a place where people can find you online.

5.Helps you create and grow amazing relationships. This might be last on the list, but it’s definitely not least. One of the most rewarding details my blog has helped me sort out, is to create amazing relationships with other writers and authors who are in my niche. I now have close friends that I never would have had without my blog. My blog says a lot about who I am and it like it sends a signal to the world to reach out to like minds. I love that. As an author, there’s not more valuable to create relationships and to get into a conversation with your readers. Sometimes the comment section on a blog can be the most interesting part of a blogpost, where others weigh in with their own ideas and experiences. It gives great feedback and grows your community of readers… which is incredible.

I hope this post gives you food for thought on ways that a blog might be useful for you as an author.

By far, the most successful author blogs I’ve seen, are those where the blogger is passionate about their topic. They really listen and have conversations with their readers and are constantly thinking of new ways of how they could offer more content, value and resources to the people who subscribe to their blog.

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about whether to start a blog, I want to encourage you to start one today. You can start a blog for free at wordpress.com. It doesn’t cost you anything except time. At some point – later on down the road – you might consider switching to a WordPress blog that gives you a little more freedom. I talk about how to set up a wordpress.org blog and email list here.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed about writing a blogpost, you can make it super easy on yourself. You don’t have to write a post everyday or even every week. If you write a 500 – 1000 word blogpost every two weeks, about a topic you are passionate about and just have fun with it, and let people know you’ve started blogging, you’ll be surprised at how many readers you start to grow relationships with. And that’s a beautiful thing.

Do you have a blog? If not, have you considered starting one? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

*Photo created with Canva

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

How Blogging and Other Content Marketing Helps Writers Get Noticed

October 1, 2015 by Lorna Faith

“Every time you post something online, you have a choice. You can either make it something that adds to the happiness levels in the world – or you can make it something that takes it away.” Zoe Sugg

Writers and authors are encouraged to blog and to somehow grow the content they share online, but many times we’re not told how or why that’s a good idea.

Most of us understand that we need to grow our platform, but what does that involve?

This is simply sharing what you create with readers who are interested in what you have to say – which is content marketing. Blogging is one form of content marketing.

At it’s most basic, blogging is a place to express yourself – your ideas – to the world. It’s your own website where you write about your passions, on a regular basis.

In order to get noticed as a writer, it’s important to have an online presence with valuable content that people want to read either for information or entertainment. Each little bit of content you put out there, is an added way for readers to find you.

So how do you reach out to a wider audience?

*Photo created with Canva

The goal of content marketing…

The idea behind content marketing is to stretch your content across different forms of media, so you’ll reach a diverse audience.

If people find you and like what they find, they’ll stay on your site and often will be happy to give you their email. When they offer their email in return for getting regular updates from you – blogposts, newsletters, etc., – it means they’ve given you permission to talk to them. This is the aim of blogging and other forms of content marketing.

As you continue to give your readers helpful, valuable and entertaining content, they will begin to know, like and trust you.

As authors, this often means that when you have a book launch, people that come to your website might think about buying your book instead of a different one because you’ve been helpful to them, and given them value. This is an amazing way to reach readers. You don’t want your book to one of the hundreds of books that finds it’s way to the bottom slush pile, just because no one knows about you.

So how can you reach the audience that your words deserve?

What sort of content can you create?

There are so many types of content that I won’t be able to name them all here. There isn’t really a limit to what you can create and give to people. Also, another important detail I learned from Jonathan Milligan, is that you can repurpose what you create. So if you create a podcast, you can also write a book around that same material. If you write a blogpost – or a series of blogposts – you can make that material into a short ebook.

It’s really incredible all the different types of value you can offer from producing one form of content.

Here’s a list of some forms of content marketing to consider:

1.Blogpost. As a writer this form of content might be a little easier for you, because of your love of the written word. Blogging is quite different to writing fiction 0r even writing a non-fiction book(as I’ve recently discovered). Of course if you are a fiction writer, you can always post a short fiction story on your blog, and your readers would probably love that. You should post on your own blog as it builds your brand and readership. It’s fairly simple to set up your own blog, so if you’ve been thinking about it, begin today. Also consider guest posting or joining a writer’s collective blog, which is be a great way to reach new readers. I really learn a lot from the Kill Zone Blog which includes James Scott Bell and other thriller writers.

2.Podcast. I love connecting with people through audio. Maybe it’s because I listen to a ton of podcasts on writing and self-publishing each week. iTunes is the most popular place to find podcasts and there are literally thousands of amazing free podcasts that you can subscribe to. You can listen in your car as you commute, or at the gym or when you’re cooking or dishes(that’s when I listen). When people hear your voice for 30 minutes per week, as you talk about your writing life, some of what’s going on in your personal life or even hear what makes you laugh, they feel like they know you. That’s a beautiful thing. Podcasting is a wonderful way to build trust and relationship… which is critical to content marketing. You can learn how to set up your own podcast here.

3.Video. I love creating video interviews with the people I chat with for the Podcast. It’s easy to do using Skype and call recorder. Think about ways in which you could use video. Maybe you could do a short Vlog, like a blog, but you’re talking about something you’d normally blog about. Video is still growing, and some people prefer to watch video. Or you could create a short tutorial on what you’re learning as an author. With video, you can also make a book trailer for your latest release. I’ve thought of doing this, and still would like to at some point. It would be interesting to try!

4.Create a free ebook or free giveaway of some kind. When you give away a free ebook or a free report or even the first three chapters of your novel, readers love that. That’s what I’ve done on this blog, with my Library of Free resources. I put the sign up box on the top right and people join everyday, because there’s helpful information there. You can also give something for free that is like a short e-course or video course that people get when they subscribe to your blog. When you offer helpful information, people are quick to respond. Consider creating something that is a new helpful resource for others that will give your author brand credibility.

5.Social Networking. Posting on Social Media like Pinterest, Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter and other places are great ways to add value to people’s lives, and it also builds your own reach. I post daily inspiration quote graphics as well as linking to other people’s content. It’s great how you can reach and grow relationships with more people this way. Sharing content is also a good way to get to know other writers and bloggers. As you start building relationships on social media, it helps with interviews or guest posting and much more.

6.Webinars. So far I’ve only attended webinars, but I’ve listened in and participated in quite a few of them. At some point, I would like to create slides and talk to people through a live webinar. I know when I’ve listened to Webinars, I feel like I’m more engaged and seem to remember the speaker easier because I participated in their webinar. When you finish the webinar and have the recording, you can also post the replay of the Video on YouTube or on your own website.

There are many more ideas for content marketing. Also old school options might still work too, if you send people brochures or newsletters via mail.

I continue to learn from other successful content marketers. I’ve embraced the process as I’ve enjoyed learning so much from others and creating new content. If you want to learn how to reach more readers, check out this awesome free series on content marketing is here at Copyblogger.

I’ve been in the process of creating my own content marketing schedule.

Here’s a glimpse of what my schedule looks like:

Each day I post a quote graphic, and a couple of articles I found on Facebook, Twitter (sometimes on LinkedIn, Google + and Pinterest). On Twitter I post about 3 encouragement posts and 7 helpful links I found from others, about writing. I schedule this through Hootesuite, and often do this 2 to 3 days ahead of time. So 90% of my posts are scheduled and then I check in about twice a day to chat with people. This works well for me.

Twice a week I schedule a blogpost on my blog. Very often it’s a topic that I’m working through at the time. For instance, I wrote this blogpost, because I’m thinking about how I can be more time efficient and add more value to people through how I use content marketing.

Twice a month podcast. This is my goal, as soon as I have the link figured out for the new podcast… sigh:) I love chatting with people through Skype chat and creating a Podcast/Video at the same time.

My goal is to get to the point where I am publishing two – three new fiction books every year. I really love writing fiction, so I’m excited to speed this up.

So those are some thoughts on how to get noticed as an author through blogging and content marketing.

How do you create your own content marketing to reach more readers? Which type of content marketing did I miss that you are fond of? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments.

5 Steps to Set Up Your Blog & Email List

September 17, 2015 by Lorna Faith

What does it mean to have a platform? Why is it important?

Have you ever walked down the sidewalk and noticed someone playing and singing? Or maybe you’ve heard someone speak passionately on a topic they love and a crowd started to gather around them?

A blog and email list is a platform much like that.

It’s a place to ‘stand’ and talk to those people who want to hear what you have to say.

It not only makes sense to have a blog as a writer, but it helps to grow your platform. The larger your platform, the more people you can reach with what you have to say.

My Blogging Story…

I started my first blog 3 1/2 years ago. I didn’t have a regular schedule. I just began blogging whenever I felt like it. Which is quite normal for many writers when they get started. However that blog and the one after it, ended in failure.

There were so many details I didn’t understand. I didn’t know how to reach out to others through blogging. These were simple details that I missed out on, that would have made my blog much more effective.

For instance, I didn’t create anything free to offer readers as an incentive to sign up and I didn’t have a newsletter that offered them great resources and free offers. Also, one of the key things I missed out on, was really listening to people who were connecting with me.

Through my many mistakes in blogging and reaching out to others, I learned a few things. I hope you find these steps useful to you as you set out on growing your own blog and email list.

5 Steps to Set Up Your Blog & Email List

Originally I started out creating a blog with Blogger.com, because a free blog was all I could afford. If that’s where you’re at, it’s a great place to start. You can also use WordPress.com as another free option.

However – as I learned much later – I was being limited by using a website I didn’t own. I was limited to what I could add to my website – I couldn’t use plugins – to help it function better, and I was limited by content as well. Also, I didn’t realize when I use a free website, that if they want to shut me down one day, I wouldn’t have any say in it. Without warning all the blogposts I wrote, could disappear without a trace.

So that’s why I wanted to set up my own WordPress site. Here’s the steps I took.

Set up your Website. If at all possible, set up your own wordpress.org website. WordPress.org works great to have your own email signup form. There are a number of ways to add sign up forms to your blog. I use SumoMe and I really like it. Copyblogger has a great article on 3 simple strategies to reach more people on your blog. At the end of the day, it’s really about having the freedom to add email signup forms where and how you like. Some people like to add the form to the top of their webpage or you can add your signup form to the right hand side of your website – like the one I have on this blog.
Find an email service provider. An email service provider will deliver your emails, newsletters and blog broadcasts to your readers. Most service providers have great customer service support. I use Aweber and they’ve been really helpful. Other email providers are also good. If you go with Mailchimp, your first 2000 subscribers are free. Other providers are iContact, Constant Contact and Get Response. In the end, the most important detail that matters is that you can add people easily to your list and send the messages you need to connect and give great information to those people who want to hear what you have to say.
Create a Sign-up Form. Like I mentioned in the first step, it’s really easy to create your email signup form. I use Aweber to the create the form that you see on the right hand side of this blog. I also use SumoMe at the top of the page as well as for a form that pops up once a week. I’m still tweaking this – still learning. but I like using those tools so far. At the start of this year, I decided to start offering a Library of free stuff, which I will keep adding to. So far it seems to be what people like. A key to choosing what to give your blog readers, is to start listening to what they want from you. When you hear what they ask about a lot, or what they struggle with, if you create a resource that helps solve their problem, you’ll make your readers happy. Or if you’re a fiction writer, offering your blog readers a free novella or the first three chapters of your book, is a really great to add more readers to your email list. At the end of the day, a happy reader is what you want.
Create an Automatic Reply Message for Subscribers. This is sometimes called a autoresponder message. (Look back to step #2 for a list of some service providers). This step is important because you want to be able to thank people who sign up to your email list and you want to use the autoresponder to deliver your free gift. It’s great when you begin to really connect with your readers and your emails become conversations with a good friend. This is the best part of writing the email messages.
Start to give the link to your book out to readers. If you’ve written a book that you’ve published on Amazon and other digital retail websites, it’s great when you can use your book to link people back to your website. On the back of your book, you can put a CTA(call to action). Think of what your readers wants when you’re writing your CTA. What would compel them to go to your website at that moment and sign up for your email list? Also, double check that your CTA link is clickable. There aren’t many people who will take the time to go to their computer and type your URL into a web browser. They want to get to the link as fast as possible, right from the ebook they’re reading. If you’re writing your book using Scrivener, this is easy to do. You just highlight the text you want to link, go to Edit, click Add Link and type in the URL. Then test the link to see that it works, and you’re good to go.

Once you’ve gone through the steps, your email list should begin growing. It might start off slowly, but if you add the different tools and your content appeals to your readers, it will keep building.

The beautiful thing is, the reason your readers have joined your list in the first place is because they were interested in what you had to say. So you don’t really need to be bashful about letting them know when you have a new book finished. And it’s awesome to begin to get to know and bond with your readers.

I hope these steps have simplified the process of reaching more readers for you.

What have you struggled with as you’ve tried to grow your email list? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

3 Tips on How To Grow Meaningful Online Relationships As A Writer

August 20, 2015 by Lorna Faith

There are people waiting to read what you have to say. You might doubt that, but it’s true.

With over 7 billion people in the world, there will be a segment of the population who will really connect with your words and your worldview.

But, before you can offer them anything, you must find them. And before you can do that, you must create a place where they can gather around you. If you never build that place, they’ll never even know you exist.

So how do you grow meaningful online relationships as a writer?

*Created with Canva

Building Connections That Last

As a writer, you have a personal brand. And because it’s a personal brand, it’s based on connection and relationships with people on a personal level.

Social media urges us to grow the largest followings, but building a writing business that lasts, isn’t about rounding up the most people. It’s about connecting and building relationships.

As you find and start to connect with contacts, it takes your acquaintance to a new level. You go from simply being a name on a friends social media following or email list, to a real relationship. It’s when you grow that relationship that makes things really happen. When you have a good relationship with someone, it means you help them and when you need help, they help you too. They’ll even do favors for you and who knows, you might even develop a partnership or collaboration on some writing projects.

For authors, it also means that you can help each other as your promote new books or other products.

For content producers – bloggers, freelance writers, podcasters, vloggers, etc. – these relationships can help you grow your business. It means your efforts are boosted because it means you can ask for the support of others who also want you to succeed.

3 Tips On How to Grow Meaningful Online Relationships

1. Be You. It sounds really simple, but I’ve learned that somedays its hard to do. I think most of us have days when we’d rather hide who we really are; maybe to blend in or so we don’t make anyone around us mad. But staying hidden in our own invisible cave, won’t help your message and the value you bring to others to stand out.

So It’s important you are real. Show your true colors. Be your wonderful self in blog posts, social media updates and other places where you hang out. It doesn’t mean you have to tell all the embarrassing things you’ve done in your lifetime, but it does mean you speak from your authentic voice in whatever way you communicate.

As you begin to speak from your heart and let people see the real you, your voice will resonate with your connections and they will start to remember you. The people who really identify with what you’re saying, your story and the way you tell it, will connect deeper with you. They’ll begin to do stuff like retweet and like your posts, visit your blog and reply to your emails.

They will start to look for you wherever you are, because your voice resonates with something inside of them.

2. Share Your Story. Take a deeper look at your own story and see how it can connect you to your readers – and to your bigger audience. Did you decide to start writing because of a past experience? Do you write certain types of books because of something that happened to you in the past? What have you learned about what you went through that can help others?

When you share you authentic self and your story with others, it’s really about sharing your heart – your hopes and dreams – in relation to you as a writer and your message. There’s many different ways and mediums to get this message across. You can share your story through blog posts, speaking on podcasts, videos, periscope or even through quote graphics you create(one of my favourite things:).

When you share your compelling story, there will be people who identify with your words. Its those shared experiences that is where your relationship with people begins. Sometimes, people who read your blogposts or listen to your podcasts can connect with you in such a powerful way that they will start to promote you and your message because they believe so strongly in your work and message. That’s pretty powerful.

3. Start By Being Helpful to Others First. If you see someone on Facebook or Twitter or wherever else you hangout that has a question you can answer, respond. If authors around you on social media are working hard to promote their books, offer to help out. Retweet the link to your followers and share in your other social media feeds.

I’ve made a lot of friends this way, and it’s kind of cool because they offer to help me out too, when I have something new going on. I love that as writers, we can help each other out.

Sometimes, one writer might connect with another and they might decide to write a book together. It’s great when you turn a person from a contact into a connection and develop a relationship as you grow to trust each other more.

I hope these tips help you as you grow your audience and turn connections into meaningful online relationships.

What has helped you the most to grow meaningful relationships with others online? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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