Photo Credit: TEDxSydney Flickr via Compfight cc Last fall I decided to quit treating writing like a hobby and build an audience.
First, I enrolled in the Tribe Writers Course. What sold me on the course was this promise: Tribe Writers will help you get the attention your work deserves.
Bam. That’s exactly what I’m looking for!
I sold a few books before I enrolled – around 24,000. The royalties provided some part-time passive income but not enough to live on. To go full-time, I’d need a lot more steady income.
What Scares You About Getting Attention
When I was young, the other boys I knew played with soldiers, shot BB guns, and rode their skateboards down the neighborhood streets.
I wrote.
It was fun. I could create an imaginary world where anything goes. I could say anything without getting hurt. I could be my true self, and no one had to know.
Writing is a solitary activity. So it’s not natural for many of us to interact with other people. We lock ourselves away, pound our keyboards, and beam as we read our brilliant prose.
The beautiful thing is everything we write is perfect – until we show it to someone else.
When you share your writing, you may feel like you’re standing naked in Times Square. You think someone will notice, but since it’s New York, nobody cares.And if they do notice, they might laugh at you.
We cringe at the thought of that, so we keep our work to ourselves.
The unfortunate consequence is we don’t grow – at least not in any way that matters.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to bristle at the thought of someone reading your work. There’s a better way.
Now let’s get down to it.
Everything you write is perfect until you show it to someone else. Click To Tweet
7 Ways Every Writer Can Build an Audience
The world’s most popular musicians put on a great show. Most of their money comes from concerts. Here are a few figures from 2016:
- Diddy, $130 million.
- Beyonce, $105 million.
- Drake, $95 million.
How does this apply to writing, you say? Easy. The best artists connect with their audiences. They give them a reason to show up, shell out their hard-earned cash, and give up an evening just to see them.
Now let’s look at 7 ways you can create relationship magic with the audience you want.
The best artists connect with their audiences. Click To Tweet
1) Post Regularly on Social Media
If you’re not on social media much, I get it. It can suck away time like a tornado sucks away buildings.
Here’s how my friend Lauriane makes the most of 30 minutes a day on Twitter.
The trick is to replace quantity with quality time on social media.
You’ve got to be strategic about this.
- Stick to your main topic. You’re not the Huffington Post. If you want to make it in a crowded world, you’ve got to stand out. Be consistent and don’t spread yourself too thin. If you confuse people, they’ll tune you out.
- Have a schedule. You don’t have to post 100 times a day. Maybe it’s just 3. The key is to post regularly. Create an expectation that you’ll post at 8 AM, Noon, and 5 PM. Then keep your promise.
- Schedule your posts. You can do this with Hootsuite or Buffer. Facebook pages allow you to schedule posts as well. That way if you aren’t there to do it in person, your software can do it for you.
2) Interact With Your Followers
Your connections online are as good as you make them.
When someone follows you or likes something you’ve written, tell her “Thank you!”
Have a conversation. Ask her open-ended questions about what she does. Give a little information about yourself to keep things going.
You have conversations online the same way you’d have them face to face. Be friendly. Be courteous. And as Dale Carnegie said, be sincerely interested in the other person.
She’ll love you for it.
Your connections online are as good as you make them. Click To Tweet
3) Share Content That Satisfies a Real Need
Meeting real needs is essential to business success.
It doesn’t matter what your agenda is. If you want to keep your followers, give them what they want. Make them feel good. Show them you care by satisfying their hunger.
Not sure what they want? Ask!
If you don’t have many followers yet, go where they go online. See what they’re talking about. Find out what they’re reading. Scratch an itch they already feel – and do it better.
Write to scratch an itch people feel. Click To Tweet
4) Write Guest Posts
This is a great way to get attention for your writing. It trumps advertising, email marketing, and social media.
Why?
Because when your work appears on someone else’s site, someone else is bragging on you.
That’s the power of social proof.
- It’s why testimonials are so persuasive.
- It’s why we read reviews before we decide whether to buy something.
- It’s why you ask your friends for recommendations.
People may not believe you when you trumpet your greatness. But they’ll believe someone else.
5) Review a Famous Author’s Book.
People love book reviews.
Here’s one I did.
The more reviews a book has the more likely it is to sell.
When you lend a hand, the author may thank you for it! This is especially true if you publish your review in a blog post.
If you’re not already connected with the author, you’ll probably find him on Twitter.
Share your review everywhere. It’s even better if you can pitch the review in a guest post and have it published to a large audience. Who knows how far they may spread the word?
6) Ask an expert for an interview.
Serve your audience by sharing valuable information with them.
Connect with someone you know who knows something you don’t. Don’t know an expert? Ask around. Connect with one on social media. Start a conversation. Then you can naturally make the big ask.
It can go something like this:
“Hey, I see you’re an editor. How long have you been at it?”
Ask another question or two. Be complimentary. Then you can say, “I have a small tribe of writers on my blog who love to hear what you have to say. Would you be interested in doing an interview for them?”
I’ve done this countless times with different people and have rarely been turned down. Sure, it happens. But you’ll be surprised how many people want to help. So ask!
Serve your audience by sharing valuable information with them. Click To Tweet
7) Start a Facebook group based on your interests.
If the people in your niche are already gathering to chat on Facebook, why not give them another place to hang out?
The key to success here is you’ve got to meet a need they feel. If it’s just another group doing the same thing many other groups are doing, you’ll get members – but they won’t be very engaged or active.
Every Friday on Facebook, a few of the writers groups I’m in let you share your work. If you write something people like, they might:
- Read your post.
- Leave a comment.
- Sign up for your email list.
- Share your post with their networks.
When that happens, you feel good, don’t you?
I thought, “Man, this is great. What if I created a space where writers can do this every day?”
That’s how the Tribe Builder’s Network was born. Want to join the party?
You can do the same with your niche. If your tribe is on LinkedIn, you can start a group there. It’s a great way to position yourself as a leader, grow your tribe, and help people make their dreams come true.
Want to know more? Read Josh Turner’s Booked to see what a thriving group can do for you.
Now Go Build Your Audience
You’ve just learned 7 great ways to build your audience – even if you don’t have one now.
Here are some action steps you can take:
- Talk with someone on social media every day this week. Don’t know anyone? Introduce yourself!
- Join the Tribe Builder’s Network. You’ll connect with a fantastic group of people who are helping each other build their audiences.
- Interview an expert in your niche. You know someone who knows something valuable. Why not use it to help your readers improve their lives?
I wish you much success! Feel free to share your story in the comments. Don’t have a win yet? You will if you’ll apply these suggestions. Bookmark this article and share your win when you get it. You’ll inspire someone with your good news!
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