Is a Large Platform Critical for an Author’s Success?

Updated June 1, 2023 Subtitle A platform built on quality, not quantity, will help you build a following that will help you achieve success Synopsis Creating a massive platform with thousands of followers might seem the most obvious way to succeed. But there is more to it than that. A huge email list and Twitter and Facebook following are all great and can be a worthwhile accomplishment to strive for. But the quality of those followers is much more critical for your success. What You Will Learn 1. You will learn why a robust author platform is not always the best or most practical for most self-published authors. 2. You will learn why high-quality email addresses are more important than many. 3. You will learn what you need to do to start building your author platform. Introduction Is a large platform critical for an author's success? The quick answer is no. But the platform must be well-established. In today's new media world, it is not necessarily about the numbers anymore. It is now about engagement with the readers. Whether for a large or micro niche audience, it does not matter anymore. Is the author seen as the go-to person to that audience? Is the author making an emotional connection with them? Is the author getting his audience rallied around a particular niche? Is the author selling books and ebooks to that audience? Is that audience commenting on the author's blog posts? Are they re-posting or re-tweeting those blog posts? These questions will help you understand what it means to have a strong and well-established platform. More Is Not Always Better Because Not All Traffic Is Created Equal Creating a massive platform with thousands of followers might seem the most obvious way to succeed. But there is more to it than that. A huge email list and Twitter and Facebook following are all great and can be a worthwhile accomplishment to strive for. But the quality of those followers is much more critical for your success. But the quality of those followers is what is essential. Especially for those of us (99% of all authors) who do not have the market power and name recognition of massive money authors and mass-media celebrities. The Active Niche vs. The Passive Mass For example, if your email list is mainly composed of those who simply downloaded your ebook because it was free if they gave you their email address, and then they never open your emails again, your email list quality will be shallow. You need to know how to engage with those downloading your free ebook and try to convert them into faithful followers willing to visit your blog repeatedly. Give Them a Reason Not to Cut and Run Your blog posts and emails must give them a reason to keep reading and returning for more. The high-quality followers are the ones that will not unsubscribe after your first email to them. Those who remain on your list and continue to open your emails will stay with you long-term and be more willing to share your blog posts and buy your books. It Is Not about the Numbers Anymore You must never forget that in today's social-media-savvy world, it is more about how the author is interacting with the audience AND how the audience is interacting with the author. It is not so much about the numbers anymore but about the quality of the engagement between the author and his audience. Reach Out and Touch Someone Even if an author has a substantial following but does not know how to sell, talk to his audience, or get that audience rallied around something, the author will not be able to hold onto that audience for the long haul. And book sales will suffer. Conclusion What Do I Do Now to Improve My Author Platform? You do not need to be all over social media. Just start somewhere. Start by focusing on one social-media outlet. Your first outlet should be your blog. Your blog will enable you to focus on your target audience.