Start Building Your Platform
by Sharon Wilharm
If you’ve been to a writer’s conference, met with an editor or agent, or submitted a manuscript for publication, you’ve likely been told you need a platform if you want to be published. The problem is it can become a chicken or the egg situation. How do you get published without a platform? How do you establish a platform without anything published? The easiest solution is to start with a blog, but what do you blog about? The answer might surprise you.
Many newbie writers assume you need to blog about the book you want to write, but while that seems logical, you need to understand blogging is no longer about pouring out your thoughts into the webiverse. Instead, blogging is writing with the intention to draw an audience. You want to write blog posts that will attract the kinds of people who would be interested in the books you want to write. Fortunately, this isn’t etched in stone and can evolve as your writing evolves.
I started blogging in 2013. At the time, my husband and I were indie filmmakers making low-budget faith-based films. Media outlets were interviewing and promoting the big time filmmakers and their movies, but no one was interested in the indie filmmakers. So I decided to create a blog which would draw attention to other filmmakers like us, and thus help promote our own movies. It worked.
I reached out to people I knew in the industry, starting with our own actors and crew members, and I did blog interviews with them. I also reviewed Christian movies and wrote about events of interest to those in the faith-based film world. Within a year, I had publicists reaching out to me to interview their film clients and distributors asking me to review their movies. Not only did my Faith Flix blog help draw attention to our movies, it added a legitimacy to them because I became recognized as a film expert.
In 2018, we released our last movie, and once the run was completed, I was ready to move on. I wanted to write books, so I began interviewing authors and reviewing books.
Two years later, I was ready for something different. I launched a podcast, “All God’s Women,” about women in the Bible. Since my episodes were scripted, I turned the scripts into blog posts and embedded the podcast episodes in with the blog posts. I got rid of the Faith Flix name and switched over to All God’s Women. I wasn’t sure how my readers would react, but they loved it. Even the men read my posts and listened to my podcast episodes on Bible women.
I expanded “All God’s Women” to become a weekly syndicated radio show. When Moody picked it up, I went daily.
By the time I submitted my Women of Prayer manuscript to Elk Lake Publishing, I had a platform of women (and men) who were interested in learning more about the prayers of women in the Bible.
So how can you build a platform that will attract potential buyers of your future books?
1. Blog. Determine a career theme for what you want to write and figure out what type of blog works best with that. If you’re writing nonfiction, naturally zoom in on the theme of your book(s). If you want to write Bible studies, start off with simple Bible study blog posts. If you want to write about prayer, blog about the different aspects of prayer. If you want to write children’s books, perhaps blog about parenting tips or homeschooling or write reviews of other children’s books. For fiction writers, do book reviews. Historical fiction authors can blog about interesting historical facts you learn while doing research. Whatever you do, make sure it’s of interest to others and not just yourself.
2. Facebook pages. Every author should have a Facebook author page. Even if you’ve never published anything, you can still have a Facebook author page. You can keep your followers updated on your writing journey. You can share posts from other authors. Or you can share interesting memes. Just ensure everything goes along with the author persona you’re trying to create. If you’re writing nonfiction, you can also create a Facebook group related to your book theme.
3. Pinterest. Pinterest is a search engine tool with a long-lasting reach. Pin life can be months or even years. It’s a most effective way to attract readers and draw them to your website. For each blog post, create 3–5 pins and pin them to appropriate boards. Then search Pinterest and repin pins related to your topics. Take advantage of your down times to mindlessly pin and see the impact it can have.
4. Instagram. If you enjoy Instagram, certainly use it to promote yourself and your books. Personally, I have yet to figure it out, but I know plenty of authors are doing great with it. Bookstagram is big if you’re doing book reviews.
5. Podcasts. Creating a podcast is a great way to promote yourself and your books, but even if you don’t want to do your own podcast, you can still be a guest on other podcasts. Once you start your blog and figure out your personal talking points, you can reach out to podcasters who are a good fit and ask if they might consider you as a guest. When you do podcast interviews, be sure to include the links on your website and promote the interviews on your social media.
Perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind when building a platform is it works best in collaboration rather than competition. By networking with others, you not only make valuable connections, but you also help build each other up. When you promote each other, you each benefit. Working together, we’re each playing a role in spreading the gospel to the world. By building our unique platforms, we’re helping to reach that many more people for the Lord.
Sharon Wilharm is an award-winning filmmaker whose movies have screened in churches, theaters, and festivals around the globe. She is the author of Women of Prayer Bible study and the host of All God’s Women podcast and internationally syndicated radio show. Visit her website at www.sharonwilharm.com. Follow her on Facebook: Sharon Wilharm - Author, Speaker. Follow her on Pinterest: Sharon Wilharm
Start Building Your Platform
by Kathy Collard Miller
In 1978, I wrote my first article before I ever knew I would write best-selling books or give speaking engagements all over the world. At my first writers conference in 1980, no one told us, “You need to build your platform.” My first book was published because I sent a completed manuscript in the mail to someone I’d never met. Today, it’s a different world. And it’s never going to return to “the good old days.”
I can’t identify when I first heard the word “Platform,” but of course now we know it’s required for “success” in publishing. Of course, we know God can do anything he wants with or without a platform but it would seem at this time he is working through this method. The challenge is we often define “success” differently than God.
What I appreciate about Deb is her willingness to be led by God about the projects for Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. and is willing to see the possibilities, not always the Platform. But of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek to build and enlarge our platform because through it we will reach more people with the important message God has given us.
The challenge is believing building a platform is “all or nothing.” As a recovering perfectionist who was held in bondage by “all or nothing” thinking, I can relate. If I’m not participating in every social media vehicle there is, there’s no hope. If I’m not doing all of them, then there’s no reason to do any of them.
But God delights in proving himself faithful through the little things. God can take whatever efforts he guides us to do and complete his plan for our book. We do not need to think we’re in bondage to our little or big platforms. But we are responsible to obey God’s leading and trust in him for his results.
In the time of Zechariah the prophet, the Temple was being rebuilt but the older folks who had seen the “old” (now destroyed) Temple were complaining. “Today’s version isn’t like the old one. It’s small and not as grand. It is worthless.”
But God corrects the people through Zechariah:
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zechariah 4:8-10
God is saying, “Even you who are criticizing my seemingly ‘small’ work shall one day rejoice because you’ll know I have empowered Zerubbabel to complete the Temple the way I want.”
Not surprisingly, a verse we all can quote is only a few verses before that: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of host (4:6).
If God is building our “house,” our Platform, and we are being empowered by his Spirit, even if it seems small, he will complete all he intends to do. And if we’re obeying and being led by his Spirit, there’s most likely no perfect way to work in each aspect of our Platform. You will read some expert who says “do it this way,” and the next day you’ll hear someone saying it should be done differently. This is where we must research all we can, gather expertise from others, and then sift to see what works for each of us. Feeling overwhelmed thinking we must work a certain way or to someone else’s level, only brings discouragement and paralysis. If we believe God is in charge bringing results from “small things,” then we will be more effective and efficient.
Such a perspective will also prevent us from comparing ourselves to others. I’m convinced some people do not sleep because of all that they are doing. If I’m comparing myself then I’ll give up my “small” efforts. If we give up the idea we must do everything or do what everyone else is doing in order for God to work, we are trying to control the results. God is not given credit.
To know God’s guidance, we must know the possibilities we have available for us.
- Speaking. The personal connection is powerful. Most speakers have their first speaking engagement at their own church and are referred to other churches by those attending. Rarely does a mass mailing to churches bring results. Give a workshop for an all-church conference like CMTA. which gives exposure to lots of different churches.
- Facebook. This is the means I use most often. Through Deb’s alert, I learned about Facebook Live. I plan to do that. It sounds like a simple way to make videos on Facebook. Have a Facebook book release party. In your posts, don’t just sell; offer things of interest and value. I love to pass along recipes and post sunset and sunrise photos.
- Blog. Post 2-4 times a week. Build readership by offering a book drawing of other author’s new releases. The author will then direct their readers to your blog. Also, blog tours involving other authors are powerful.
- Twitter. Spread out your tweets wisely and again, offer value. Set up through something like FeedBlitz for having your blog posts mentioned on your Facebook and Twitter accounts automatically.
- Tools. Hootsuite, SocialOomph and other systems give us the ability to set up posts and tweets beforehand.
- Instagram. Photo options like Instagram are very popular.
I could go on and on. As Deb advised, I recently read Michael Hyatt’s book, Platform, and it has inspired me to use my efforts more wisely. After reading a book like his or another, determine what avenues you are excited about. Pray for God’s guidance and obey his leading. If you are faithful in the “little” things, operating in his power, he will be faithful to complete the work he has determined to bring himself glory (Philippians 1:6).
Kathy Collard Miller is the author of over 50 books and has spoken in over 30 US states and 8 foreign countries. She has appeared on many radio and television programs including The 700 Club. She lives in Southern California with her husband, Larry, with whom she often co-writes, and is the mom to two grown children and two grandchildren. Visit her Website. Facebook: Kathy Collard Miller Author. Twitter: @KathyCMiller