When did you last update your author platform?
Is it still eye-catching and interesting?
Wherever you are on your writing journey—new writer, experienced writer, veteran writer—you need an author platform. It’s not something you can just do once and be done with it, however. It’s something that needs to be updated frequently—every 2 to 3 years.
It’s worth the time, because a well-done platform can help boost your business.
Here are five reasons why.
What is an Author Platform?
First, a quick explanation: an author platform is simply your ability to reach readers.
Years ago, when I first started freelancing, a website was enough. Back then, I had just a static website with all the pertinent information: services, contact, bio, a few testimonials, and some samples of my work.
For a long time, that worked just fine, but it doesn’t work so well in today’s world. Now, it really helps to have more—a blog, a YouTube site, articles published on other sites, and a presence on a social media platform or two. If you have other ways to reach out, even better.
The whole purpose of an author platform is to catch a person’s attention. The more robust your online presence is, the better chance you have of finding new readers who are interested in your work.
5 Reasons Why You Need to Update Your Author Platform
1. Your author platform helps you make a good first impression.
Let’s face it—few readers or clients are going to meet you in person these days. Instead, their first impression of you is formed online, and that impression means everything when it comes to what action that person will or will not take.
Research and consulting firm Nielsen Norman Group found that the average person on the web takes only 10 seconds before deciding to move on from a website. That means you have a very short window of time to make an impression.
The more work you’ve put into your author platform (website/blog/social media) and what it communicates to readers, the better chance you have of getting them to stick around and learn more about you.
That means updating your logo if you need to, including eye-catching images, and making sure your copy conveys a benefit to your reader as quickly as possible.
2. Update your author platform to advertise all your services.
What services do you offer as a writer? Do you only sell books, or do you mentor other writers, too? Are you a content writer who also helps authors self-publish? Are you a professor who also publishes books?
Likely, you have been growing and changing over the years. Does your author platform still serve as a good advertisement hub for you?
Your author platform is the perfect place to advertise all of the services you offer, increasing your chances of making money with a variety of projects. If your platform is weak or non-existent, people probably won’t notice that they could come to you for other things, and that adds up to missed opportunities for you.
3. Your updated author platform brings readers to you.
Back when I had only a static website, it was helpful when people wanted to find out more about me, but what if they didn’t know me in the first place?
Now, my author platform gives me a way to introduce myself to new people all the time—and then to regularly get into their heads.
I post to my LinkedIn page just about every day, for example, and I’ve had people “like” and comment on my posts that I’ve never met before. Soon they follow me, and next thing you know they’re part of my network.
That’s an example of a reader coming to you rather than you having to hustle to find them. It’s a much easier and more efficient way to do business.
The more you grow your platform, the more likely you will be to catch people’s attention and have them come looking for more from you.
A platform helps you reach people you otherwise wouldn’t reach. But you need to use it actively and consistently before they’ll take notice.
4. Update your author platform to show your stuff.
How good of a writer/editor are you? If a reader comes to your site, can she find an answer to that question within 10 seconds?
She can if you’ve done a good job building your platform. The second she comes to your site, she should see examples of your work, either in your blog, a sample chapter, or a video that is interesting and/or entertaining.
Have you written for well-known or reputable publications? Do you have those listed on your home page? What about stellar reviews? Are you sharing those where readers can easily find them?
And by the way, does your site look professional and inviting or like it was built 10 years ago? Is it optimized for mobile viewing? Most people read websites on their phones now, so make sure your website design accommodates that well.
Your online platform communicates to readers how professional and experienced you are. Make sure yours is communicating what you want it to.
5. Update your author platform to expand your career.
If you do your author platform right, it can open up a lot of new doors for you.
Let’s start with your blog. The more you post and keep track of how many readers visit those posts, the more you find out about your audience, and the more you can tailor your services to them.
That feedback is also likely to give you new ideas about other services you can offer—a new book, for example, that expands on your most popular posts, an online course, or a new coaching service.
The same thing can happen if you regularly post on YouTube or a podcast or even if you keep your Twitter feed focused on a particular service area. You may find that people start contacting you out of the blue to write, edit, coach, or teach for them.
We all dream of having a thriving business that brings work our way. Contributing to your author platform a little every day helps make that dream come true.
Your Author Platform Helps You Build Your Author Business
When I first learned that I needed to build an author platform, I saw it as drudgery. Now, I see it as the blessing it is, and wish I’d started building it much sooner.
Ask yourself: If you were a reader, would you want to know more about your online self? Strive to make your platform one that would cause you to answer an enthusiastic “yes!”
Platform-building activities:
- Create a professional-looking, easy-to-navigate website
- Make sure your website is optimized for mobile viewing (on a cell phone)
- Find a niche and use it to reach readers/clients who will be interested in your work
- Blog regularly and consistently, or use your YouTube or TikTok channel to do the same
- Share your blog posts on your social media platforms
- Guest post on other blogs and websites and share those posts as well
- Get featured on other podcasts or start your own
- Start a newsletter and create a freebie to offer new subscribers
- Reach out to and support others in your niche