What do you do when you feel like your platform has stopped growing?
You’ve got a sinking feeling that no matter what you do it simply doesn’t matter anymore. You’ve peaked, and you feel like maybe you should just quit.
You look at your blog stats (remember I said to stop making yourself crazy with your stats?) and you see a flat line reflecting no new growth.
So, do you quit or do you work smarter?
Yes, you could bag it, just throw in the towel and walk away in disgust. No one would blame you, right? I mean you really tried. You worked hard. It just didn’t work out.
Or you could work smarter. You could find ways to reconnect with your readers. You could find ways to attract new readers. You could use some strategies to make your author platform more effective, and GROWING.
Work Smart Strategies
Reconnect with your readers
What if there were 50 things your readers wish you knew? Sonia Simone has listed the top things that your customers wish you knew: about them, about how they see you, and about your relationship.
Write Better Headlines
You only have a few seconds to get your reader’s attention. Make the most of it by writing headlines that make your readers want to keep reading. Stacey Cornelius has some great strategies for writing compelling headlines.
Use Captivating Photos
When you couple a captivating image with your compelling headline, your reader’s attention is almost guaranteed. Use these simple tips from Pamela Wilson (my favorite designer, she designed the header of this very blog) to choosing the most captivating photos.
Learn SEO
I know, SEO is a scary word, and only those slimy internet marketers use it, right? Wrong! Learning to optimize your posts so that search engines know how to find you is one of the best methods of increasing your readership. Lisa Wood breaks it all down so that SEO doesn’t have to be a scary word at all.
Write Every Day
You don’t have to post every day, but you should be posting on a consistent schedule. But you do need to WRITE every day. This is the only way to become a better writer. Just like Carnegie Hall, you need to practice, practice, practice. LaVonne Ellis has the perfect way to help you with this. Join the 2500 word challenge and see your skill as a writer improve.
When you consistently use these work smart strategies, your author platform will continue to grow, and you will no longer be thinking of throwing in the towel.
What work smart strategies do you use to build your author platform?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey, thanks for the mention, Carole! One strategy that seems to be working for me is telling personal stories and then tying them into my theme somehow. That’s the tricky part, lol. People do seem to love personal stories, though.
LaVonne Ellis´s last [type] ..Guest Post- My Superhero Identity- Up- Up- and a — Wait…
I’ve been enjoying your stories! And it’s true about personal stories. The most personal and heart wrenching thing I ever wrote on this blog is actually the most popular post here. The one about the Man Named Earl. I had no idea that people would relate to it so much.
I’d forgotten about that story. I just went and reread it. People relate to it because it’s inspiring — you are inspiring. We read what you have battled through and we realize we’re a bunch of pussies. And for some reason, that’s inspiring, lol.
LaVonne Ellis´s last [type] ..Guest Post- My Superhero Identity- Up- Up- and a — Wait…
Thanks for the shout out, Carole. It’s tough to remember when you’re in the midst of slogging it out, but there’s no such thing as an overnight sensation–at least, not if you want staying power. Businesses are built, not plucked out of thin air. Sometimes it might look that way, but we all need to remind ourselves of the real story behind what seems like sudden success.
Thanks, Carole.
Just what I need to hear as I refocus my online efforts. And thanks for the links to good people.
Marsha Stopa´s last [type] ..Desperately seeking summer