The 21st century writer has a lot more publishing responsibility, including building platforms and learning how to connect with audiences. These are a must if they want to improve their chances of publication and over-all success.
There are many methods authors can use to connect with their audiences. The most important is through blogging.
I have spent several years blogging – both personally and professionally – and I figure I have a few nuggets of wisdom to pass on to you curious about blogging.
A Quick List:
Start Blogging Today: If you do not have a blog, set one up today. There are several free options including Blogger.com or WordPress.com. Set up a free account and put up your first post, “Here I am, World!”
Take Small Steps. Blog are simple, but like anything new you can easily become overwhelmed. The key is to start slowly; take small steps and let yourself and your blog evolve over time.
Use Your Name in your URL. As an author, your name is your brand. Using your name as part of your URL makes it easier for your audience to find you when they start seeking you out by name. For example, is your name was Steven Hawkings, your URL would be http:// steven hawkings.blogspot .com. If you Googled Steven Hawkings would show up for searches for “Steven Hawkings”
Use Your Name for your Author Blog Again, this helps with search engine results. Even your Book Blog, should contain your name in the title improving your search engine results.
What are your Goals? Like in writing, you need to have a goal. Return to this step every few months because you blogging goals will change over time. You may at first have a goal to post every week on your writing. Then you may start to incorporate guest posts, contents, tips and more.
Post Often For your blog to be effective you need to post often. You may start out with a lot to say. Schedule your posts for later date postings, that way, you can be relaxing on the beach and your while your blog is posting. Remember to start small and grow when you are ready.
Be Yourself. Your target audience is coming to your site to meet YOU. Your image should match your identity. You’ll only confuse your readership if you try to maintain several persona. Know who you are and stick to it — whether, funny, romantic, sincere, or sarcastic.
Post Relevant Content Post things your readers will care about. And don’t just regurgitate the top stories of the day. Try to put your unique and personal spin on the topic or better yet, come up with a new twist or original idea (if there really is one.)
Helpful and Useful Posts Attract More Visitors People want information and they want it free. While you can’t give away every thing (you do want to make a living), there is plenty you can offer. The key is to make the posts interesting and helpful, so your visitors return again and again.
Apply SEO to your Post Title and Content. Search Engine Optimization is how you are indexed and ultimately found in the search engines. If you are trying to target an audience for SEO or Search Engine Optimization, then you need to use those keywords in your title and throughout your article. The more specific you get the better. Example: If you title a blog “SEO Tips” you will get lost in the search results. However if you title your post “SEO Tips for Writers”, this specifies what audience you are targeting and increase the changes of being found on the first page of search results.
Link to Posts from other Media If you write a newsletter, link to your posts in your newsletter. The same for your social media accounts. If you write a helpful post, then link to it in relevant forums and on message boards.
LINGO TO KNOW:
URL: Uniform Resource Locator, or to put it simply: Your domain name.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization. Using keywords and phrases in your blog posts to obtain top results (if possible).
