This presentation about the Author Platform is geared for fiction writers, memoirists, and poets. The focus here is on getting started and growing a platform with a strategy in mind. This is the last of three parts of the presentation. In this part we talk about creating social content - content that is meant for interaction with others, online. Putting a strategy behind our author platform simplifies the process of building the platform and can make it more fun. Knowing what you are doing, why you are doing it, and who you are doing it for allows you to make conscious choices about your platform. Consciously choosing what to do and what not to do will make it easier to navigate the world of online marketing and will help you avoid the technology sprint and the chase of the next best thing.

1. PART 3: Social Content
www.oritofri.com

2. Here’s What We’ll Cover Today:
Putting strategy behind your author platform
For: Fiction Writers, Memoirists, & Poets
1) What’s an Author Platform + How it Can Serve You
2) The Author Website
3) Blogging & Social Media

3. Can’t See Well?
Click the View Fullscreen button
Go LARGE

5. Blog Post Guidelines
• Immediately grab the reader
• Find a way to make it personal; stories are great
• Use your voice (or use the blog to find your voice)
• Make it easy to scan through
• End with something actionable (e.g. link to buy your book)
+ Add a picture that fits the post and your brand
Load…
Your Ideal Reader
Your Online Persona
Focus (what & what next)

6. That Said…
Let’s look at Blogging Alternatives.
(not a complete list, just some options if blogging is not for you)
(+ some work in addition to blogging)
Remember to connect everything you do in the online universe
to your online home-base (your website)

7. Example: Group Blogging
shadowspinners.wordpress.com
This is Eric Witchey’s Group
Blog

8. Example: Group Blogging
jungleredwriters.com
And this is Hallie Ephron’s.

9. Example: Vlogging
johngreenbooks.com
Don’t like writing? Try video
+ If video is not your thing,
consider audio (podcasting)
Notice how it all ties back
to John Green’s website
You can link to your video/audio from
your site. You can add a bit by
introducing the video/audio, including
commentary, and possible some extras
(links to things mentioned, definitions,
etc.)

10. Example: Very Short Entries
aricdavis.com

11. Example: No Blog There’s social media, there’s Tumblr, but there’s no blog
And she’s doing just fine!
cherylstrayed.com

12. Example: Blog Tours or
Virtual Book Tours
(and also: Guest Posting)
Not necessarily a blogging alternative,
can be in addition.
Some opportunities are only open to
bloggers (because of their reciprocal
nature), but many are open to non-
bloggers as well.
Showcase you and your work to new
audiences.
samanthaverant.com

14. How to Come Up with Topics?
• Brainstorm topics from your book/writing
• Brainstorm themes
• Brainstorm interests in life – things you’d like to talk about
• Anything related
• (Though You can stray from your focus area from time to time)

15. Got Topics. Now What?
• After you sift through and pick your main ones…

16. Got Topics. Now What?
• Look for:
• Books/Movies on the topic
• Articles on the topic
• Related images
• Related quotes
• Contests
• People who write/blog about it
• Related food/clothes/toys
• Communities and forums
• News sources
• Magazines/anthologies

18. Create Your
Content Calendar

19. Staying Informed
• Find people, sites, groups, etc. to follow. Then:
• Follow them on social media
• Use apps like feedly
• Keep their sites bookmarked in your browser and visit when you have nothing
better to share
• Search for info on topics
• Using search when you want to share
• Or better yet, use a service like BuzzSummo

21. Scoop.It

23. Social Media Start
• Actively look for:
• What others are doing
• What do you like + what don’t you like
• What do people seem to like
• How things work together

24. Social Media Start
• Don’t (just) explore your newsfeed…
• Check out what others are doing and who else is out there
• Try the tools
• Manage your time (!)

25. Social Media Start & Then
• Follow more people
• Share other people’s social media posts
• And other people’s content that you find online
• And start commenting
• And liking and following and inviting and all that
• Then share content that you created outside of social media
• And create content just for social media

26. Social Media Start & Then
• Remember to manage your time – schedule time to work on
the social aspects of your author
• And batch:
• Creating images for your posts? Create a few at a time.
• Schedule a time to find content to share and use tools to post to social media
throughout the week/day.

27. Important!

29. Key Takeaways

30. Key Takeaways
#1: Start simple. Grow as you go.
Just do it:
Figure out the easiest first step for you.
Take it.
Then take the next easiest step.
And the next one…
Then (if you’re ready) take a challenging one.
But don’t just do it:
Every once in a while (say, every few months) –
look back, evaluate your actions and where they
brought you; tweak; continue. Learn by doing and create your own systems.

31. Key Takeaways
#1: Start simple. Grow as you go.
#2: Sometimes good enough is absolutely perfect.
As writers we’re used to polishing
our writing to perfection.
Don’t do that with your online
presence. You are no web
designer/developer, and no one
expects you to be one.

32. Key Takeaways
#1: Start simple. Grow as you go.
#2: Sometimes good enough is absolutely perfect.
#3: You are a WRITER.
You need to write. Write.

33. Key Takeaways
#1: Start simple. Grow as you go.
#2: Sometimes good enough is absolutely perfect.
#3: You are a WRITER.

34. Here’s What We Covered Today:
1) What’s an Author Platform + How it Can Serve You
2) The Author Website
3) Blogging & Social Media
Putting strategy behind your author platform
For: Fiction Writers, Memoirists, & Poets

36. To Part 2: Site Content
www.oritofri.com