1000 Followers
How to Build Your Audience From Scratch
Writing is a skill that you can learn
It’s 2021, and the old wisdom that you have to write what you know has never been more true. You are an expert in your own life, so use that expertise to create compelling stories.
What is one of the most common remarks about your work?
“That’s not my life! I don’t relate.”
Yep. That in itself is a story premise waiting to be told, or at least an article to write about how readers feel when they read close stories but not precisely their own personal experience. This brings me to my second point: Seek out writing communities where writers can share their work with readers who are willing to connect with others on the topic.
There will always be people who expect you to write based on their expectations of you, your age, your education, or the decades of experience you’ve accumulated since birth. They will criticize what you write or how you approach anything to do with writing or publishing. But if your intent is to connect with readers who share your interests, no matter what they might be, they are out there. So be open to connecting with them and sharing what you know.
I started blogging when I was in college, and I don’t regret a minute of it. Today, my posts receive thousands of views on Medium. But there was a time when everything I wrote on this platform vanished into the digital ether. Through constant engagement with fellow writers and community members, my writing style, voice, and message became more robust and more engaging with each subsequent post. Words matter, and they’re never static.
If you’re an introverted writer, don’t feel intimidated if you’re not quite sure how to engage with strangers online or there’s a feeling of shyness holding you back. Just do it anyway. The more you write, the stronger your voice can become.
Start writing now. But if something feels scary, pause and take a step back from your work for a few minutes. Then, when your fear subsides, get back to it and make some progress every day. You can do it.
There is no single right way to engage with the audience of readers who share your interests. The creative path is yours to define and explore. After all, you’re the expert on yourself and your life experience.
Make bold choices and challenge yourself to experiment with new ways to connect with people online. See what works and discard what doesn’t work for you.
“The more work you do writing, the more your audience will expand,” says Shapiro. “It’s about building your skills slowly and finding the community that will support you.”
When querying for a writing gig you’ve secured, share your credits and point out your reach. If you have 200 followers, offer to drive organic traffic to the publisher’s site. If you have 500 followers, explain that you can drive traffic to their site and build awareness about their brand on social media. If you have 2,000 followers, offer to create an email list for the publisher’s site.
Use your Medium account to drive traffic back to your own writing or that published on other platforms. Larger publishers commonly use Medium (and other social media channels) to share content online. However, suppose you can establish yourself as an authority by curating and sharing content on Medium. In that case, you can take advantage of this opportunity by directing your readers back to your own work or sites where you’ve published guest posts.
If you’re a seasoned writer with a large audience, consider offering to curate a group of other writers on specific topics. Find groups where you can post stories from the community and engage with them in conversation. If you can understand your target audience’s writing style and voice, engage in discussions about what they value online and alert them to your work by sharing your own work. You may find that your followers want to engage directly with you as a writer rather than simply consuming what has been published on Medium.
That’s not a bad thing. You’ve built a following, and people trust you to provide relevant insights on the topics that matter most to them.
But don’t forget how you got here. Keep sharing great content, even if it doesn’t generate engagement, and good things will continue to happen for you online.
In most cases, there is no one right way to engage with readers online.
Similarities are more important than differences.
The key is to find out what works for you. Experiment with techniques to see what connects with your specific audience. What might feel scary or be difficult for someone else is not always the same thing that intimidates you?
Write small but daily. Start simply — write one paragraph per day and build up to more complex ideas over time. Consistency is vital in developing writing skills, but don’t let that scare you off or stop you from challenging yourself every day when compiling content for your blog/website/social media accounts (even if it ends up being blank space). Write when you’re emotional, sad, happy — use the emotion of the moment to spur on creativity and make yourself vulnerable in a way that makes you feel alive.
Be open to feedback. When you share your work, someone will read it and offer you edits that may not be what you had in mind when you started writing. Use their input constructively and compromise where it makes sense.
Get good at writing headlines. This is fundamental to every single social media post, blog post, email newsletter, etc. Write catchy headlines that intrigue and encourage the reader to click through without giving away any spoilers or revealing what it’s all about.
Make friends with people who will support you and your aims in life. Be honest about your time and be realistic about what you can handle in terms of social obligations. It’s OK to say no. Make time for yourself and enjoy the company of people who appreciate you for exactly who you are, not what you can do for them. People with high self-regard rarely lack friends. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard is that the key to improving your skills at writing is to write every day. Unfortunately, however, the trend these days seems to be not writing at all. I particularly find this faithful with book reviews or social media posts, where people expect instant gratification and feedback — even if it’s negative.
But self-fulfilling prophecies are lies. Instead, writing every day will help you develop both skills and confidence for whatever project you may be undertaking now or in the future.
how to submit?
We love to use green in our poetry because it can evoke a more emotional reaction with the reader. The color green allows the authors to leave their poem open for interpretation and each person can form their own idea of what it means.
In the publication “The Power of Poetry”, it’s shown that the authors prefer to use green in order to not cause a literal color description. Please illustrate your poetry in green, or we will gladly render a useful illustration for you. By submitting your poetry, you agree to the color of hope.
Join us, with my referral link, to support all talented poets on medium
“The Power of Poetry” is a place to show the world your creativity, your imagination and passion for writing.
