How To Keep Giving to Your Readers After You’ve Hit Publish
What to do if you’re an introvert and hate self-promotion
How much time do you spend on crafting your articles? An hour? Two hours?
Perhaps, you’re like me and can take anywhere from three to eight hours to write one article.
No matter how long you take, you have a reason for writing about a topic. You’ve spent precious time researching. Thinking about great stories. Worrying about sharing a vulnerable part of yourself.
You've sweated over your headline and carefully chosen a great photo. And then, you’re ready. You’ve got a powerful message for your reader and you can’t wait to share it.
You submit. And, hooray, your piece gets accepted into a publication.
What do you do next?
Perhaps you sit back and wait for readers — you hope for curation — while you quickly move onto your next piece.
Write and they will come.
It’s an optimistic approach, but it’s also a wasted opportunity.
Many writers are introverts. We don’t like selling ourselves.
We’re just here to do what we love and lean back with fingers and toes crossed, our self-worth nervously quivering with anticipation at the response.
I thought I was being considerate by staying out of the lights and giving the spotlight to other people instead.
Instead, I’ve been selfish. I haven’t been thinking only of other people. I’ve been deluding myself.
Because it’s all been about me.
I could blame it on the fact that I’m an introvert and I’m shy. But I’d be lying if I put it all down to that.
I’m just giving in to my fears. I don't want to sound silly or be called out as an imposter.
Self-preservation.
Thankfully, I’m slowly realizing something that has changed my writing. It’s also changing my life…
Concentrate Not on You but on What You Can Give
At a seminar a few years ago, I was blown away by the presenter, a woman named Sherilyn. I couldn’t believe how easily and casually she spoke. She swore. A lot (she was British).
She walked up and down. She didn’t seem to have any nerves. She made us laugh and made us think. She inspired us.
Later, I emailed her and shared how much I enjoyed her session. I asked her how she became such a great speaker. Wasn’t she self-conscious at all? She must be an extrovert. It’s tougher for us introverts.
I’ll never forget her reply (I’ve still got her email from 2017):
“I’m not an extrovert, honestly, I used to throw up before any speaking gig. Until someone very special said ‘what are you so afraid of’ I answered that I was afraid of looking like a dick, that they’d think I was a fraud, forgetting my words, being found out.
She said ‘Sherilyn, it’s not about YOU it’s about the audience. You can’t control what people think of you, but you can control whether you care enough to share things that might help at least someone in the audience.
Concentrate not on you but on what you can GIVE’.”
How We Can Keep Giving After We’ve Published
Promote your writing.
You see, my friend, we need to be more proactive about sharing the good sh*t we’ve just written. As Sherilyn’s wise friend pointed out, it’s not about you, it’s about the audience. Our readers.
Concentrate not on you but on what you can give.
You have an obligation to share your message with as many people as possible. People need to hear from you. So what we need to do as soon as our piece gets published is not just sit back and wait for readers to come to us.
Don’t rely solely on publications to spread the word. Don’t wait for your post to get curated — good on you if it does. Curation gives you a great opportunity to be seen in more places. But you can get curated and still not get many reads.
You’ve got to be proactive and share it with as many people as possible. Your mum. Your brother. Your best mate. Your colleagues. Friends. Strangers all over the world. Here’s how.
Six Ways to Keep Giving to Your Readers
1. Get social
Get on social media. Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. LinkedIn. Whatever platform you’re on.
Feature your article at the top of your feeds and in your profiles.
I’ve discovered Twitter has a wonderful community of writers, though before writing on Medium, I never really understood the point of it. Get on it and take a look.
Write a line or two about what inspired you to write a post. Add a couple of emoticons, and tag the relevant publication, people, and keywords.
Don’t forget to see what others are up to. Have mini conversations and spread some love around. Be social on social — in a good way. Respect and care for people as you would in person.
You have an obligation to share your message with as many people as possible. People need to hear from you.
2. Email your list
If you have a mailing list, share it with them too. Take out the first few lines from your post, add a button, and take them to your Medium post — or your website if you’ve posted on there too.
It’s a great introduction to Medium if they don’t already know about it. And they may soon enjoy Medium as much as you do.
3. Publish on your website
Many Medium publications don’t mind if you publish your posts on your own website. It’s a great way for readers to find out what else you get up to outside of Medium.
I’ve subscribed to mailing lists and even bought courses from Medium writers I respect and admire.
If you have a website, don’t worry about it. I don’t bother to publish or promote on my website, and I’ve been on Medium for more than two years. If you want to write, Medium is an awesome way to focus on writing with a ready-made audience who are supportive, responsive, and caring.
4. Get onto forums
Share your posts on writing forums. Forums relating to your writing topic. On Quora. On Facebook groups — there are a few of these around. Get onto any other writing forums you’re part of.
You have an obligation to share your message with as many people as possible. People need to hear from you.
5. Give back
While you’re promoting yourself, don’t forget to give back. Relationships are the secret to a good life according to a 75-year study by The Harvard Study of Adult Development (check out the TED talk: What makes a good life?).
Contribute to communities:
- Read other writer’s articles
- Comment, share, and like
- Find new writers to support
- Respond to your readers with gratitude
Like offline relationships, good online relationships are a two-way street. It’s much more rewarding to give as well as receive.
How often have you noticed when you show genuine interest in another writer’s piece, they quickly show interest in one of yours?
Writing can be a lonely, challenging lifestyle. Being active in communities and giving back will help you feel less alone. It will give you new ideas and updates on the latest news. It will help you share knowledge and gain new insights.
Sharing and giving back is surprisingly therapeutic. You’ll find the drive to keep writing, no matter how your latest article has been received.
6. Repeat
Don’t promote your piece once. Leverage your efforts.
Leave a few pieces in between, then promote it again. Each time you share, you’ll miss people — and you’ll also reach new people who haven’t seen it before.
If you’re afraid of sounding pushy, you’re not someone who is pushy. Be yourself and focus on what your reader could get from your words if you give them the opportunity to read them.
Summary: Who Else Sits Back and Waits for Readers on Medium?
As a writer, you may not be comfortable with self-promotion. Perhaps, like me, you’d rather just keep writing and hope readers will notice you.
Change your approach: Concentrate not on you but on what you can give.
After publishing, don’t just sit back and wait for readers. Harness the power of the online opportunities available to you. Consistently share the messages you craft with so much care — to help as many people as possible.
Six ways to give to your readers after publishing:
- Social
- Website
- Mailing list
- Forums
- Give back
- Repeat
You don’t need to do all of these things for every article you write. It doesn’t need to take hours — don’t let this be an excuse to stop writing for two weeks. Choose a few and stick to doing them regularly.
Go on. Your readers are eagerly waiting to hear from you.
