Note: This is a guest post by Shayla Raquel, she’s an expert editor, seasoned writer, and author-centric marketer. Shayla works one-on-one with authors and business owners every day. She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist and her novel-in-progress, The Suicide Tree. She lives in Oklahoma with her two dogs, Chanel and Wednesday.
No money? No problem. You can build your platform with a $0 budget, just like I did.
In 2013, I started my own editing company. I used a free WordPress blog as my website and started a Facebook page. Of course, in the following years, I would spend plenty of money on Facebook advertising and marketing courses.
However, when I first started out, I quite literally had a $0 marketing budget. Everything I did to get visitors to my website would have to be free until I started making a profit. Below, I outline everything I did and things I still do every day for free. That’s right: everything listed here requires zero money.
If you’re ready to build your platform, gain more readers, and watch your website stats rise, then try these effective, free strategies.
- Facebook groups
If you aren’t an admin for a Facebook group that revolves around your book or website’s theme, then you need to hop to it. I started the Curiouser Author Network to help authors learn, grow, and succeed. That perfectly ties in with what I do for a living. Regarding your own authorly journey, you’ll want to determine how your group can help grow your own platform. If you write clean young adult novels, then start a group for people who write or read in that genre. Get it?
You should also be an active member in writing-related groups. If your book helps people get speaking gigs, then join public speaking groups and help people when they post questions. If your book includes dragons and swords, then join a fantasy group and take part in their promo days.
One of my favorite strategies for organic reach and engagement on my Facebook page is sharing posts into groups. We have to pay for our Facebook pages to get higher reach, but if you hit the share button and share into other groups, you get organic reach and great engagement. That’s how I gained so many followers on my Facebook page.
Disclaimer: Read the group’s rules to ensure they allow promotion of this kind.
- LinkedIn groups
To my surprise, LinkedIn groups boost my visitor stats as much as Facebook groups. When I release a blog post, I share it in relevant LinkedIn groups. I’ve had people read my blog posts, message me about speaking gigs, and ask me questions about publishing just because they saw my posts in LinkedIn groups.
You can find writing and publishing LinkedIn groups just by doing a simple search. You’ll also be able to connect with these influential people, and they’ll be able to see your personal posts on your own LinkedIn page.
- Guest blogging
Yes, people still do guest blogs. (Um, I’m doing one right now.) You get to reach an audience who has never even heard of you! People will read your article, visit your website, and start following you. All because you offered your time to write a guest blog for a website that holds the same interests as you.
You can have someone interview you (or you interview them) or you can co-write a post with another blogger. In these instances, you’re building your platform by reaching out through other platforms.
- Email newsletter
In my opinion, the email newsletter is your best weapon. Mailchimp is free, but you can pay for the extras. When I first started out, I used the free option. As my readership grew, then I had to hand over a few bucks a month.
Your readers need to be on your turf. While Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter serve their purpose, you still have zero control over their algorithms. With the email newsletter, you have your target audience right there waiting to hear from you.
Talk to your email subscribers just like you would a friend—like you’re having coffee with them. Keep it casual. This should not be a formal email. Write something valuable. Salesy jargon has no place in emails. This is where you can get comfortable with your fans and be your quirky self.
One day, when I’m feeling crazy, I’m going to post the dollar amount of paying clients who hired me straight from my newsletters.
- Tagging & location
If you want new people to find your social media or website, then you need to tag people and you need to check in at your location (not your home address).
When I post a photo of a book on Instagram, I tag the author and sometimes the publisher or designer. I also add my location (something general like Oklahoma City, or something specific like Barnes & Noble). People search those locations and will see your photos and posts. And by tagging someone, that person’s community will see it too. Hello, more visibility!
- Instagram photos
You’d be shocked to find that several of my paying clients have come from Instagram. Some of my best connections (like interviewing New York Times bestselling author Mary Kubica) came from Instagram. My largest amount of followers is on Instagram, not Facebook.
I highly suggest adding Linktree to your Instagram bio URL. When a visitor clicks it on Instagram, they can see URLs to whatever you want: blog, contact, services, Facebook page, Amazon page. And it’s free too!
- Facebook Live
If you’re camera-shy, then I get that Facebook Live can feel intimidating. I’m less camera-shy on Facebook Live, though, because I’m in control of the camera. I’ve used Facebook Live to rant about publishing topics, to interview outstanding authors, and to offer encouraging or helpful advice to my viewers.
Facebook Live is one of the most important (and free!) things you can do to gain viewership. This is the rare moment when people can 1) see your pretty face, 2) get to know your true personality, and 3) ask questions right then and there for you to answer on the spot.
People engage with videos more than they do any other post, so if you want to grow your readership, start with viewership.
- Mobile-friendly website
Over 80 percent of internet users are on their smartphones. If they visit your website, what will it look like on their phone? If it isn’t mobile-friendly, they will back out within seconds. Guess what? Google doesn’t like that.
Now what does this have to do with building a platform? Everything. My central hub for all things Shayla Raquel is my website, right? If my website doesn’t play by Google’s rules, then my potential clients and readers will back out, never to be seen again. That certainly doesn’t help me build a platform, does it?
Get your website—your central hub—in order if you want to build a community.
- The best freebie
You should give away your very best idea. People will argue with me on this, and that’s fine. But I have grown my viewership, subscription list, and online followers by offering the Pre-Publishing Checklist (my very best idea) more than any other marketing method.
Starting out, you can create your freebie . . . uh, for free! If it’s a checklist like mine, use Canva. If it’s a video, use your computer’s apps or YouTube. If it’s a short story, then export it as a PDF.
This freebie should only be given when people subscribe to your email list. You will need to set up automated emails (which Mailchimp now offers for free). Boom! They get your freebie, they get to learn something or be entertained, and they’re on your email list. Platform-building for the win!
- Community outreach
I’m sad to say that I didn’t do this until 2016, so it probably shouldn’t count toward how I grew my readership when I first started out; but I included it because it doesn’t have to be that way for you. You can get involved in your community today.
How?
Start or join a local writers’ group. I took over as organizer for the Yukon Writers’ Society in 2017, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for my personal writing life. Writing groups offer more than networking—they provide companionship, accountability, and loads of wisdom.
Attend book signings. Visit book fairs and festivals. Get involved with your own community by offering a workshop. Ultimately, people in your community should know who you are and how your writing helps people.
Have you tried any of these free platform-building strategies? Did I forget to mention one that worked for you? Share with me in the comments!
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