Everyone wants to know how to get more attention for their work, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes. The question you have to ask yourself is a simple one, and yet, it’s profound and can change everything. Are you willing to do what it takes?
If yes, continue. If no, then stop reading now.
I am glad you chose to continue reading.
What follows is some tough love, but if you are serious about getting attention then you’ll want to read this. Not all of what I listed below will apply to you, but if one or two do then you’ll have something tangible to consider and work on – if you choose to.
1 – You Haven’t Admitted You Want Attention
Most people fail to gain attention because they are not willing to admit to themselves that they want it or at one time or another they did admit it, but then gave up too soon.
“I’m a writer. That’s what I do. People should read my work because I write and if they don’t read it, I don’t care.”
Those would be famous last words if anyone read them, but the writers who wrote them never got enough attention for anyone to read them, much less care. Only when you admit you truly want it will you be willing to do the work and learn what you need to necessary to gain attention.
2 – You’re Not Willing To Do The Work or Learn
Oh, you’re willing to write, paint, or sculpt, but are you willing to do the work it takes to gain the attention you want? Are you willing to investigate and learn what it takes and work hard at it day in and day out? Seriously.
Writing, painting, and sculpting are not enough unless you are the next Van Gogh, but then again that might not be true since he died poor and in obscurity. Van Gogh had a good excuse, in his time there was no internet, online teachers, and no way to instantly share his work with the world.
You live in a time when it is possible to reach millions by publishing online and in books via Amazon, and yet, millions of people publish every day and still don’t capture much attention.
This doesn’t mean they haven’t created masterpieces. What this means is that there is more work to be done.
You have to reach out, join communities and become a valuable member within your niche. You have to consistently work hard to get people interested and work even harder to keep them interested. You have to purposefully learn from the best.
3 – It’s All About You
Attention is the currency of online traffic and like any other currency, you have to earn it.
It’s not all about you and not everyone cares about what you care about. So if you’re a writer, you must make what you write about interesting to others by finding fresh and exciting ways to write about it. Stay up to date with the latest news in your niche, give your unbiased opinion and offer useful advice unique to your experiences.
Online currency may be attention, but the true gold is generosity and most aren’t willing to be very generous, so give your all. Those who are too busy trying to take attention will never truly gain it.
4 – Not Determined To Make A Difference
You can’t be tentative or unsure, you have to be clear about who you are, what you are writing about (BOTH fiction or non-fiction) and establish yourself as someone who can be trusted. You absolutely must be ready and willing to make a difference.
We (the audience) don’t want to hear from anyone who is not willing to stand for something. If you’re not out to make a difference, then we don’t have time for you. If you think about it, you don’t really have time for anyone who is peddling what you have already read, seen or heard a hundred times before.
Be unique, stand for something and make a difference. (Tweet This)
5 – You Deserve Attention
No, you don’t. Sorry.
Not if you’re not willing to do the work and create the art it takes to capture and hold our attention. If we are not worth the effort and consideration then you DO NOT deserve our attention. That’s the hardest truth for most of us to accept.
Accept it and then do something about it. And know this; no matter what your inner critic tells you, you DO have what it takes.
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.
– Michelangelo
6 – You’re Worried About Criticism
Aren’t we all? If you create work that matters and share it, you will attract critics. You will not become a recognized artist until you have a few haters. Don’t hide from them, because if you do you’ll end up hiding from the rest of us too.
When the hate mail, angry comments, and spiteful reviews start coming in remember to laugh about them because they are giving you the acknowledgment that your work mattered enough for them to remark about it. After all, how often do you comment on something that just doesn’t matter?
The more critics you have, the better. You might not think so right now, but consider what happens when you hide and avoid critics by holding your best work back. What then? There’s one word for it, obscurity.
7 – You Are Riddled With Doubt
All artists are riddled with doubt. Know this, the more you doubt yourself and your art, the closer you are to creating work that matters. You are on the threshold.
Now it’s time to make a choice, are you going to let that pesky critical voice within you win or are you going to ship?
No one can simply decide to overcome doubt and poof it will be gone. No. But if you’re willing to admit doubt is holding you back, then you can begin to find and use strategies to loosen its grip and take control of your destiny as an artist.
What You CAN Do Now
It’s time to make a difference and get noticed. You can, if you choose to. (If you believe it, tweet it!)
When you decide to make a difference and you’re willing to be generous enough to share your work with us, and do what it takes to let us know you exist in this world, then and only then, will we pay attention to you. Not before.
It’s not easy to gain attention. It’s hard work, it takes determination and it takes time. Every “overnight success” has more work behind them doing more tedious stuff than they get credit for. Many have tried before you and many have given up telling themselves they don’t need it or want it.
There’s nothing wrong with creating art only for yourself, but please don’t fool yourself into believing you are not good enough to gain our attention. The next time you feel like giving up, remember it means you are close to the threshold.
Are you going to keep moving forward or are you going to stall?
Don’t stop. Keep going.
That’s the only way you will ever gain our attention. Sooner or later it will be your turn, but only if you embrace the challenges and keep on keeping on.
And by goodness, learn what you need to learn. Don’t be one of those stubborn cheapskates who never takes lessons, gets a mentor, or asks questions. Your better than that! Invest in yourself. Or just stay home. You can even take my course on how to get attention if you’ve gotten this far, because you’re serious.
What are you doing to gain our attention? I want to know YOU exist, start by providing a link to your latest work in the comments.
