Tag Archives: 31 day author platform challenge

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Bonus Day: Please and Thank You

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THANKS

It’s now the day after the 31st day. Take a deep breath. Go for a walk, have a second cup of tea, turn your phone on silent for a few hours. You made it through all 31 tasks of the Author Platform Challenge, go you!

For a Bonus Day, consider joining me in tagging friends that have helped you along the way in improving your reach and attaining your growth goals. (You know I’m going to say only no more than five at a time, and only grouped on same post if they are connected to each other in some way.)

If you feel you’ve maxed out on shout-outs or tags, I get it. Enjoy your time off today. You earned it.

Thanks to everyone who supported me, and us, in this challenge!

Please

I have final requests before signing off: please share any feedback you have on the challenge, advice you’d like to share, key learnings, and suggestions for tasks. I’m open to all ways to improve this for next time! Social media is always evolving and we need to evolve with it. As mentioned, I’d like to do this entire thing again in the fall, with tweaks and edits. You don’t have to answer now–but consider a refresh with me later in the year.

Stay in touch. We can keep learning from each other! If you haven’t shared your preferred handle in the comments, please do so we can all follow each other.

If you liked the challenge, please not only RT the original post to share the love but consider joining me again when I assemble all your feedback and work it into expanding our reach in the fall challenge. I had too much fun to end it here.

And, if you don’t already, please follow my blog or sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss any updates.

Talk soon.

Kindly,

Bitsy

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 31: We Made It!

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Time to tidy up loose ends

woman in long sleeve shirt holding a vacuum cleaner
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

[Last reminder to follow 10 new people. It’s amazing how well this has worked, isn’t it?!]

This is our last day together on this 31 Day Author Platform Challenge journey. It’s been quite a ride.

Day 31 is when we check our progress!

Since that notebook is probably still out from yesterday, grab it and open to the front pages where you took your original assessments on Day 1.

Number check

Let’s compare numbers! Go page by page and compare where you started with where you are now.

For each social media outlet you were tracking, fill in:

  • How many followers did you have May 1st? How many do you have today?
  • What was your goal, did you meet it?
  • If you didn’t meet your goal, do you feel better about the engagement?

Feeling check

How do you feel overall about the challenge? Did you rise to the occasion?

If real life got in the way, don’t beat yourself up. It happens! The good news is this challenge can be redone over and over again! Start back next month where you left off. Or recommit yourself in the fall.

Goal check

Did you meet your overall goal?

I worked my tail off creating this challenge, and admittedly it got in the way of my own implementation. But I still improved my numbers by *still doing the math*

I’m impressed by all the work I got done and I hope you are too. Please drop some comments on your progress made, so we can let each other know how proud we are of ourselves, as a collective group of hard-working authors-with-increased-platforms!

My new goal in the fall will be to do this challenge again, with the social media platforms I’ve been ignoring. I’ll see if I like any of them better. I’ll assess whether I want to abandon ship on what I have going on now and replace it with a new outlet. Heck, maybe by them there will be a slew of even newer outlets to try. Maybe you’ll join me then, too?

But hey. Congrats, man. It’s Day 31. You did it!

You did it!

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 30: Checklist Check

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Grab that notebook again. Look over what still needs to be done. Create new list of things that need to be done, in priority order. If you’re super organized you can put diff tasks in diff colors…website in green ink, twitter in yellow, etc.

As we near the end of our 31 days, let’s take Day 29 to look over the notes we’ve been taking.

Grab that handy notebook of yours. Give it a long look, page by page.

Time to review what you’ve checked off your To Do list so far, and give yourself a pat on the back for work well done!

What’s left? Probably a lot, and that’s OK! In fact, that’s great! That means you’ve been taking notes and keeping track.

The To Do list is probably a bit of a mess.

Today, make one clean (re)list of all the things still to be done.

Mull them over for a minute.

Re-list the list!

Then, on a new page, re-list the To Do list again, in priority order. (Writing things down repeatedly helps your brain remember things so it’s not a waste of time!)

Now, if you’re super organized, group the tasks under headings such as Website, Rework, Decisions, To Schedule/Email, Ask for Help, etc. Super-duper organized people can use different colored pens for each heading.

To really motivate yourself, give a deadline or goal completion date for each (remember SMART goals; specific measurable achievable relevant timebound?).

Whenever you’re on hold, or on public transit, in the waiting room, etc, scroll this revised list and work on things as soon as, and as best as you can.

Recap: Review To Do list and (re)prioritize what needs to happen first. Bonus points to giving yourself deadlines on each.

You’re doing a great job!

[You’re doing such a great job, I bet you already followed 10 new people today!]

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 29: Things We Love

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Sharing is caring

[Before we start, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

Let’s get friendly. Time to share some of your go-to favorites in books, websites, webinars, conferences…whatever you consider crucial in your daily(ish) writing.

You can:

  • Share a helpful book you’ve dog-eared (if you do that sort of thing, you monster) like a rhyming thesaurus
  • Recommend a fave website or resource or club you use regularly
  • Offer a link to an annual conference or Zoom class with details explaining why you regularly return
  • Offer gratitude to the creators of a site or resource, explaining why it’s helped you
  • RT a great meme

This is not the same as sharing #writerslift or timely news, because this is specific to tangible documentation. This post will reflect something you can point to that has helped improve your writing, that wasn’t a crit partner.

whoever created this doesn’t get credit bc they left their name off it!

Remember that template for a book proposal that a lit agency offered on their website FOR FREE? (Back in Day 21) That’s an example. Yes, it was a template for them so their submissions were less sucky, but hey, it was a free resource. I made a post and included the link along with a shout-out of appreciation to the agent and the house (tagging them both), and that tweet got a pretty high number of likes and RTs—including the agent herself as well as the agency.

Feel free to send several tweets that highlight a bunch of your top resources – but keep it to one person per tweet unless it’s something they did together.

Recap: share a helpful resource and thank the person that offers it. Consider creating the post on a Canva-like site to make it pretty but OK if no. Post it on all your media.

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 28: Listicle Love

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Take note

notebook
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood
on Pexels.com

[Before we start, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

Have you heard the term “listicle?” Weird word, I know. A listicle is a type of blog post that is formatted as a list–like those Reddit posts you see all the time “13 Ways to Clean Your Bathroom Sink.” They are actually a great way to share information and tips in a way that is easy to scan and understand. Don’t know why I haven’t done one here myself!

These past Author Platform Challenge posts aren’t considered listicles bc even though I’ve had lists in almost everyone (including this), the posts aren’t based around the lists. As in, none of them are the type of post such as “9 Ways to Create a Listicle.”

One Day 28, you’re going to create a listicle today to share with your followers. You choose the topic.

Suggestions for lists you could create include topics like “10 Best Travel Books for Toddlers,” “5 Favorite Bedtime Books with Elephants,” “7 Ways to Strengthen Your Story Arc.”

You can’t post a listicle on, say, Twitter because it’s not the right venue and there isn’t enough room. But you can certainly post a link and direct followers to where you’ve created the listicle (such as your website or your FB Author Page). Create it on any topic. The entire thing can be as short as 100 words.

You want to demonstrate expertise, build trust, and engage with your peeps.

Listicle tips:

  1. Choose a topic that you are passionate about, or know a lot about, or can research the heck out of.
  2. Make sure your list is on brand and of use to your audience.
  3. Pick a catchy title that (probably) no one else has used, such as “9 ways to Ruin a YA.”
  4. Come up with a list of 5-10 items.
  5. Write a brief introduction that introduces your topic and list.
  6. Consider subheads for easier reading.
  7. Use active voice to keep it engaging.
  8. You know I’m going to suggest images if not video!
  9. Include a call to action at the end of your listicle. “Sign up for my newsletter for more great tips!)

Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Heck, I can’t wait to see what I come up with, lol. Tag #31DayAuthorPlatformChallenge and share.

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 27: Best Advice

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Now listen up…

[Before we start, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

We are on the homestretch! Today’s task is a snap; I mean, seeing as we’ve spent so much time on the Canva-type of programs we’re practically experts in graphic design.

Today, share your best piece of advice for your audience (is your audience writers? moms? YA readers? librarians?).

Feel free to add where you got the advice, how it changed things for you, and what you hope will happen by sharing it. (Speaking of which, Forbes has some ideas on how to go about making your posts more sharable.)

If you make it interactive, check out some advice on ways to get interactive posts noticed.

Or simply post the quote (with your social media handle/website) across your platforms.

Make it pretty, with images and animation. Sound effects optional. You’re getting good at this, right? (I sometimes spend so much time futzing around on Canva that I feel like I’m playing hooky from my WIP! Anyone else find themselves willingly jumping down that rabbit hole?)

Ask followers to share THEIR best advice.

Four days to go!