Bitsy’s 31-Day Author Platform* Challenge

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge by bitsykemper

woman overwhelmed with social media options — Photo by Dalila Dalprat on Pexels.com

I’m making an effort to up my social media presence. Who wants to join me?

I am going to spend the month of May doing one thing every day that will ripple across my social media outlets, to engage (if not educate and entertain) and grow my followers. Since many writers are introverts, I know marketing and promoting ourselves doesn’t come easily. Being asked to “up our social media presence” can feel like a trip to the dentist. While it’s easy to to put off or “get to later,” it’s really not that hard. We just have to do it. That’s why I created this challenge.

Sure, I’d like to have more followers, what author wouldn’t? I admit I’m way behind where I’ll like to be when my next book comes out. But building a list for potential book buyers is not the only reason I’m doing it. The years of Covid confinement have left me with lingering feelings of isolation, and I’m eager to (re)connect with people.

I’m doing it for me.

Sure, the best time to start building your platform was years ago. But the next best time is now.

Yep, time to get to it. I’ll have a short blog here detailing each task I’m doing, each day, so you can come join and learn along with me. The tasks all differ. Some are creating lists of ideas. Some are specific posts that’ll take 5 minutes to do. Others might take more work, but will still be manageable. I promise. I don’t have all day for this stuff—which is why I’m looking at small, daily steps. I am breaking the challenge down into 31 small-ish tasks that should all add up to making a decent difference. Sorta like eating an elephant one bite at a time. It’s a CHALLENGE to push us past our comfort zone. I think it will help if we cheer each other on along the way.

So, fellow author friends, whadday say?

Will you join in? Leave a message or sign up below to make sure you are committed! (Experts say you’re more willing to follow through on a commitment or challenge if you tell someone else about it. Saying your goal out loud, or posting it publicly, makes us feel more accountable. Do it. Do it.)

*For those unfamiliar with the term “author platform,” I can best describe it in a visual. Picture a group of people. Let’s say they are all authors. One person stands on a raised surface—it could be basically anything for better visibility; let’s say it’s a milk crate. That person is now a little taller than all the other authors around them. They stand out. You can spot them in a crowd. They are an author, on a platform.

You want to be the author that sticks out, that is noticeable in a crowd. You need a platform. In modern terms that means having a strong social media presence. It could be a solid group of Facebook followers (10K is minimum to be impressive these days)(yikes, right?), Instagram, Twitter, or any of the new ones popping up like Post, Mastodon, Discord, Clubhouse…the list goes on and on. It could also include people who subscribe to your newsletter or follow your website. These aren’t people that you blatantly scream BUY MY BOOK to, mind you, they are your friends, your support, your cheerleaders. And if they’ve been ignored for too long, they’ll move on to someone else. I don’t want to lose any more friends! In fact, I want to make more.

So I ask again…who wants to join?!

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

www.BitsyKemper.com/challenge

Oh, and feel free to follow my brand-spankin’ new author page facebook.com/BitsyKemperAuthor! It may or may not be one of the challenges!

1Jun2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 5: Website homey

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform, Writing Children's Books by bitsykemper

[Hey there–before we start, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

Bringing it home

Welcome to Day 5! Today we are going to apply your brand to your website. We’ll start with your homepage. Let’s tidy up the house so we are proud when company comes over. We’re first looking at your home page because you only get one chance to make a first impression.

Your homepage:

Open your website. View it with fresh eyes, as if you were someone that doesn’t know you, and is there for the first time. As far as the big picture, do you see an author brand? Would a stranger see it? Is your site a visual mess, or is it a place someone would want to stay and linger? Take notes on what needs to change.

Take closer inventory. What is the first specific thing people see and feel? Take notes on the following:

When someone sees it, do they get an immediate sense of who you are—but more importantly, is it welcoming?
Does it represent the current you, and your brand?
Are the colors right? Is font readable? Is there enough whitespace?
Is it current? As in when was your last post or update? How would they know?
How old is your bio pic?
Is every subheading correct, necessary, and relevant?
Do you have clearly marked Contact info and links to social media?

RIGHT AWAY, get working on anything that needs fixing. Make notes in that new notebook or document on any work you still need done. Give yourself a deadline to complete it. Even if you end up needing to push the deadline out, give yourself one. Trust me (and science!), it is more likely to happen when you hold yourself accountable by being SMART (remember–Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.) If you don’t have time to add the icons and links to all your social media platforms today, write down you’ll figure out how to do it by Friday the 5th and complete it by Saturday May 6th.

If editing a website is above your pay grade and it’s not something you can immediately start on, contact someone today with SPECIFICS on what you would like them to do for you. Not “help me with my homepage” but “change the colors on the homepage, update my contact info, and remove this image.” Give them a (reasonable) deadline too – or at least a timeframe.

I just got done assessing my homepage, and FWIW this is what I realized:

My colors were too juvenile so I changed them
I hate the random, ugly ads that are generated in the free version of WordPress that I use, so did what I’ve been thinking about doing for years: upgraded to the no-ad version. Not saying you need to! Just something I’ve wanted to do and finally did, whew
My “Upcoming Events” list was waaay too long so I shortened it and put stuff from 2020 on a diff page
The “long version” of my bio was, well, too long so I pared it down (it’s still too long, but progress…)
My tagline, held over from when I spent more time marketing than writing, feels dated, so I edited it
My formatting skills are horrendous but I cleaned up a little bit at the bottom (it’s still terrible but it’s good enough for now. I added it to my To Do list to fix later.
I added a “subscribe” button in the top right column — please sign up so you get emails on each daily task! (it’s now on the top right of every page)

I was able to handle all of it within about an hour.

Now it’s your turn.

Recap: Take a birds-eye view of your homepage. What needs updating, changing revising? Take note (literally) of larger things To Do and change what you can right now.

Let me know how it shakes out! Leave a comment below.

21May2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 16: Did You See That?

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

[Hang on–have you followed 10 new people yet?]

Making moves, and movies

young woman in trendy outfit with notepad recording vlog — Photo by Anete Lusina
on Pexels.com

We’ve posted a bunch of things so far, from the comfort of our rooms or office (and probably PJs). Time to up the ante. Studies show videos get far more views and engagement than simple photo posts on social media. According to Forbes in late 2022, social video generates 1200% more shares than text and image content combined. And get this: viewers retain 95% of a watched video message compared to 10% of a text.

“Why the hay haven’t you been encouraging video all along?” you may ask, in a rather aggressive (and unappreciated, quite frankly) tone. Well, I’ll tell ya. We are authors. And almost by definition that means most of us are introverts. Or maybe extroverted introverts. Who else volunteers to lock themselves up in a proverbial cave most of the day to crank out words on a page that will be edited and rewritten 10,000 times? (That’d be us.) I get you. I get us. The very thought of me asking you to create a video may fill you with dread.

But hear me out.

The video doesn’t have to be of you! You don’t have to appear on camera! (some ideas below) You don’t even need sound! You DO need text, though. Studies show 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound–but 80% of videos WITH sound and/or text get much higher results. People need to know what they are watching, and why. (They also tend to watch in places they aren’t supposed to have their phones, so the volume is off. Captions are very helpful.) Tweets with video are said to get 10x the engagement than a static post!

It’s time to shine, cupcake

As you can see, to maximize the eyeballs on our content, to drive a higher number of RTs, to encourage engagement, to increase our author platform…we need to graduate to video. I have been an actress since the third grade (not to brag but yeah that was me playing the lead bunny in the school play). I am a ham, I seek out the camera in every instance — and yet, I am still dragging my feet on video when it comes to promoting my own work. It feels so personal, right?! I know I just have to rip off the bandaid and get creating. Or recording, as the case may be.

I know once we get started, it will be easier and easier. We just have to make and post that first one. Or that first five.

Instagram makes it super easy to make videos with text and “stickers.” Canva allows taking a template and adding animation which is ALMOST a video, but that won’t count for today. Find yourself an app or service you feel comfortable working with, like Vimeo, YouTube, Visme, ClipChamp, etc. (Please tell me which [free!] ones you like best! I like trying new stuff.)

I mean, don’t we want a 1200% increase in shares? Of course. If we are in control of that, why wouldn’t we go for it? Today we are.

The video can be 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds. Animoto reports Instagram videos that are around 26 seconds long receive the most comments. Don’t be thinking your vid has to be two minutes! (Who has time for that, really.)

Worried about how you’ll look on camera? I have a ton of getting-camera-ready tips on this post: https://bitsykemper.com/zoom/.

Some great tips on creating effective content (do you want to explain a new fact? do a tutorial?) is here from later.com, here from eclincher, and there’s a list of ideas from sproutsocial here.

Camera shy?

Let’s say you loathe the idea of being on camera. You can still use video to up your author platform. Here are some ideas of videos (with sound and text!) that will build your brand that DON’T need to have your smiling face.

Book Quotes: Use text overlays to display your own, your favorite, or popular book quotes. Zoom in and out while reading the quote. [Or be holding the book as you read, be standing in front of the printed quote that’s on a wall, etc.]
Show Your Bookshelves: Give an inside look at your bookshelves while explaining how they made you a better writer (or reader). Ask viewers to share their experiences. [Or be there Vanna-White-ing it.]
Create a Book Trailer: iMovie and other apps make this easier than ever. If you have picture books, talk to your illustrators first–they might have ideas and/or equipment.
Start a Live ‘Ask Me Anything’ Session: No need to have yourself on camera, just zoom in a whiteboard with those words as you talk over a short script “Time to ask me anything! Write a question in the comments…” [Or of course, you can have cam focused on your pretty face.]
Answer Those Anythings: Record yourself answering those Qs while writing on a whiteboard, flipping through pages, waking through the woods, whatever.
Recommend Books: Share fun book recommendations, including your own book(s).

My personal brainstorming space

Those are just a few ideas. I can’t wait to hear what you end up doing! Tell me all about it.

15May2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 22: Let Me In

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

Getting Personal

Today we’re getting personal.

The author platform task is: Create a short-ish blog or FB post sharing a personal story.

There are tons of experts that say getting personal makes you more likable and draws readers/followers in. (They also caution against sharing too much.) You’ve been spending all this time with your readers and followers, let’s allow them in a little more. Lots of ways to do that without posting your grocery list. Share insight into why you are a writer (is it in your heart?), what makes you want to write (thinking about the reader?), what makes your day as an author (fan mail!), or even what you hate about being an author (“oh you write children’s books, how cute”).

Maybe it’s a mom moment you’d like to share, frustrating or fun, like:

In that one, I had the chance to tack on another tweet and ask moms if they felt my pain, but didn’t think of it at the time. Look for chances to ask followers why they in turn do in that scenario. Ask them to reply. Engage with them (every one of them) when they do.

Use this task as an opp to break out of the mold and do something different today. At a minimum, use the tweet to add additional commentary as you post the link to the blog you just wrote.

It doesn’t have to be book related! Shed some insight into who you are so people feel like they now you (there’s plenty of stuff you can recycle from your bio page, right?). Suggestions:

A story about your kids or your own childhood
A funny anecdote (like when I wore my pants and yes shirt inside out)
A thought-provoking observation (“Have you noticed…”)
A personal goal you’re working towards
A challenge that you’re facing
A milestone reached
A lesson learned
A small thing you’re grateful for, like cold pizza for breakfast (maybe that’s just me)

Recap: Share a personal story. End with request to hear followers’ stories. Converse with them (all) when they reply.

[Oh, and before I forget, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

9May2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 28: Listicle Love

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

Take note

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:

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

8May2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 29: Things We Love

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

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.