TIP ONE: Care about (and engage with) people. Be genuine. No one trusts a phony, so you’ve got to not only look/act genuine, you’ve got to BE genuine. Readers are looking for the real deal, not someone trying to sell them something.
TIP TWO: Write what you know. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But so many people overlook the obvious. If you’re a homeschool mom, writing about homeschooling. If you’re a theater buff, write about life in the theater. Publish as many articles as you can on one subject, slanting the articles to fit the various publications.
TIP THREE: Hire someone to build your website. Only a pro knows how to get your site up in the search engine rankings, and only a pro knows how to build a site that appears professional to others. If you don’t have the money to spend on a site, get a friend (someone with a good eye) to help you. Ultimately, you reap what you sow. Put money into your website, you will eventually get money out.
TIP FOUR: Start a blog, and then set yourself up as an expert on a particular subject. Let’s say you decide you want to eventually publish a book on bird watching. Clearly, the best thing you could do, would be to create a colorful blog with photos of all the birds you’ve been watching/photographing. Once you’ve attracted a number of readers, create an “Ask the Expert” box on your page, where other wanna-be bird watchers can pose their questions. When you’ve answered those questions (after careful research on your end), voila! You’re now seen as an expert bird watcher!
TIP FIVE: Become familiar with Social Networking sites like facebook, twitter, etc. Create a reader (or “fan”) page, focusing on the topic of your choice.
TIP SIX: Ask your friends to help you settle on both your niche and your tagline. It didn’t take long for my friends to figure out that I have a comedic voice. My “Love, Laughter and Happily Ever After” tagline made perfect sense, both to my writing voice and the books/articles I was writing. You might also ask your friends to help you narrow your focus when it comes to what books you may one day write. Ask them, “What do you see me writing? Where are my strengths?” You might be surprised at the answers! Remember, the books you hope to one day write will govern the articles you are writing today. Begin to build, build, build that platform.
TIP SEVEN: Set yourself up as a public speaker. The more you speak on a particular topic, the more you’re seen as an expert.
TIP EIGHT: Create product that can be sold after you speak. Can you come up with an e-book to sell after you speak? A workbook? A how-to booklet? If so, you’ve not only established yourself as an expert with your speech, you’ve solidified it with the product you’re selling.
TIP NINE: Study marketing strategies. Talk to successful business people who have learned how to market effectively. Pick their brains. Figure out their steps to success. Glean as much information from them as you can, then angle it to work with your writing career.
TIP TEN: Don’t over-sell. Spend at least ⅔ of your time giving away information. If you’re going to pitch something, do so after gaining trust.
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