Build Your Author Platform With Media Presence
One of the fastest and most powerful ways to build your author platform is to be featured in big media, either as an expert source or by writing the right kind of piece yourself.
You can absolutely do this even if you’re not famous and even if you haven’t been published before. That probably sounds too good to be true, so in the video and blog post below, I’m going to teach you how and why this is doable and why it’s so effective.
But first…
Why is your platform important?
I don’t know if anything intimidates or pisses off writers more than the word “platform.” You might think it means you have to be famous or have a million social media followers. Obviously, those won’t hurt, but they definitely don’t define platform. Besides, publishers are onto the fact that social followers don’t usually translate into book sales.
So what do publishers really need to see? To get a return on their investment, they want two things from you (and if you self-publish, these will help you as well):
1. Credibility
2. Visibility
Credibility is especially important for nonfiction. I mean who wants to learn from someone who can’t show they know what they’re talking about? You’d rather learn it from someone with demonstrated expertise. While expert authority isn’t necessarily needed for fiction, media appearances can absolutely still help you demonstrate your professionalism ….and can also help with the next thing publishers are looking for.
Visibility. This one is pretty obvious. It’s all about your ability to reach an audience or to get word out.
That might be through social media….but you can also get exposure to that audience in other ways. This might be through your professional network, your speaking engagements, your podcast or blog, your email list, or like we’re going to talk about here, through traditional media.
Why traditional media is such a powerful platform builder
Media exposure is incredibly effective because it covers both parts of your platform – it can vet you as a credible expert and it can show your ability to reach and grow your audience. PLUS if you’re the one writing the article (which I’m about to get to), this will also prove your writing chops.
Believe it or not, big name media outlets do quote non-celebrities and publish stories from new writers. In this post, I want to give you a quick overview of how and why you are totally capable of doing this even if you don’t already have a big profile or haven’t published anything before.
1. Media outlets need sources to quote
Print, digital, and broadcast journalists need quotes to make their stories engaging, relatable, and credible. If you can give a good quote, you’ll make their day….and you’ll instantly become a vetted authority on your topic.
2. Big-name publications take two types of stories from new writers—personal essays and opinion essays.
I explain this more thoroughly in the video above, but there are two reasons a new writer can break into a prestigious publication with an essay.
First, you might have a story no one else can tell, a unique perspective they can’t get from any old writer. For example,
"I Finally Came Out to My Best Friends at 50," by Kim Kelly Stamp, Shondaland
Opinion: A white cane and 12-ounce gloves. How I learned to box as a legally blind man,” by Keith Rosson , the Los Angeles Times
"The fear of being shot while doing everyday things is crippling — and very American," by Keturah Kendrick, NBC Think
Or maybe you have expertise or a professional background that makes your take valuable.
“Why I'm a Public-School Teacher but a Private-School Parent,” by Michael Godsey, The Atlantic
“As a doctor, I wanted to clone my mother. Then I realized she wouldn’t be herself,” by Samir Shahin, Insider
The second reason you have a serious shot at this is that, unlike reported articles that are sold with a query or pitch, essays are almost always written first. Because you’re pitching with the whole piece, editors are going to base their decision entirely on the piece itself….not where you’ve been published before. For example, when I was a newer writer, I landed essays in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times without mentioning a single published clip or demonstrating any writing experience. (You can verify that by seeing my query letters inside my digital training.)
Getting this kind of media coverage is doable
I’ve followed both of these routes myself. I’ve been interviewed on CNN multiple times and on FOX News, also in Maxim, Travel & Leisure and more. I’ve written essays for places like the New York Times, L.A. Times, National Geographic Traveler, and The Week. I’ve also been a magazine editor soliciting quotes and hiring freelance writers, so I know what’s possible.
My students and clients have been featured in Harper’s, the Los Angeles Times, Women’s Health, Ms. magazine, Today, The Atlantic, and more.
To learn everything you need to do this too, check out my on-demand training, “As Seen In” Academy. I was teaching this to my high-ticket consulting clients and to some of the students in my bigger courses, but I decided to spin this out into a super accessible online training for you.
Check it out!
