When Everyone Has A Platform, Your Job Is To Create Meaning

With everyone jumping on social media, it can be very hard to stand out. Many people are concerned with appearing “active” on social media. So they research the best practices, and do the minimum expected of them. They also feel pressure to be present on a wide range of social networks, so they split their creative energy – 25% here, 25% there, etc.

What happens is that they do nothing 100%. They do nothing exceptionally well.

I would much rather see someone go 100% on one platform and really hit it out of the park, than lamely do 20% here, 10% there.

The goal here is to create meaning in the lives of others. That if you have something important to share, if you have ways you want to align with others who have a similar passion – then you have to go beyond the most basic expectations. You have to find small ways to delight and amaze people.

View the video above for more details.
Have a great day.
Thanks!
-Dan

Why I Share My Cell Phone Number On My Website

The other day I received a phone call. I was in a hotel in Boston, and the person on the other end of the line was surprised that I actually picked up the phone. Before he even introduced himself, he said “Dan, you are brave.” He was referring to my choice to put my cell phone number out there on my website. That to be that accessible can be a real risk.

In this video, I explore the value of choosing to be accessible, and share a couple other examples of others who have done so.

This is a choice that should be proactive – that you choose how closely you want to connect with others.

Thanks!
-Dan

Be Prepared For Success

I was chatting with a group of authors I am working with, some of whom have sold many hundreds of thousands of books, and we were discussing how hard it is to develop a following on social media from scratch.

The discussion talked about how some well-known people became famous in other media, and then leveraged that in social media such as Twitter.

A point I made in the conversation was that you have to be ready for success. That when lightning strikes and you find your audience growing exponentially overnight, that is not the time to begin trying to figure out Twitter or Facebook or considering how you want to engage with your fans.

Figure that out now. Learn the tools. Engage in conversations. Be ready for that moment of success.

Thanks!
-Dan

Check Out Jeff Goins’ eBook: You Are A Writer

Jeff Goins just released a new eBook called You Are A Writer: So Start Acting Like One. In this video, I give you an overview of who it is for and why you may want to check it out.

Jeff encourages those who struggle with becoming a writer to “become who you are,” and own the title of “writer.” He shares his journey and that of others, being honest about the challenges that he and others face in becoming writers.

The book is intended to motivate writers to double down on their dream, or make a conscious choice that it isn’t for them. A sample of his style and focus here is his list titled “What Nobody Ever Tells You About Writing,” which includes the following items:

  • It’s harder than you think.
  • It’s not enough to be good. You have to be great.
  • Nobody cares about you. People care about themselves.
  • It’s more about who you know than what you know.
  • You’d better love it. (Otherwise, quit now.)

He also shares lots of very tactical advice on how to develop your author platform. He reviews in detail the “Three Tools Every Writer Needs:”

  1. A platform to share your writing.
  2. A brand to build trust with readers.

  3. Channels of connection to distribute your art.

You can check out the book at http://youareawriter.com

Jeff was kind enough to send me a free copy of the book (thank you Jeff!) but I would have bought a copy anyway. My opinions here reflect my honest take on the value of the book.

Thanks!
-Dan

What Is An Author Brand?

I was chatting with writers in my author platform class, and we were discussing what it meant to have an author brand. To me, it is not about putting something artificial on top of who you are, but creating meaning for your audience, and a consistent experience for them.

Also: the more you share your audience’s voice in your brand, the more easily you will find your message resonate with them.

Thanks!
-Dan