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I would like to ask for your help today. Can you share your reaction to the possible title of my next book. Here it is:

Share Like it Matters.

Please email me directly (dan@wegrowmedia.com) or comment below to give me your gut reaction, tell me if you love it, hate it, where it is confusing, or bad, or great, or whatever. If you need more context, here are some possible subtitles I am playing with or others have suggested:

• Share Like it Matters: Why Sharing Your Writing and Art is an Essential Part of the Creative Process
• Share Like it Matters: Use Human-Centered Marketing to Connect Your Writing and Art To Those Who Will Love It
• Share Like it Matters: How Writers and Creators Can Use the Human-Centered Marketing System to EnsureTheir Work is Seen

All of this is a big work in progress, so any feedback is useful. If you want to know more about the title and what it represents, keep reading…

Why “Share Like it Matters”?

The phrase, “Share Like it Matters” was originally a chapter title in an early draft for my new book. When my friend Jennie Nash saw it, she flagged it as a possible title for the entirety of the book. She’s an amazing book coach and basically a genius, so her suggestion quickly turned into action for me. I have a long list of possible titles, but this one kept resurfacing. It seemed to capture the narrative crux of the book.

The title reflects something I worry about: how will writers and artists ensure their work truly connects with someone in a meaningful way? Writers create because they are driven to, there is a message or story that they need to get out there. I love — LOVE — working with writers because they create for the best reasons: they believe in their work fully. This is the gift I receive in working with writers, every single person I work with is all-in with their creative work.

But…

I see too many writers and creators share their work as though it doesn’t matter. It pains me to even write that. Instead they:

• Share too late. They justify that they should wait until their book is ready to be published to begin thinking of sharing. By then, it is often too late to develop the communication and trust you need to really give your book the shot it deserves.
• Start at the wrong place. Instead of really defining their messaging, their identity, understanding their ideal reader, researching the marketplace, and creating a cohesive strategy, they instead blanket their book promotions on social media. They share the same message again and again, instead of looking for opportunities to truly connect with readers. What often happens is they find that few people engage, and they conclude, ‘Well, I guess I’m just not good at marketing. Oh well.” And they give up.
• Focus on the wrong goals. They measure how many followers they have, how many subscribers they get, and then when they don’t see much growth, they move to a different social network or stop sharing their newsletter. It’s a process where they constantly feel bad about themselves, and hop from tactic to tactic with no real overarching strategy.
• Share the bare minimum. They are so worried about overdoing it that they underdo it. They barely share, and when they do, they start by apologizing. So they may send a single email to those they know about their book and it will begin, “Hi everyone. This is the obligatory email I have to send to ask you to buy the book. Sorry for bothering you, but I was told I needed to do this.”
• Half bake it. They copy a copy of a copy of a strategy that another author used, and then just do 1/4 of what that person did.
• Make the wrong assumptions about what will work. I hear this all the time: “Everyone hates newsletters,” “Social media is dead,” “People are sick and tired of Zoom,” “Bookstore events don’t sell books,” “Aren’t podcasts over?” and so on. Each one makes an assumption and ends with the conclusion that it’s not worth it to bother trying.
• Hope someone else shares their writing and promotes their work for them. They abdicate this responsibility with the hopes that it simply lets them off the hook. Then they are shocked that others don’t share their work with the energy that the author hoped for.

The result? Their writing and art languishes. It doesn’t get shared, doesn’t get read. It doesn’t live in the mind of a reader. And the writer feels disappointed. In that process, their voice grows even quieter.

But what if you shared your writing with the same passion by which you created it? What if you shared with verve and vigor? Not because you want to be self-promotional, but because you know that what you create can truly change someone’s life for the better?

What if you shared like it mattered?

Writing is Complete When it is Shared

The book I’m writing presents this idea that what we create is complete when it connects with someone. So the idea behind the title is to not avoid sharing because one is scared of it, but to embrace it because it does this beautiful thing of connecting people to ideas and stories.

Too often, writers dismiss the sharing part. Possibly because they don’t feel they know how to do it well. Possibly because they don’t want to look like they are trying to hard. No one wants to be “that person” who is always self-promoting and annoying others. Remember Ned Ryerson from the movie Groundhog Day who is constantly trying to sell everyone insurance. This is what writers fear becoming if they share their work:

 

I grew up as the art kid. I started going to art lessons when I was 5, in the basement of Ms. Flannigan’s house. There on the cement block walls were murals she had painted with her students. It was an average basement of a house built around 1970, with one long table for her students, and an area for art supplies. 
There I painted each week.

As I grew older, I expanded into other art forms: illustration, photography, poetry, pop up books, sculpture, and yes, writing writing writing.

My favorite class in high school was Creative Writing with Ms. Adams, where I constantly overdid it with my projects. When we were assigned to create a small “book” of writing, most students just stapled together sheets of paper. But I went to a friend’s house who had tools, and I created a spine out of wood, pounded out a sheet metal cover, with the book opening via hinges I bought at the hardware store.

Yes, I was a dramatic teenager. But I loved creating.

Throughout the years I have created countless artistic and writing projects. Along the way, I was surrounded by creators: dancers, photographers, actors, writers, visual artists, and the like. If there was an “artsy weirdo” who came across my path, I was going to befriend them. Of course, for the past 12 years, I have worked with writers full-time, helping thousands of them share their work.

What I have found in my experiences is that magic happens when someone shares their creative work and it truly connects with someone. It is something beyond what the writer or artist could have ever created on their own. It is a co-creation of sorts. The writer intended one thing, and the reader brought their entire life experience to it. The result… magic.

That is why I believe in sharing.

As someone who grew up as an artist, who feels immersed every day in the arts, I genuinely believe that marketing and sharing are a creative process.

It could be that Share Like it Matters isn’t the right title for this book. But that is the story behind it. Your feedback will help me determine what happens next. Please reply back and share your thoughts on the title!

Thanks.
-Dan

P.S.: Last week I shared an updated version of my Creative Success Pyramid, which is the system I use to help writers get clarity in their work, develop an audience, and launch their work in a meaningful way. You can download the PDF here, and watch the video replay of last week’s workshop here.

Today I want to share a case study of how an author I’ve been working with turned an issue of her newsletter into writing an essay for The Atlantic and an appearance on CNN, all within 2 weeks.

Melinda Wenner Moyer is a science journalist and author of the book How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes. She has been a client of mine for awhile, and one of the things we have been working on are strategies to not just grow her audience, but engage with them as a community. To do so, she has been doubling-down on her Instagram presence and her email newsletter. Again and again, we have been developing ways to not just share content, but create a sense of connection with her audience that leads to meaningful engagement and word of mouth marketing.

Overall, she’s had an incredible year, growing her Instagram following by more than 65% year over year. But that’s the story for another case study. Today, I want to share what she did to turn an email newsletter that she wrote and published in less than an hour, into massive publicity. Let’s dig in…

It Started With a Single Email Newsletter

A little more than a year ago, Melinda created her email newsletter. She started bi-weekly, but then moved it to weekly. As any longtime readers know, I’m a huge fan of weekly newsletters.

As a science journalist, Melinda often identifies a topic to research, or is assigned one by an editor. Her reporting is based on extensive interviews with experts, and she translates it for a broader audience of parents.

But for the first newsletter of 2022, Melinda did something different. She sat down to write and started with: “If you’re anything like me, you’re losing your mind…”

She was reflecting on her own experience of starting the year amidst a new wave in the pandemic, and that of the many parents and experts she spoke with. This newsletter shared her personal experience in a very honest way. The email included phrases such as:

“I’m having an especially hard time with the cognitive dissonance…”

“This is the other thing that’s putting me on edge…”

And she shared details of what she and her family were going through at the moment. It was raw and honest. She described it as more of a rant, and explained how she wrote it quickly in less than an hour.

This is the kind of authenticity and honesty that tends to truly engage people online, when they feel as though they are truly connecting with you as a human being, not playing some small part in a “content strategy” that someone devised to optimized for social media likes.

The response was immediate — loads of emails back from her readers. When she posted an excerpt of it in her Instagram feed, it received 10 times the level of engagement as her other posts.

I often talk about focusing on every individual person you can engage with, and not worry about an “audience.” What happened next illustrates why…

Every Reader Counts

So it turns out that one of her readers is an editor at The Atlantic. Melinda had two essays run in that publication in the past four years, but for different editors. This editor immediately asked if she would write a piece for them based on this newsletter.

In less than a week she wrote it and it was published. It immediately became one of their most shared articles, filling Melinda’s inbox with messages, and her Instagram with DMs.

When she shared it on Instagram, her online engagement was (again) 10x what it would be for a typical post.

Be Prepared for Opportunity

A couple days later, she got an email from a producer at CNN, they wanted to invite her to the studio to do a segment on the topic of the essay. CNN quickly switched the appearance to being through Zoom instead of in-person.

Because of her Instagram feed and the promotion she did for her book, Melinda was well set up to appear on video. Not just having her technical system down, but being super comfortable knowing how to talk about her work in a manner that was professional, yet engaging.

So there she was on CNN, with her bed in the background, talking about the topic that started as a quick rant in a newsletter and snowballed from there.

Other national newspaper editors have reached out to her as well, interested in her writing for them too.

Bring Your People Together

Melinda didn’t stop there. The outreach to her piece was so massive that she decided to hold an event on Saturday evening for her readers. This would be a chance for parents to come together to share, vent, feel heard, and know that they are not alone in their challenges.

Even though The Atlantic and CNN offered her a greater breath of audience, Melinda didn’t stop showing up to engage deeply with her core community. Dozens of people joined and Melinda engaged with every single person. It was such a meaningful experience, that she is doing another event.

Outcomes That Matter

In working with writers full-time for 12 years, I have long since learned that publicity can be complicated. I’ve spoken to plenty of authors who had the media appearance of their dreams — having their book featured on the Today Show or other national media, only to see zero bump in their sales numbers, and no growth in their followers.

But the strategy that Melinda has been taking is different. Let’s talk about the outcomes of this entire experience as it relates to some of her goals as an author:

• She saw 1.5% growth in her Instagram followers and free newsletter subscribers during this timeframe. But, she saw 10% growth in her paid subscribers, which is huge!
• New professional connections were created with editors and producers that could lead to other assignments or appearances later on.
• Deeper reader connections were forged — those who don’t just know her as the author of a book, but someone who brings people together and truly sees them as a reader.
• She created a new type of event that she can now use with her audience down the road.
• Of course, this entire experience gave her lots of material to share about on social media.
• It adds to her already impressive list of credentials. She is hired for speaking events too, and these credentials could increase the chance that someone becomes aware of her work, or hires her.

What Melinda achieved here is why I believe writers need a system in how they establish their identity, find their readers, and launch and promote their books. What she did here follows a progression and a strategy. If you want to explore how we can work together for your goals as a writer, take a look at my process and reach out.

And you can find out more on Melinda — her book, newsletter, Instagram, speaking, and more — on her website.

Thanks!
-Dan

This is my 12th year of working full-time with writers and creators. Each day, I get to wake up and spend time with people who write because they choose to, create what speaks to their heart, and share what makes people’s lives better. Every day is a gift.

Today, I want to talk about how I work with writers, and give you a behind the scenes look at the process.

Who I Work With

It’s most common for someone to reach out to me when:

• They want to ensure they give their book the best possible chance to reach readers.
• They don’t want to struggle alone through a hodge-podge list of ideas on how to share their writing. They want a strategy and a collaborator.
• They want their writing to truly connect with readers, and have a positive impact on their lives. They aren’t looking for hollow vanity metrics.

I work with a wide range of writers. Each week I’m working with those who are pursing various publishing paths: traditional, hybrid, indie, and those who are not yet sure. I work with writers who are at different points on that path: still writing the book, looking for an agent, looking for a publisher, pre-book launch, book launch, and months/years after book launch. These people write fiction, memoir, nonfiction, poetry, essays, and so much else. I’ve worked with authors in seemingly every genre.

Does this sound too broad? Well, I grew up as the art kid. My life has been surrounded by creators. Even at home, my wife is an amazing artist. I believe that working across all areas of writing makes me better at helping each individual writer. There are ideas I will see in one area that can be applied to another. What I care most about is that the writer strongly believes in what they write. That is what lights me up, and why I love — LOVE — working with writers.

I tend to work with people as early as possible in their process. Why? Because to establish your platform, find your ideal readers, and ensure your work reaches them takes time. What we work on can deliver better results if you set the foundation right, then focus on effective communication, and developing trusting relationships around your creative work.

What I Do

I help writers develop their author platforms, launch their books, and create marketing strategies that work. I work collaboratively with writers, meaning that I’m in there doing the work with them. We work through my system together, and customize the strategy for each individual author.

So on a day to day basis, that can have me:

• Doing research to identify comparable authors
• Identifying which podcasts that author can pitch to become a guest
• Editing the author’s bio
• Developing the marketing section for a book proposal
• Creating a content strategy for a newsletter
• Digging into the backend of WordPress or Substack or Twitter ads a wide array of tools for the writer
• … and so much else.

Having worked with thousands of writers, I specialize in developing clear strategies and giving writers a step-by-step process.

How I Work

So how do I collaborate with a writer to make it all happen? Several ways:

 

The first is that they receive access to my 15+ tab spreadsheet that outlines key aspects of my system. This is a shared document that we will be working in together. Step-by-step, we move through it, with clear instructions that lead to a solid game plan. This is a key deliverable that the writer gets to keep and use long after we stop working together. It is a living document that will comprise their messaging, audience research, marketing plans, book launch timeline, and so much else. By the time we are done, this document is packed with total clarity about how to reach their audience, and also streamlined so they know exactly what to work on, and when.

We have phone calls every other week, which are usually an hour long. I come in with an agenda, but we also talk about any questions or topics the author wants to dig into. So, even if we are working on podcast pitching and newsletters, if they have a question about TikTok or their book proposal or social media ads or anything — we dive into it.

Each call ends with a clear set of tasks that we will be working on. Sometimes they are shared tasks, other times tasks for just the author, other times tasks for me. The writer is never guessing what to be working on or where we are in the process.

Between calls, we are checking in via email. Writers have unlimited access to me via email. This is where we can share progress, get direction, ask for help, or explore new areas.

I will often reply back to an email with a video. Here the writer can see me work through problems, learn exactly how to do things by seeing and hearing me do it, and experience the collaboration in a new way.

I have honed this system over the course of 12 years. What it is optimized for is getting the work done, and feeling a sense of calm and clarity along the way. This, as opposed to what I want to avoid: just dumping information on a writer as many courses do, leaving them drowning in ideas that they don’t know how to execute. In working together, we get the work done and level up their career.

My Studio

I work out of a private studio here in New Jersey. I’ve ensured the place is two things: incredibly practical, and filled with beautiful things. Namely: books and typewriters. Here I am in the studio:

 

I have a pretty advanced technical setup so that I can easily create videos for the writers I work with, showing them exactly how to create marketing campaigns, newsletters, use social media, and so much else. They can see me, my screen, and anything else that is needed to illustrate how to get it done. Here is a behind the scenes photo you don’t often see:

 

What is in the photo:

1. Computer with multiple redundant backups. If the computer suddenly dies, I’ll be back up and running within minutes. If a tornado destroys the studio, I’ll be back up and running in 15 minutes.
2. Coffee. I mean, is there a more essential ingredient to creativity?
3. Video and audio controller.
4. Teleprompter with monitor.
5. Sony camera with ultra wide angle lens.
6. Overhead camera setup with a Canon camera and wide angle lens.
7. Microphone.
8. Compressor for audio.
9. Large display so I can monitor all video and audio feeds at once.
10. Studio lights. I have two of these, and will likely upgrade in the near future.
11. Locked door. Every creator needs one of these!
12. Miele vacuum. A clean studio is a happy studio.
13. Guitar amplifier so I can practice during my lunch break.
14. 1972 Sony TV and Atari 2600. Just because they are beautiful and sometimes I need to revisit the 1970s.

My System

Last week I mentioned the system that I developed to help writers get clarity, identify their ideal audience, build their author platform, create compelling marketing campaigns, and launch their books. It’s called the Creative Success Pyramid. It is having a plan for what you will do, and when. It connects all of your actions to a cohesive whole. It also helps you determine what you won’t waste your time doing, thereby conserving your energy to just what matters to you.

See below, and click here to see this full-sized in a PDF:

It’s composed of five basic parts, you start at the bottom and work your way to the top:

• Get radical creative clarity on what you create and why.
• Build your platform to open pathways to your work.
• Create and share with your authentic voice.
• Connect with your ideal audience.
• Launch and market your writing.

What Do Results Look Like

What are the results of this work? Here is what some clients have said:

 

“I hired Dan to help me with the marketing strategy for my next book launch. This is my fourth book and already I can see the difference: not only do I feel confident about the message of my book, and who my audience is, but I was able to bring innovative ideas for marketing and promotion to my publisher and they took off running. I don’t think I would have gotten this much support from my publisher if I hadn’t jumpstarted my marketing with Dan!”
– Leigh Stein, author of Self Care

 

 

“Dan made connecting with readers—aka marketing—a joy instead of a chore. He changed the way I look at the business side of writing for good.”

– KJ Dell’Antonia, New York Times bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters

 

 

“An invaluable, eye-opening crash course in book marketing, self-branding, and how to shout your message to the world. My three months working with Dank Blank not only taught me what marketing is in the first place, they also gave me a better understanding of my own work, audience, and core message. Dan helped me take my book launch process into my own hands and focus on which strategies would be the best use of my time; the social media campaigns he helped me conceptualize have opened me up to new readers and opportunities in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Part therapist, part sensei, part consultant, Dan Blank is not just an expert, he’s also a kind and generous human. I couldn’t recommend him highly enough!”

– Amanda Montell, author of Cultish and Wordslut

“Working with Dan Blank has been one of the best investments I’ve made in myself as a writer. Reading his book was a revelation; working with him one-on-one gave me the chance to really put the ideas into practice. When we started working together, I felt overwhelmed and confused about where to focus my efforts and time. The list of “must-do’s” felt endless and not remotely exciting. Dan inspired me look at marketing in a totally new way. What I loved best about our collaboration is that it grew out of my own interests and passions. He helped me map out a concrete plan and then challenged me to work through it on a weekly basis. To anyone looking for clarity and purpose, as well as actionable steps to support their writing and creative goals, I recommend Dan with complete confidence and great gratitude.”

– Jasmin Darznik, author of The Bohemians

“Working with Dan changed my life and work forever. As a Mayo Clinic and Nationally Board Certified Health Coach, I am duty-bound to focus on the health and well-being of everyone I work with. The idea of “sales and marketing” always made me squirm, even when I was getting the word out about my books, which I knew would be helpful for readers. When my third book was coming out, I knew I needed to change the way I approached marketing and the way I thought about it too. Dan taught me how to help people feel better through my marketing. From there, I have been able to grow sales, social media, my mailing list, speaking engagements, and client base. His podcast began to shift my thinking, and working with him one-on-one cemented the way I’ll approach professional outreach for the rest of my career. It’s such a relief!”

– Sarah Hays Coomer, author of The Habit Trip

How to Work With Me

You can learn more about working with me here.

Ready to take action? Questions? Email me directly at dan@wegrowmedia.com and let me know what you are working on, the big challenge you are facing, and how you hope I can help.

(Bonus points if you add the subject line: “Dan, I’m ready to get it done.”)

I will send you a 12 page PDF that outlines my consulting process.

 

If you are interested, we will schedule time to talk via phone and explore a customized plan for you.
I only work with a very limited number of clients per quarter. This is your chance to take meaningful action.

Thanks!
-Dan

Are you a writer who is trying to develop your author platform, or plan for a book launch? Well, today I want to talk about three essential tips I would encourage you to focus on. What we will cover today:

1. Start early. (For your platform, years before you think you need to. For a book launch, at least 12+ months ahead.)
2. Have a system that you follow. Don’t drown in an endless list random ideas.
3. Focus on creating specific experiences and connections with your ideal audience.

Let’s dig in…

Start Early

So many writers I speak with wait before they begin building their platform. Their decision follows a clear logic. They may justify: “I’m still writing my book, what on earth would my platform even be about without the book?” The reasoning can vary depending on someone’s situation, but all focus on the idea that it’s better to wait… and wait… and wait… until they feel they will have more time to focus, or they have a clear milestone that is about to happen, such as the launch of a book.

But by then, it is often too late. If you start taking your platform seriously only when you need people’s attention, then you have waited too long. Because at that point, you will feel pressure to do the thing you are trying to avoid: spamming people with posts to “Buy my book! Buy my book! Buy my book! Pleeeeeeaasssee, buy my book!”

Another mistake writers and creators make is that they feel that if they posts to social media every so often (once a week, once every other week, once a month), that they are building their platform. Then, they feel betrayed that their “platform” hasn’t delivered a dedicated following, even though this writer has barely shown up on their own channels.

What should they have been doing instead? Truly showing up. To express what they create and why. To connect with readers and other writers. To understand how engagement happens.

Think of it this way… imagine someone who goes to a party and thinks, “I don’t really know anyone here, so I’ll show up late, and immediately tell this great joke I thought of. People will love it. Tonight I’ll be the life of the party!” Then they tell their joke, and it falls flat. No one cares and everyone moves on instantly to other conversations with people they have been meeting all night long. In this scenario, the person who showed up late may think: “These people aren’t my people. Who needs them,” and leaves the party. But that is what you are doing if you wait and wait and wait, and then you finally make this great “reveal” of your book on social media. Social media will likely disappoint, you, and you will now feel you have even greater reasons to abandon it.

For your platform, start years before you think you need to. Then, become a student. Not “I need to learn all the bells and whistles of a specific social media channel,” but learn how to share what you create in a manner that feels authentic to who you are. Identify where readers are and what engages them. Develop real connections with like-minded people.

For a book launch, I usually work with writers 12+ months before publication date. Why so long? Because so much of marketing relies on communication and trust. And that takes time to develop.

How to start early? Some ideas:

• Talk to writers who have been down the road you are about to embark on. Don’t just read articles, don’t just listen to podcasts, but talk to people in an actual conversation. Ask questions early and often. Be honest about what you don’t know and what matters most to you.
• Set up the channels you think you may need, even if in the most basic form. This could be a single page website. Or a social media account that you have yet to share anything on. Or create an email newsletter that has zero subscribers. Everyone starts there. My newsletter began by me sending it to 9 people I knew, after I walked up to each of them and asked if I could send it. 15 years later, I have sent that newsletter every single week. Lay the groundwork so that you can fill up these channels later. Get past the fear of starting by simply establishing yourself where you think you need to be.
• Create really simple habits. For instance, if you follow me on Instagram (and you really should follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danblank/) you will notice that in my Stories each day around 5:30am you will see a post of what I’m reading at breakfast, followed by a post that I’m writing my next book. I start the day with reading and writing. Sharing that is a simple habit. Don’t feel that you have to reinvent the wheel or do something innovative. Just showing up as a writer is what the world needs. And showing up each day to create and share already differentiates you from many other authors out there.
• Envision your book launch now. What do you hope happens in the month your book is released? What do you hope the experience is like? Who do you hope it reaches? Where do you hope it is featured? Then, work towards those connections, experiences, and feelings. One tiny step at a time. For instance, do you want to know how a certain author became a guest on a popular podcast? Oftentimes it is because years before, they simply became a fan of the show. Then they followed the show on social media. Then they commented on their posts. You can begin these foundational steps right now, with no pressure, no expectation. And you will be surprised how these small actions can actually benefit your book launch that may not happen for months or years down the road.

There are so many more ideas I could add to the list, but this is more than enough to get started. Which leads us to…

Have a System

So many writers try to develop their author platform and launch their book with a willy-nilly list of ideas gleaned from blog posts, social media, podcasts, and tips they hear online. They end up frustrated by a never-ending list of tactics, bouncing from one to the next, never feeling as they though they hit on something that works.

But a system is the opposite. It is having a plan for what you will do, and when. It connects all of your actions to a cohesive whole. It also helps you determine what you won’t waste your time doing, thereby conserving your energy to just what matters to you.

The Creative Success Pyramid is the system I developed to help writers get clarity in their work, develop an audience, and launch their work in a meaningful way. See below, and click here to see this full-sized in a PDF:

 

It’s composed of five basic parts, you start at the bottom and work your way to the top:

• Get radical creative clarity on what you create and why.
• Build your platform to open pathways to your work.
• Create and share with your authentic voice.
• Connect with your ideal audience.
• Launch and market your writing.

To be honest, this is the tip of the iceberg. When I work with writers, I walk them through a 15+ tab spreadsheet where we co-create their plan step-by-step. The thing about having a system is not to feel confined by it. Rather, the system should be the starting point to then personalize the actions you take based on your book, your creative vision, and your comfort level.

Focus on Creating Specific Experiences

Too often, when a writer thinks of developing their author platform or launching their book, they focus on a milestone. Perhaps it is seeing a certain number of followers on a social media channel, or their book being available to purchase online. The issue with that is that these milestones are fleeting. Instead, I want to encourage you to focus on creating experiences where you engage with your ideal readers. On creating moments of real connection, conversation, and a reason to come together around the themes you write about.

First, let me explain the difference between two things:

• Organic platform building. This is the day-in, day-out work of sharing on social media, sending a newsletter, or otherwise sharing what you create. This work is smart to do, and I am a huge advocate of it. I not only post my weekly newsletter, but also a weekly podcast, and share more than once every day on Instagram and Twitter, and a couple times a week on LinkedIn and Facebook.
• Creating experiences. This goes above and beyond, where you focus people’s attention on something specific. This is meant to bring people together. Now, that can happen in small ways or large ones. An experience can be a really good email chain between you and another author. Or, it could be something larger, a 1-day event that you create on Zoom that brings together 20 people.

A key distinction here is that many writers get on social media, and do this: Tweet and hope. Tweet and hope. Tweet and hope. Meaning: they just keep posting content and hope that something… somehow… finds an audience. But, if you want real engagement. If you want real growth in terms of the size of your audience, I want to encourage you to create experiences for people to be a part of.

This can include every connection you make, every conversation, every way you bring people together, and every time you have an engagement with someone that feels aligned to what you write and why.

Thanks!
-Dan

So many writers and creators I speak with feel that if they could just find their audience, then the path forward would be obvious. For some, they want to find a readership for books they are launching or have already published. For others, they are pre-publication, so they are developing their author platform to find their audience so their book launch will be successful when the time comes. All of this applies to any creative endeavor: someone sharing their illustrations, their art, and so much else. For everything below, I’ll use the example of a reader as that ideal audience member.

Today I want to talk about a concept for how to find your ideal audience, and invite you to a work session next week where I answer your questions and show examples of the practice in action.

What is an Ideal Reader, Anyway?

An ideal reader is the person that you feel would most appreciate what you create. They are someone who you feel would love to read what you write. They already know of and read books that would be shelved next to yours in a bookstore. You would love to schedule an event during your next book launch, and have this person show up in the audience. You can imagine them coming up to you after you speak, ask for you to sign their copy of the book, and tell you why your words resonated with them. Of course, these are also the people you hope sign up for anything you share online, whether that is a newsletter, social media, or anything else.

This is not just the person that you hope spends $15 on your book and maybe never reader it. It is someone you hope deeply resonates with what you write. You imagine they may choose your book as a selection for their book club. Or that they will gush to their friends about your book. And even further: that they may simply enjoy supporting your career and what you write.

When we talk about ideal readers, we stop simplifying success as a writer to numeric milestones of sales, reviews, bestseller lists, awards, media hits, and the like. Although, in doing this work full-time for 12 years, I have found that when you focus on your ideal readers, then you are increasing the likelihood of more sales, reviews, publicity, and marketing.

I want to encourage you to be able to talk about your ideal reader as if they are a real human being. You should be able to describe what resonates with them about books like yours, and how that fits into who they are as a person.

Why Do Many Writers Have No Idea Who Their Ideal Readers Are?

Too often, writers simplify the description of who their ideal audience is. They hide behind vague categories, demographics, and terms. Here is an example:

“My ideal reader is anyone who likes science fiction, fantasy, or horror books.”

With that description, the writer has just described three sections of a bookstore that contain hundreds of books, many of which have a different set of themes, writing style, tone, and other aspects. Of course, if you go online, you will find thousands upon thousands of books in each category. If that author bought a table to display their books at a sci-fi/fantasy/horror convention, they would find themselves lost amidst a sea of tables, unable to know what attracts their ideal readers.

Another example I often hear:

“My books are for someone who just wants to be entertained, they want an escape from their otherwise stressful life.”

If I replied to that author, saying that this could be anyone, that author may get excited and say: “Exactly!” Their enthusiasm is because they hope that their book reaches the widest possible audience, so keeping the description of their reader as broad and vague seems to serve that purpose. But here is the problem: how can this writer find these ideal readers? When the description of your writing is: “Oh, it can be for anyone,” that means you have nowhere to start to find the people most likely to love your writing. To tell friends about it. It means you have no idea what podcasts you should be a guest on. What to write in your email newsletter. What to talk about at a literary festival. What to share on social media. So you are left repeating the same vague phrases again and again, hoping that your ideal readers do all the work to find you. Instead, I want you to have total clarity of who your idea reader is so that you can find them!

This could challenge your assumptions about how you hope publishing works. Sometimes we keep things vague because we simply hope that “the industry” will figure it out. That by using a genre label to describe our audience will someone just make readers find your books. Or if you find exactly the right hashtag on social media, readers will buy your books in droves. Or if we can find just the right category to describe our work — especially a hot and trendy category — that “the industry” will notice.

But this doesn’t happen often. Luckily, there is another way…

The Whole Reader Framework

I want to encourage you to see the reader as a whole person.
Understand who they are as a human being, and what drives them in three ways:

1. Head
2. Heart
3. Action

I had some fun with craft supplies to illustrate this:

 

Let’s look at each:

Head

The head represents logic, and how people think the are motivated. It is a thought process rooted in how they view their identity, their hopes, their fears, and their life experience. For instance, someone who says they are “bargain shopper” who only buys things that are on sale. Or someone who says “Oh, I have an elevated sense of literary taste, I won’t waste my time on anything that isn’t layered and nuanced.”

Inside your ideal reader, the head represents preferences they have to:

• Discover books through certain channels, such as recommendations in certain magazines, podcasts, from specific people on social media, etc.
• Look for certain phrases to signify a book is for them.
• Be motivated to check out a book based on certain requirements (eg: a great blurb, a beautiful cover, a bestseller, a certain publisher, or it has to remind them of another author they read already, etc.)
• Feel a clear sense of what they like and don’t like.

Oftentimes, inside our head we are 100% convinced that we know what we like and why. It is based on a clear logic and set of values.

But…

People don’t’ always act in clear and rational ways based on logic. I mean, does anyone else out there have a stack of books that were purchased with the best of intentions, yet sit on the table, unread after months… years even? I sure do.

When we consider how you can understand your ideal readers to make them aware of what you write, to consider purchasing your books or subscribing to your newsletter or following you on social media or spreading the word about what you create, we have to consider more than just the head.

Which leads us to…

Heart
The heart represents how emotion can drive our sense of self, our place in the world, how the world works, interactions with others, what we are attracted to, and how we can feel connected with someone or something. For a reader, this can include:

• What grabs their attention.
• What fills them with a positive emotion.
• What gives them a negative emotion.
• What they don’t know (or think) they want, but always react to.
• Deeper motivations that lie beneath the surface of their thought processes.
• How their entire life experience plays into who they feel they are and how they engage with the world.

What does all of this have to do with what books they buy? Well, everything. We each read for many purposes. When you consider how complex each of us are inside, and how complex the world we interact with is, appealing to someone’s heart is a way to cut through the noise.

This can apply to how you describe what you create, how someone discovers your work, and even things that may feel counterintuitive. For instance, many writers have told me over the years that they wished they could just write books and not have to ever worry about marketing. But what if your ideal reader wants to feel a sense of connection with like-minded readers? Could what you share on social media or in a newsletter not only attract a reader, but give them a sense of deeper connection that includes your books, but also extends beyond it?

Knowing how the heart determines your ideal reader’s place in the world and how they connect will also help you understand what attracts them to a certain book — yours.

Action
Action represents the ways the head and the heart turn into the reality of what we do in our lives. What gets someone to click the buy button before they can even think or justify it? On social media, what do they click “like” on without even a thought? What gets them to gush about a book again and again and again, even if they start by saying, “This is not the kind of book I would normally read or recommend, but I just have to tell you about it.”

Our actions are often driven by a complex set of psychological and emotional cues. Combined, this becomes our everyday reality. Even if someone says, “Oh, I only make careful decisions after a deep analysis. I will never be pressured by marketing trickery,” that doesn’t mean this person won’t make an impulse purchase when they see a sale. Or buy something that they don’t have time to read.

With action, we can move much more deeply into the psychology behind marketing and sales. The actions of your ideal readers represent:

• What gets them to take a clear action, such as buying a book, leaving a review, subscribing to a newsletter, and so much else.
• How their preferences (positive or negative) can be turned into a behavior.
• A multi-faceted process of requirements which turn logic or emotion into an action you hope they take.
• Not only what gets them to move towards something, but what repels them away from something.
• Using sales language, what what gets them to “convert” from someone who is considering something, to someone who buys.

Combined, the head, heart and action can explain the complex narratives in a reader’s head. What they are drawn to, and how it connects to their identity. Their hopes for when they buy a book. What turns them on to it, and away from it. And what gets them to take actions that are meaningful to you as a writer: how to get them to pay attention to your work, buy your book, sign up for your newsletter, and how to get them to spread the word through word-of-mouth marketing.

An Example of The Whole Reader Framework:

Let’s take a simple example to illustrate how the head, heart, and action work together. Let’s talk about… Batman. Why does someone decide they are going to become a fan of Batman movies and comics? Perhaps it could be:

Head: What they say they want, such as:

• A complex plot, with multiple storylines and characters.
• A mystery that keeps them guessing until the end.
• Suspenseful action where the stakes feel high.
• A special effects masterpiece or compelling illustrations.

Heart: What draws them to these stories, and what keeps them engaged long after watching a movie or reading a comic:

• Living with a clear set of values. (Batman is generally known as the superhero who refuses to use guns or kill others.)
• Appreciating the underdog (Batman has no special powers, yet he is often battling quasi-magical beings.)
• Living up to a deeper motivation: (Batman chooses to make the world a better place after witnessing the murder of his parents.)

Action: What gets the reader/fan to buy or act:

• Limited showing. For instance, a new movie that is in theaters or only available streaming online for a limited time.
• A shared experience. They want to be among the first group to experience the movie or comic, post on social media they are there, talk about it online, maybe read through comments from others in the weeks before/after the event online, attend a special preview panel at a convention, etc.
• Reinforce their identity. This could be as simple as posting a photo on social media that they went to the midnight showing of the movie — illustrating they are a real fan, or even getting a tattoo of the Batman logo.
• Showcasing their own expertise or devotion by defending the movie online, or panning it. There is a thriving community of movie reviewers on YouTube, many of whom share a “hot take” on a popular movie that they feel may be controversial. This helps share their own identity and they may love the reactions they get.

Why Use The Whole Reader Framework?

This entire process is meant to help you make decisions about where to find your ideal audience, discover what resonates with them, and help you build excitement around what you share online and your next big book launch. There are so many practical things that this leads to. Every day I work with writers and creators on this to help them determine:

• What to share that will get attention.
• What channels they should use, and how.
• How to understand the marketplace around books like theirs.
• Where to find their ideal readers.
• How to get more followers or subscribers.
• What leads to sales, book reviews, and other marketing actions.
• And so much else!

But even more than that, it is meant to help you create meaningful experiences with others around your creative work. To have a platform as a writer that feels authentic to who you are, and filled with conversations that matter to you.

Thanks!
-Dan