The more I consult with literary agents and book publishers, the more I hear them say, “We want authors who can bring a large online audience to support their book sales.” I’ve even heard some say, “We want authors who are list-building machines,” which means building an email list with 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000+ subscribers.
Gone are the days when authors just write a book and turn it into the publisher. Authors with a platform are viewed as a vital part to a book’s marketing plan. The same principle applies to many businesses and non-profits, too. Here’s five reasons why you should make building an online audience a top priority:
1. It’s the best way to mass communicate with a lot of people both inexpensively and effectively.
2. When a lot of people follow you, it’s easier to create more sales of your current products and services, which means more money in your pocket.
3. If you’ve ever wanted to become a bestselling author, the key is to generate a lot of pre-orders before your book launch. A large online audience is the best way to secure those much-needed pre-orders.
4. Imagine launching new products and services that are almost guaranteed to sell! A large group of followers represents a ton of potential customers for anything you create – which also represents more money for you.
5. Finally, one of the most important–but most overlooked–reasons to build an online audience is this: Other people will want to partner with you, because you have what they want – a big audience! When you build a big audience, other people and organizations will generally become much more friendly and open to partnering with you. They will willingly help promote your stuff, because they see you as an ally who can trade favors to help them promote their stuff. It goes back to the good ol’ business adage of “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine.” But, if you don’t have a big online community, you can’t scratch anyone’s back.
Do you know how to build a large online audience? Are you positioning yourself and your organization as worth following by other people? Do you have at least 10,000 followers and growing?
If you’re struggling in this area, discover an easy-to-follow process in my new 4-part video course, How to Build a Massive Online Audience. It’s possible to attract a lot more people than you might think!
