Let’s talk about something that’s been the elephant in the room for many of us–the dreaded “P” word: platform. In the realm of publishing, it seems like everyone is fixated on the numbers: how many followers you have, the size of your email list, or the reach of your social-media presence. But what if I told you there’s a more authentic and meaningful approach to becoming an author?
Writing: The Overflow of Building People, Not Platforms
So, here’s the scoop: Writing should be an overflow of building people, not platforms. I get it; the publishing world often throws around the question, “What’s your platform?” as if the number of your followers determines the value of your voice. But let me challenge you to shift your focus. Instead of obsessing over the digital metrics, let’s zoom in on the real, live people in your sphere of influence.
Your First Audience: Real People in Your Life
Before you stress over your virtual audience, take a moment to identify the real, live people in your life who are a representation of your intended readership. If your message is for discouraged women, who are the women in your immediate circle who could benefit from your words? If your writing speaks to youth, how are you serving and connecting with the young people in your church or community?
Your first audience is likely right in front of you: the people you interact with daily, the ones you can genuinely impact. So, let’s dive into three practical ways to serve this actual audience.
Three Ways to Serve Your Actual Audience
Look local. Meet the needs of your church community. Your local church is a gold mine of opportunities to serve and connect with your audience. Talk to your pastor, understand the needs of your congregation, and explore how your message and method could make a difference. Maybe there’s a women’s group longing for encouragement or a youth ministry in need of fresh perspectives. Your local church community is a great starting point for building meaningful connections.
Connect in real life through serving. Address needs and make an impact. Are you passionate about a specific group, perhaps teen moms or burned-out leaders? Instead of solely reaching out through digital platforms, find ways to serve them in real life. Create initiatives or events that meet their practical needs. When you connect face-to-face, you not only make a tangible impact but also build a foundation for authentic relationships.
Make disciples. Pour your life into someone else’s. When your audience is behind a screen, it’s easy to forget that your words have the power to disciple and influence real lives. But why not take it a step further? Invest your time in making disciples. Pour your life into someone else’s, whether it’s mentoring a young writer, encouraging a struggling friend, or guiding someone on their journey with Jesus. Real-time discipleship offers insights into how your message impacts your intended audience on a personal level.
Authentic Authorship Is Rooted in Relationships
In a world obsessed with digital numbers, let’s remember that authentic authorship is rooted in relationships. Your voice carries weight not only in the virtual realm but in the lives of those you encounter daily. So, before you stress over platform numbers, look around you. Your first audience might be closer than you think.
Build people, invest in lives, and watch how your writing naturally overflows from genuine connections. The heartbeat of your message is the impact it has on real people, not only the statistics on your screen. May your words resonate with the hearts that matter most: the ones right in front of you!
Successful Authors Know a Thing or Two
I think this was a great post, Megan!!!
Too often I hear brand, platform. At the base of these are the people and the readers/audience–relationships, as you said.
The authors I follow built a relationship with me through their characters. I LOVE character building and arcs, they resonate in me for one reason or another. Thus, I return to that author.
I recently purchased a book from an unknown Indie author. She wrote a really good story. I’m going to leave a good review, and I hope it helps to grow her audience. Should she publish more books, I will follow her.
I’m only too happy to add her novel to my list when I respond to the question, “Read any good books, lately?”
At a deeper level, connections help us as writers to understand the human condition, or, even if we don’t understand, to explore. That being said, great fodder for the imagination. And who knows, perhaps some memorable character we create resonates in hearts in such a way as to demonstrate the love of our Savior, letting His light grow ever brighter. All the best.
Thank you for your post. 🙂
Jeannie
Thank you, Megan. I am comforted and encouraged by your words. My connections, who number in thousands, are not from my presence on social media, but from the work I have done in service to my vocation as a counselor and speaker for a non-profit agency. I am striving to learn how to do a blog or podcast and your message has inspired me to marry the two. Blessings on your work.
I am so glad you are encouraged. Leverage your close contacts to help you accomplish your goal of launching a blog or podcast. With their support, you’ll sustain a longer ministry. 🙂 Good luck 🙂
I am so glad you are encouraged. Leverage your close contacts to help you accomplish your goal of launching a blog or podcast. With their support, you’ll sustain a longer ministry. 🙂 Good luck 🙂
I am by circumstance confined
to my high desert hermitage,
through snow and summer heat refined
to live upon another page
than the people I don’t meet
any longer in my days;
this sometimes feels like a defeat,
for how might I now offer praise
when worship is community,
gathered in His name?
Are my words futility,
a mere self-serving game
whose meaning is hallucination
defined by this sere isolation?
Your words have more impact than you know, Andrew. Because God is in them!
I think we all need to realize that our words will be here longer than we will. And they won’t lose their power because it’s the Holy Spirit that preserves them.
Comforting and convicting at the same time, huh? haha!
Great insight, Megan! I’ve learned over the past few years that I write for MY readers. Sure, I have a small platform and brand. That’s because I’ve been working at it for a long time, but it really does come down to the people and not the numbers in God’s economy.
This could be why more folks are turning to self-publishing now. So many publishing houses and agencies want to see numbers. How many followers do you have on social media? I guess sometimes that sells books. But sometimes it doesn’t.
People want to know they’re valued in some way, so if I concentrate on MY readers, whoever they may be, I think that will mean success. For me, anyway.
Thanks for your practical but encouraging look at what really counts in terms of platform. “The heartbeat of your message is the impact it has on real people.” I love that statement and pray I always keep that in mind when I write something to share, whether it’s a devotional, social media post, or scene in my novel. Thanks for helping keep us centered!
Amen!! Thank you for addressing this. Especially as an Indie author, I’ve found the numbers push to be incredibly challenging to fight against. When someone reads one of my books and sends me a message about how it changed their life, or faith, or helped their marriage, I’m humbled and blown away. THAT is why I write. Yes, I do want more people to read (and buy) my books so that I can sustain my writing and reach more hearts for Jesus, but just as he went after the “one,” so I want my focus to be. It’s so refreshing to see this in a post!
Platform? Yes, it has become an addiction – more so in publishing. Megan, your words are a perfect antidote.
I love this, Megan! In fact, since I live and work at a Bible camp, I’ve changed who I write for in the last decade. It only makes sense to write for children since I serve them each week.
Yes!! Thanks Megan! You are right on!! Social media great! It’s an awesome tool for sharing the message! However, if we haven’t mastered truly connecting with the people that God has placed right in front of us in our community (and dare I say, even in our own homes) then social media is a relationally cheep way to feel like we are making an impact without the vulnerability of being accountable to another person who might see our flaws. Thank you for being willing to address this!
Thanks, Megan, for anchoring us back in what really matters about writing. Your post brought memories—not distant ones, at that—of real face-to-face ministry God has done through me. Those are the times that surprise and delight me and fill me with joy as the heart of my written message overflows into lives I can see and touch. You’ve helped me restore the connection between both areas of service.
Amen, Megan! I have spent the last eight weeks talking to folks I know about my first novel, though I have mentioned its release on social media The focus of my efforts have been exactly what you wrote about: the people whose lives I influence. Thank you so much for that confirmation!
Thanks for the encouragement to be a follower of Christ rather than focused on who’s following me.