3 Ways to Boost Your Platform as a Food Creator (without Social Media)
Photo by Unsplash
There’s an author myth that persists: When you sell your book, your publisher will work tirelessly to promote your book and get it into people’s hands.
Which to a degree is true, but most authors don’t even get to the publisher phase because they don’t have a platform. Whether you like it or not, publishing is a business. So, agents and editors need to know you can help sell the book you believe in.
Growing a platform isn’t about posting more of your own content on your own channels. You have to find new people to join you on the journey. It’s about building an audience and authority to sustain you past your current project.
One of the most overwhelming parts about growing a platform is how to do it without losing your mind. Yes, agents and publishers look at social media followings, but it’s not the only measure of how valuable a platform is.
And while social media may be a tool in sharing your ideas, it’s not the only way to get your work in front of your audience and future raving fans. It also doesn’t mean you have to be the sole social media sharer of your content and ideas.
So, how do you find your people without social media? Well, here are 3 ways to get you moving.
1. Guest Post on Blogs and Media Outlets
One of the most underutilized building blocks of building an author platform is guest posting. Blogs and media outlets need content, and you’re a walking stockpile of it.
Most outlets have submission guidelines or contact information for their editorial staff. Read up on what they’re currently publishing or looking for. You don’t have to stick with strictly writing outlets either. Your pitches are more about context than anything else.
Can you apply your writing advice to newly unemployed folks in their 20’s? Is there a favorite craft book you believe has sage life advice? Or do you have strong feelings about a new cooking show everyone loves, but you’re lost on why?
If you’ve got an idea you feel has been done before, how can you spin it to be an observation through your own lens? How can you mark it, so it’s unlike anyone else’s take?
Sharing your opinions and insights allows editors and readers to see you as an authority on a subject. Guest posts not only give you exposure through backlinks to your website (aka hyperlinks in your author bio that increase SEO to your site), but it takes the pressure off of you to find new people for your audience.
Plus, you’re building your pitching and networking skills, which is essential for any sustainable writing career.
2. Be a Podcast Guest
Tired of typing away? Put your profile up on a site like PodcastGuests, so shows can book you as a guest expert. You can also sign up for their email newsletter and pitch yourself to that week’s featured podcast list.
Not sure you’d be good in an interview? Listen to podcast interviews of your favorite authors or influential people and then practice your own answers to questions. You’ll see that most people talk about only a handful of topics, even with a wide topic like writing or food.
People love hearing about food writing processes and inspiration. Your personal experience will be unique, but will undoubtedly have universal elements listeners can relate to. Interviews will not only give you a chance to start honing a stockpile of go-to stories, but will give you media experience for the future.
One way to stand out when pitching podcasts is to leave a 5 star review and add a screenshot of it to your pitch. This definitely takes some time because you have to listen to a few episodes and show you see the value in what the podcast is offering. Make it personal with a unique headline, and even if you don’t get booked, you’ll be offering the show and other listeners solid value in your insights and review.
3. Send People to Your Website to Grow Your Email List
I’m a big believer in email lists.
They’re an intimate conversation with a group of people who want to hear from you. Forget algorithms or crossing your fingers people will share your social content — email messages can be counted on.
So instead of sending someone to a social media handle, throw them to your website with the note that that’s where you share updates and inspiration. Which means, you have to share news and other tidbits there.
And you should.
What pieces of content can you repurpose or expand?
How can you surprise and delight your subscribers, so they’re excited to open your emails?
What ways can you give your readers massive value without expecting anything in return?
Think of your email list as a community builder first, and it will expand your reach and impact more than if you only wanted to get the most amount of people on it. Engagement beats bloated subscriber numbers any day.
Sustaining Your Platform for the Long Haul
Growing an author platform isn’t an overnight process. It takes patience and commitment to foster a relationship with an audience. But the more you do it, the easier it will be. Instead of waiting for people to come to you, actively show up where your folks might be.
Imagine the websites they’re reading, the podcasts they’re listening to and what emails they’re opening up. What stories or advice would transform even just a little part of their day? How can you add massive value, while not being stretched thin or being in places that don’t light you up?
People need to hear the stories you have to tell. No one else can share them in the way you do. It’s your job to make sure you share them as widely as possible.
So what are you waiting for?
