Maybe you’re a writer or a blogger or a freelance journalist. Have you thought of and begun developing a writing platform to sustain your career? With all the blogs out there and all the freelances offering services, you’re going to want something that will make you stand out from the crowd and help readers and prospective clients find you. A platform isn’t just what you write about but the underlying structure of expertise and viewpoints that support your writing. It’s what you use to market yourself and get your message out.
First you’ll want to consider which topics you feel most comfortable with or most passionate about. Not just for one article. Look at it in a broader perspective. What can you write about day after day and not feel like you’ve exhausted yourself or the topic? You want to at least be a well-informed amateur in the topic. But you could write about gardening or music or sports or just great food.
Now, take the topic you’ve chosen and consider the local focus. Even though your blog may be available world-wide, you don’t want to forget the local focus because it’s going to help you grow your platform. So, let’s say you love gardening and want to blog about it. Great, now what are the local problems in your area? What local resources do you have? Where are the local gardening groups? Those are going to help provide topics and material. But they’re also going to be a resource to connect with the community.
Now start growing your platform by connecting with those locally with similar interests. Perhaps find a group or meeting to attend. Become a regular at a few and when you feel comfortable, offer to speak on a topic. Exchange links and blog promotion with those you meet. Letting that local connection build will improve your knowledge in the field but it will also increase your range of influence.
Then grow that platform. Write blog posts or articles with a broader reach. Perhaps expand the range of cities you give talks in. As you become well known, you’ll find that people will think about you when something comes up in your area of expertise. They’ll begin inviting you to functions or even just letting you know of a topic that you can address. And they’ll be more likely to mention your name when someone is looking for a good blog or a freelance writer.
By building your platform, you’ll build your list of contacts and your own expertise. It’s well worth the effort.