Just serve others. Create good content. Provide value. Give, give, give.
Do those things, do them with consistency and you’ll see your platform explode. Your list will grow and you’ll significantly attract more readers, followers and customers.
That’s basically what you’ve been told, right?
But then you find yourself feeling stuck don’t you? You’re doing all those things, at least you think you are, but you feel frustrated with how slow things seem to be building. Yeah, you might be growing but it seems like a snail’s pace… certainly not at any rate like some of the “experts” implied that you would or at the rate you’ve seen them grow.
Were they misleading you? Are you doing it wrong? Does it just take more time? How do you know? How do you make sure you’re not spinning your wheels? Will the bigger audiences ever come?
I want to set the record straight for you.
Having worked with dozens of very successful authors, entrepreneurs and thought leaders over the years I have seen firsthand how they have attracted their fans and it wasn’t simply (i.e. only) from serving them or providing good content. In fact, I’ve been a part of helping these people proactively build their platforms and expand their brands. I’ve also been behind-the-scenes with many other successful people to see what they’ve done (vs just what they’ve said others should do). And that’s the point I want to share today.
By the way, I’m not saying that you should not focus on serving others or that providing great content doesn’t matter. That should be a fundamental. You should always, always, always seek to give more than you take. You should constantly try to provide value, the BEST value that you can. You should do it with consistency so that people come to know you as a trusted resource for whatever it is they are looking for that you provide.
However…
Simply serving and providing great content alone won’t get you very far, at least not very fast.
Sure, over time…. lots of time… you can gradually add a few new people here and there and then a few more people and eventually hit some sort of tipping point but that could take forever.
There is a faster way.
Those who are telling you just to serve are not wrong, they just aren’t telling you the rest of the story.
If you want to increase your platform rapidly, you have to increase your reach. [TWEET THAT]
You have to do proactive things that will help get you seen and heard by more people. That might include guest posting for other blogs or authority sites (see great posts by Jeff Goins and Kimanzi Constable on that). Or it could be you speaking more. Or creating an online event (like webinar) with another, more well known person that serves as a catalyst to attract people who can then be introduced to you. You can also use webinars and events like it to build your list (see what Michael Hyatt said about that here). Or you could be running Facebook ads or doing something press worthy that generates some buzz. It can be any number of proactive things to be seen.
Have you noticed the use of the word proactive several times? Hint hint.
When your exposure expands so does your platform growth potential.
Let me put it another way. As you are trying to build your audience, is your time best spent on content alone… cranking out 4-5 blog posts each week? Or is your time better spent writing maybe 2 great blog posts and using the rest of your time to try and promote those posts to reach more people? Or maybe spending that time pitching another authority site like Huff Post to feature your work?
Hopefully the answer is obvious to you by now.
Growing your platform is not a passive exercise. It takes proactive, intentional effort. [TWEET THAT]
The good news is that you CAN do it. You don’t need special skills, you don’t need to take a course either. Stop stalling. You don’t need more information, you just need more action. Do the work, overcome the fear and give it a shot. You really have nothing to lose.
If your message is important to you, please don’t just expect to be found on the merits of your service and content alone. That’s passive thinking and if you approach it that way your chances of growth are slim. Instead, help others find you by finding them and drawing them in.
Obscurity is your enemy. You can’t serve others if they don’t know about you.
I think your passion and your work deserves more, don’t you?
It’s time to get proactive and grow.
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