Wait. I have to write AND market my book? Help!
As many indie authors will tell you, writing a book is the first step of many. After that wonderful moment when you officially publish, you need to get the word out to readers and that can be a daunting task.
How can authors focus on writing while also taking care of all-important marketing aspects?
What kinds of services help authors connect with readers?
How do I get started?
While there are many people and services available to authors, both free and paid, today we are going to dive into the history and ideas behind one man's vision to help authors, and all artists, connect with people and get the word out about their work.
Ask Colin. He can help!
A main core to the Colin Can Help philosophy is to be active everywhere there is an audience for your content.
Tell us about the man behind, Colin Can Help.
How did your project begin and what are your hopes for its future?
Colin Can Help was born from a career in lawn care. For about ten years I kept myself employed as an owner/operator of a lawn care company. I could never seem to find reliable workers. I tried hiring people of all ages and backgrounds, tried partnering with a friend, I could never find a reliable work force. Every year, I would do more off season marketing to be able to generate enough income to hire staff and scale the business.
I love landscaping. It is great physical and mental work. I learned how to fix all sorts of machines and learned a ton about nature and how home maintenance works.
I learned that I love the building of the customers, getting people interested in what I was offering. What I really liked was marketing at the end of the day.
I wanted to try something other than landscaping and as I went through all the things I liked to do, was good at, and thought were marketable, Colin Can Help was formed. As far as hopes for the Colin Can Help brand, I hope that I can sustain myself by charging fair rates to do services that I love to do while making sure that the people paying for those services get more value from them than the money they spend with me.
Why are podcasts an essential part of your platform?
Podcasts are essential to my platform as they should be to just about every person in business in 2020. I call the Colin’s Conversations Podcast my pillar content for the Colin Can Help brand. If I lost you with the marketing talk, more simply put a podcast allows me to create an insane amount of content. My show is filmed which gives me the ability to not only have video footage, but to also separate the audio for podcast. It allows me to network with entrepreneurs, entertainers, educators and learn about what they do. Being able to get a different perspective every week on different industries allows me to better help clients that work with me on marketing plans.
Finally, by giving someone a platform to talk about what they do to your audience, you start the relationship on a really good foot. It makes for a very easy transition to working with them. It is kind of like a free audition to show what type of content I could make for them if I worked for them.
What makes a great podcast episode?
At its purest form, a great podcast episode is something that keeps your attention the entire duration of the episode. There are a lot of things that go into that and I learn more of the intricacies with every episode I produce. Sound quality is very important. It is very hard to stay interested in a show if it is hard to hear or has all sorts of static or background interruptions.
A lot of people will use that as an excuse to not start. I have microphones that cost ten dollars that do great, it is just about know how to use them and making a few adjustments. The other main component to a great podcast episode is how well you get along with the guest. If there is a lot of tension in the room, the audience will know. Being able to make the guest comfortable before the tapes start rolling is crucial to having a good flowing conversation. I have also realized the more the guest likes you, the more exclusive stories or detailed information you will get.
How can guest authors make the most of a podcast interview?
I think it is important to let your personality shine early in the episode.
You want to be likable, relatable, and show that you are someone that has depth.
Nobody likes the constant, “Buy my book” all interview. Show that your stories have value and make people want to look more into you. I think it is also a good idea to do some sort of giveaway or give a copy of the book to the podcast host. Doing this is a great way to get organic exposure to your book. They can also then read it or give it away to their fans. Also, I love it when a guest of any kind asks how they can help promote the content that comes from the interview.
To Instagram or not to Instagram? That is the question. What are your thoughts on the platform and how do you use it?