Why don’t readers like me?

So much social discussion is going on at all times in all places that it is becoming very difficult to be heard as a writer/blogger/producer. In today’s content heavy environment, we have to really be in your face. That works well when competing for space in a crowded physical location, but online? Not so much.

Joanna Penn, of The Creative Penn said, “…authors need to understand that marketing is sharing what you love with other people who will appreciate hearing about it. Marketing shouldn’t be scammy or sucky, it should be giving value to others, attracting attention through content in order that those who want to, can buy.” See the post here http://penandmusepress.com/joanna-penn-marketing-advice/

So what is a writer to do? How can we go about the business of growing readerships without being offensive? If we send out posts or tweets too often, we lose followers. If we have nothing else to say but “buy my book” we are spammers. How do we get buyers to know about us on such information-weary sites as Facebook or Twitter these days?

I think it is a matter of analyzing just what you are doing and why. You know your readers are on social media sites. You know they are having conversations with others. If you want to become a part of those conversations without being outcast because you are a producer/promoter, here are some questions to ask yourself as you analyze the boundaries for having discussions online.

* What types of readers do we want to associate with?
* Where do we find them?
* What are they interested in?
* Can we join their discussions and, if so, when?
* How do we insert usefulness into discussions without being spammy?
* What can we provide in terms of knowledge, opinion or content?
* How can we earn reader trust?
* When we do earn trust, how can we ask for input for our work?
* At what point can we steer conversation toward considering our product/content?
* What invites someone else to point discussion toward considering such?
* How do we say I’m sorry if we overstep bounds or violate their trust?

Getting to the point of growing readerships can be a great event online. It means you have a product to promote. But people want to get to know YOU before they want to know ABOUT your product.