As a writer, you may have noticed that there are many different platforms available for sharing your work with the world. Be it a blog, a website, a social media channel, or even a newsletter – there are many ways to get your creative work out into the world and allow people to engage with you and your talent.
However, before we begin our discussion, it is important to note a few key points. First, always keep your readers and potential new audiences in mind when posting. After all, your goal is to engage with as many people as possible, and one of the best ways to do this is through relevant content that is tailored to their needs and interests. Keeping this in mind helps you determine what platforms to use and how to use them. When writing a blog post, for example, you may want to consider what kind of blog you are writing for. Do you want to attract more creative types or established writers? Perhaps the tone of your blog post should reflect the type of audience you wish to attract. Finally, it is important to note that not all platforms will suit all types of content. Some work better with narrative articles or long-form essays, while others are designed for short-quick-paced content. When selecting the platforms to use, you must keep the type of content you are posting in mind.
Traditional Media
One of the most popular and traditional ways of getting your work out there is through newspapers and magazines. If you’ve been published in a traditional media outlet, you’ll have the opportunity to showcase your work and interact with potential readers through online comment fields, social media, or even letters to the editor. Traditional media outlets usually have a wide reach, meaning your work may be read by a large audience. While this may not seem like a problem, reaching this audience usually involves the expenditure of a lot of money. Depending on your writing style and the size of your target audience, you may want to consider the pricing of traditional media platforms before engaging with them. Remember, however, that you can also use the opportunity to establish yourself as a thought leader in your space. Established authors and journalists may be willing to work with you for free or at low cost if they feel this aligns with their brand and adds value to their journalistic end product. As long as you can provide them with exclusive content they can’t get elsewhere, they may be willing to give you a leg up.
Electronic Media
If you’ve ever been on social media, you’ll know that it can be a bit of a trap. With hundreds or thousands of other content creators, bloggers, and tastemakers competing for your attention, it’s easy to get distracted by the endless content scrolling in your Facebook or Twitter feed. This, in turn, can cause you to neglect your original creative content or worse, fall into the trap of posting purely to get more engagement and, ultimately, earn more money from sponsorships and advertisements. As tempting as it may be, avoiding social media and staying away from the platforms all together is the best policy. When you’re on social media, you’re there to create, not to consume. Plus, being on these platforms means you have to be “social” which, in turn, can lead you to do or say things you might regret later when you’re not commenting or posting on a daily basis.
To keep your focus on creating, you may want to consider the less traditional platforms such as YouTube or Instagram. These are the places where people come to discover and share new content, whether it’s a musical.lybe or a lip dub, a yoga tutorial or an amateur makeup tutorial. Even if you don’t consider yourself a creator, you can still use these platforms to promote your work. Simply search for your target keyword, and you’ll discover a variety of content creators whose work you can engage with and inspire your own creative projects.
Blogs
Blogs are one of the oldest and most popular platforms for creative writers. If you’ve been blogging for any amount of time, you’ll know the amount of work that goes into creating a single blog post. From planning the topic to researching the right sources and formatting the article – it takes a lot of effort to get it right. Not to mention the fact that you have to constantly be monitoring and engaging with your audience, which can be a time-consuming process.
While blogs can be a great place to get your work out there, they aren’t always suited to every type of content creator. If you’ve been blogging for a while and want to switch gears and try your hand at short-form content or meme-worthy tidbits, keep in mind that you may not find the right audience for your work. On the other hand, if you’re looking to write something longer, such as an essay or a novel, blogs are still a great option since they’re usually well-suited to longer articles. When selecting the platforms to use, again, it’s important to consider the type of content you’re writing and for whom you’re writing it. If you’re looking for a place to simply express your opinions or thoughts on a topic, choose a blog platform that is well-suited to shorter articles. These can often times be found on specialized topic-oriented blogs that don’t have the requirement of extensive research. When selecting a platform to write your blog post, make sure you find one that is well-suited to the type of content you’re trying to produce.
Instagram is one of the biggest and most popular social media platforms – and with good reason. There are hundreds of millions of users on the platform, all of whom are incredibly conscious of what’s trending and all too eager to share their opinions on what’s hot and what’s not. This means that if you want to post on Instagram, you’ll have to keep up with what’s trending and what has the most engagement – which can be a bit of a hustle. Not to mention the fact that this is also a place where people go to discover new content – so if you don’t want your content to get lost in the shuffle, you may want to consider avoiding Instagram.
While not as popular as Instagram or Twitter, Facebook is another huge platform – and not because of its user base. Facebook creators are famous for encouraging their users to constantly post and update. This content-heavy platform requires a lot of engagement from the user – not to mention the fact that it’s just so easy to get distracted by this constant flow of content.
If you want to have an audience on Facebook, you may want to consider posting regularly and inviting your friends to like your page. This will help you gain credibility with your audience since people will be used to seeing your content regularly – which makes it less likely they’ll think you’re a fake or trying to scam them. When selecting the platforms to use, again, it’s important to keep the type of content you’re posting in mind.
Quora
Quora is another popular place to get answers to questions as well as to post your own questions. Unlike other question-and-answer platforms, however, Quora is extremely interested in fostering community amongst its users. This means that if you want to post on Quora, it may be a good idea to do so as part of a curated group. A curated group on Quora is like a book club for the information age – and you may find yourself joining a group specifically focused on topics related to writing. In this way, you can benefit from the collective intelligence of people who are sharing their knowledge with the world. The catch is that you have to participate! When posting to a curated group, make sure you contribute constructively to the conversation – especially if you want others to continue to engage with your content.
Pinterest is another popular social media platform, one that was designed with the writer in mind. Not only can you use Pinterest to discover and follow blogs and websites related to your niche – you can pin your own content, either existing or upcoming, to your own boards. This is why, if you want to post on Pinterest, you may want to consider doing so from a mobile device or tablet. Regardless of the platform, mobile-optimized websites perform better than their desktop counterparts – meaning your content may be more visible to your target audience.
For those using Pinterest on a regular basis, the platform is a goldmine for marketers, bloggers, and anyone else who is wanting to engage with an audience. As with the other platforms discussed here, it’s important to keep the type of content you’re posting in mind when selecting the platforms to use.