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The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up: Does Your Elevator Pitch Stand Out? (Issue #30)

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The Writer's Weekly Wrap-Up _ YourWriterPlatform.com

This post is part of a weekly series on YWP, aptly titled “The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up”.

Each Sunday, I will endeavour to provide you with a curated list of the best articles I have seen throughout the week that relate to building your platform.

The featured articles cover topics on book marketing and promotion, blogging, social media and self-publishing. (I may even throw in a few inspirational and fun posts, just so that it’s not all work and no play!)

Crafting the Perfect Elevator Pitch

“So, what’s your book about?”

Umm…

Distilling the essence of your book, your author brand, or even your freelance services down into just a few sentences has mentally defeated many a writer.

But, it’s inevitable–and desirable–that people will want to know (briefly) what your work is about, and why they should care.

To help you overcome the stuttering, rambling, discombobulated answer you may be currently giving to the above question, here are a few pointers for creating an elevator pitch that stands out:

Tip #1 Be Succinct

The beauty of having to create a brief, but compelling, elevator pitch is that it requires you to dig deep for the true essence of your book, your brand or your service. In order to concisely share it, you’ll first need to know it yourself. Think sentences, not paragraphs, and keep fine-tuning until you’re certain you’ve captured the heart of your work. [Read more…]

The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up (Issue #27)

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The Writer's Weekly Wrap-Up #28 _ YourWriterPlatform.com

This post is part of a weekly series on YWP, aptly titled “The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up”.

Each Sunday, I will endeavour to provide you with a curated list of the best articles I have seen throughout the week that relate to building your platform.

The featured articles cover topics on book marketing and promotion, blogging, social media and self-publishing. (I may even throw in a few inspirational and fun posts, just so that it’s not all work and no play!)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand “Likes”

Image based content is becoming more and more relevant in driving social media engagement.

Photos, infographics, image quotes and other forms of graphics often receive significantly more interaction than their text-based counterparts.

And, whether you are active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ or Pinterest (or all of the above), the skillful use of images can give you an edge when it comes to capturing the attention of your audience.

To benefit from this trend, consider doing the following:

  • Share excerpts or quotes from your book, speaking engagements or reviews.
  • Create throat-grabbing blog post images, helpful infographics or fun collages.
  • Design image quotes that are entertaining, inspirational or even a series of quick tips.

Use your creativity (or get inspired by somebody else’s) and start developing some truly share-worthy images for your social media accounts. [Read more…]

The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up (Issue #26)

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The Writer's Weekly Wrap-Up (Issue #26) | www.YourWriterPlatform.comThis post is part of a weekly series on YWP, aptly titled “The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up”.

Each Sunday, I will endeavour to provide you with a curated list of the best articles I have seen throughout the week that relate to building your platform.

The featured articles cover topics on book marketing and promotion, blogging, social media and self-publishing. (I may even throw in a few inspirational and fun posts, just so that it’s not all work and no play!)

Engineer Your Best Year Ever

I’ve just recently returned from an amazing 5 day stay in Vegas for the New Media Expo conference and WOW!

What a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the company–and experience the charisma–of some of the top bloggers, podcasters and new media experts killing it online today.

And although the conference boasted some pretty big names, the majority of the energy and inspiration could be felt in the halls, between presentations, from the teeming masses of average Joe’s, bursting with excitement at the possibilities–the potential that awaits for those of us just getting started.

If you’ve experienced a conference, you probably know what I mean. It is immensely motivating to surround yourself with a group of like-minded, passionate and intentional people. People who speak your language. [Read more…]

The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up (Issue #25)

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The Writer's Weekly Wrap-Up (Issue #25) | YourWriterPlatform.comThis post is part of a weekly series on YWP, aptly titled “The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up”.

Each Sunday, I will endeavour to provide you with a curated list of the best articles I have seen throughout the week that relate to building your platform.

The featured articles cover topics on book marketing and promotion, blogging, social media and self-publishing. (I may even throw in a few inspirational and fun posts, just so that it’s not all work and no play!)

Write. Publish. Repeat.

Can you imagine publishing more than a dozen novels, totalling close to two million words?

Can you imagine doing it in a single year?

If you thought NaNoWriMo was painful, imagine the schedule that previously pro-bloggers, Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant keep. Because in 2013, they did just that.

I’m a big fan of the Self-Publishing Podcast (I’ve even included it in a list of my favourites in Wrap-Up Issue #21), which features the writing duo and is a fantastic resource for writers.

But their new book, Write. Publish. Repeat. (The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success), is the bee’s knees.

It’s an über informative guidebook as well as a motivational “get-your-head-on-straight” pep talk for authors who are willing to put in the work to develop their writing careers. [Read more…]

The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up (Issue #21)

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The Writer's Weekly Wrap-Up (Issue #21) - Favourite Podcasts | YourWriterPlatform.comThis post is part of a weekly series on YWP, aptly titled “The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up”.

Each Sunday, I will endeavour to provide you with a curated list of the best articles I have seen throughout the week that relate to building your platform.

The featured articles cover topics on book marketing and promotion, blogging, social media and self-publishing. (I may even throw in a few inspirational and fun posts, just so that it’s not all work and no play!)

Prime Podcasts

Moving from the ‘early adopter’ crowd to more mainstream listeners, podcasting is fast becoming an indispensable tool for many content producers.

And it’s easy to see why.

With the tremendous popularity of smart phones and other mobile devices, podcast audiences have begun to grow significantly.

You can download a podcast episode at anytime, on any device and listen to it anywhere: on your daily commute, while working out, or–my personal favourite–while walking the dog!

For those of you who have desperately asked, “How can I learn all this marketing stuff, and still find time to write?”

Podcasts just may be the answer. [Read more…]

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