YouTube

Everyone likes to have a face to go with the name, but as an author, you don’t have that many opportunities to get face to face with your readers. Luckily, the advent of new media lets you give readers a face to put with the name. Not only can you give them a face, but you can also give them a taste of a live and in-person experience, a teaser of what one could expect should they attend one of your events or book you for an interview.

New media has opened up several new avenues for authors, giving them the opportunity to connect with potential readers and positioning themselves as experts in a more personal and engaging manner. One of the most popular venues is Youtube. Not only can you post and share videos, but you can also create your own channel, allowing you to share a series of videos on a related topic in an entertaining and informational way.

To really make the most of Youtube, your videos need to be:

1. Short: We live in a world of short attention spans. Keep your message brief in order to keep them engaged.
2. Informational: Your posts should provide value or information to the viewer. There are more than enough renditions of Lady Gaga on YouTube and plenty of people filming their pets looking “oh so adorable.” Stand out from the crowd by giving people something they can really use.
3. Entertaining: Yes, you are competing with cute pets and dancing babies, so in addition to being informative you need to be entertaining. This doesn’t mean being gimmicky, it just means delivering your information in a lively and personal manner.
4. Quality: In order to be worth anything it has to be easy to see. Make sure you use good equipment, edit if necessary, and avoid posting files that are too grainy or that require constant buffering.
5. Relevant: Above all, the video needs to be relevant to your platform. In order for your platform to be effective, its needs to be consistent. Don’t go off topic unless you plan on changing the direction of your platform.

Here is an example of a well-developed video:

Notice how the video is short, informational, entertaining, good quality, and relevant to the author’s topic.  By presenting this specific topic in this manner, he has further positioned himself as an expert and demonstrated his ability to speak, which will help him book more appearances and interviews. The author also has other videos listed on Youtube. All of them consistently meet all five of the requirements above and help build his platform.

You don’t need a film degree or a large presentation to start making use of this social media tool. You can start by taking a concept from your platform and breaking it down into simple parts that you can deliver as a series. Post them on your social media and your website, and make sure to list your contact information at the end of every one of your videos. This will all help drive traffic to all of your social media outlets and help you grow as an author and position yourself as an expert.