8 Tips for Managing Your Online Reputation as a Writer
If you are planning on becoming a professional writer, there are a myriad of things that you will have to take into account. One of the most important is your online reputation. Remember that a majority of the world is using the Internet nowadays.
So if you want your work to be well-represented online, it is important that your online reputation is as positive as possible. This could be a bit tricky though because you will need to put in time and effort into the process.
Here are 8 tips for managing your online reputation as a writer.
- Know your target market
If you want to create a positive reputation for yourself online, it is important that you identify your target market first. By identifying your target market, you will at least know the type of readers you will want to create a positive reputation for.
- Be clear about the persona you want to show online
Once you identify your target market, now is the time to choose what kind of persona you want to project online. Your persona will be how your potential fan base will see you.
So before you start your online campaign, it is imperative that you decide on how you want your audience to see you. Do you want to seem more down-to-earth? Or do you want to seem more intellectual or hip?
You could try to project a specific persona to your readers, what’s important is that your persona represents who you are as a writer. It should not be contrived or fake, because your potential fan base will see through it.
- Collaborate with online influencers
Yet another way you could create a positive online reputation for yourself, is to collaborate with online influencers. In this day and age, people often look to online influencers before they try out any kind of product.
This gives influencers a great deal of power, and they could really sway the audience to their opinions. So it is a good idea to reach out to literary online influencers.
This includes book bloggers and critiques. You could go on podcasts and talk about writing and your current works.
It might be a bit difficult to get in contact with online influencers, however, if you try hard enough you will eventually get your chance. What’s important is that you stay polite and persistent when you ask for their help.
- Follow other writers
Aside from collaborating with online influencers, it is also a good idea to follow other writers’ blogs. Think of it as an arrangement where writers could help one another gain more influence.
Make it a habit to follow other writers’ blogs and comment on their posts. It would not be too forward to ask them to follow you as well. Remember that being a writer is a difficult prospect, and the more other writers follow you, the more support you will have.
- Maintain a great author blog
When it comes to maintaining a positive online reputation, the most important thing to consider is usually your author blog. Your author blog is your main marketing platform.
Through your author blog, you will be able to run various social media campaigns. It is also the first thing that your potential audience will see of you and your work.
Overall, it is imperative that you make your author blog as great as possible. It should not only be attractive but easy to use as well.
Nothing is more annoying to a user than to scroll through a website, and it takes ages to find anything. It is a waste of time, and could really annoy your potential fan base.
- Join various writing organizations
Yet another way you could expand your reputation as a writer is to join various writing organizations. By doing so, you will be able to make friends with fellow writers.
You will also be able to show some of your work to other members. Remember that aside from creating great content, the writing profession also includes a lot of networking.
Sometimes the difference between getting a good publishing deal could come down to who you know. So it is a great idea to join various writing groups.
- Contribute to various online publications
It is a good idea to contribute your work to various online publications. It is an opportunity to show off your work and potentially earn money at the same time.
There are various online publications that you could contribute to. Just make sure that you don’t write as a ghostwriter, because you will not get any credit for your work and it will just defeat the whole purpose of writing for online publications.
- Share your work as much as possible
When it comes to creating a positive online reputation for yourself, it is important that you share as much of your work as possible. This is where social media comes in very handy.
Through various social media sites, you will be able to share your work, without having to spend a fortune. You could post through your Facebook account, and leave a link leading to your author site.
You could also post pictures of your day-to-day life as a writer through your Instagram account, and Tweet quotes and excerpts from your works through your Twitter account. You could even make a YouTube channel, creative writing tutorials, and book trailers.
In this age of social media, there is a multitude of ways that you could share your work. What’s important is that you stay consistent in sharing your work, and strive to create great content at the same time. By doing so you will enhance your reputation as a writer in the long run.
Conclusion
If you want to maintain a positive online reputation as a writer, you must know how to manage it as effectively as possible. With these tips, you’ll be able to create a great online reputation for yourself.
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