6 Ways to Build Author Platform Using Spoken Words

Most writers like to write rather than speak. I don’t mean they are all reclusive. I mean they tend to consider themselves more adept at writing than speaking. They say, I’m a writer, not a speaker,” and they may even claim to possess a fear of public speaking—along with many other people.

Yet, speaking offers writers and authors one of the best ways to build a platform, and today you can use spoken words in a variety of ways to accomplish this goal. Here are 6 ways you can speak your way to an author’s platform:

1. Give speeches. Go out and speak to a variety of groups on subjects related to the topic of your book. If you can build up a busy schedule of gigs for large groups in your area and around the country (or even internationally), you’ll have a speaker’s platform, which equates to an author’s platform. This can provide nice income, too.
2. Host a talk show. These days almost anyone can be an Internet talk radio show host. If you can develop a listening audience, you’ve got a platform.
3. Become a sought-after radio and television shows guest. Pitch yourself as an expert to radio and television show talk shows. Each time you get on the air, this becomes a platform element. The larger your “expert” platform, the larger you author’s platform. Getting on air gets your face and name in front of thousands of people.
4. Develop a popular teleseminar, webinar and workshop business. If you can draw in 50-1,000 or more people to your teleseminars, webinars and workshops on a regular basis—and collect these people’s names, you’ll have created a speakers platform, which also equates to an author’s platform. You’ll have some nice income as well!
5. Record your work and post it on ITunes. This provides a super way to get your message out to millions of people. If you have something really important and moving to say, your words might become viral. Use social networking to push your message out to more people. Always try to have a link back to your website. Then try to capture email addresses.
6. Record your words using a YouTube video and post it online. A YouTube video also might get seen by millions of people if promoted well with social marketing. It carries your words out so they can be seen and heard. Link this back to your website and try to capture email addresses.