Do you find your audience, or do they find you?

As a writer, how do you attract your ideal audience? Or should you expect them to find you? Keep reading to see my thoughts, then check out today’s writing prompt at the bottom of this post.

So, as a writer, do you find your audience, or do they find you? I have been writing, editing, and publishing content online for over a decade now and I can say without a doubt that the answer to this question is: both. I know, I know. That may not be what you want to hear. But it’s the truth. Finding and nurturing an audience can be labor intensive… but it can also be incredibly rewarding in the long run, as long as you enjoy what you’re writing and sharing and are genuinely trying to connect with those readers and writers who ‘click’ with you and what you share. 

If you want to grow your readership, you’ll have to reach out to others and let them know where they can read your writing, and what you’re writing. There’s no way around this. Sometimes you’ll even have to market and advertize your writing… but maybe not in the ways that you’re thinking. Advertizing your writing can look a lot different than advertizing a product.  

I get that most writers —who more often than not tend to be introverted and highly self-conscious— would rather eat dirt for breakfast than advertize their writing (especially if they’re just writing ‘for fun’). But advertizing your writing can be incredibly fun and rewarding in the long run because having readers engage with what you write is motivating and will keep you wanting to write, especially when you continually receive thoughtful responses about your writing. Just be sure to  focus on those who truly enjoy and support your writing when you’re marketing it and advertizing it. Don’t let the unconstructive critics’ commentary outweigh the positive or constructive feedback you receive about your writing from readers and writers who enjoy what you write. 

Believe it or not, marketing and advertizing your writing doesn’t have to be a loathsome chore. You can make it fun by sharing your writing in online groups and forums that share and workshop drafts, and that want you to share links to your latest work. You can also join an in-person writing group that workshops drafts and offers encouragement. Be mindful of groups that have members who are discouraging or disengaged, however, and don’t be afraid to leave a group if they aren’t supporting your work. Also, realize that it may take some time to find a group that’s a right fit for you and your writing. Yet also keep in mind that there is always a two way street in successful writing groups and communities. Don’t think everyone will applaud your writing all the time and that you’ll always be the center of attention, especially if you aren’t also reading others’ work and encouraging their efforts too. Ultimately, if you find the right writing group, you’ll be engaged with others’ writing as much as they’ll be engaged with yours, which is also what makes it fun. 

Engaging with other readers and writers who you find interesting and fun to engage with is one of the best ways to market and advertize your own writing, because the more they engage with you and get to know you, the more they’ll also get to know your writing and what you’re working on at any given moment, which means they’ll start anticipating some of the things you’re writing and will gladly share it with others. And that’s how others will start to learn about you and your writing and seek you out.

Bottom line, if you’re consistently engaging with other readers and writers who enjoy your writing, and whose writing or book recommendations you also enjoy, you’ll slowly but surely start building a network—an audience, if you will— that will start seeking you and your writing out, as well. Sure, you can put ads for your writing out there, and they might help with a modicum of your audience growth and sales. But generally the best way to build an audience is to find them first by engaging with them in places they already are, which are likely places you should frequent too. Then, after making some sort of effort to genuinely connect with them (which should be fun and engaging for the most part, by the way) they, and others, will start joining your audience as they continue to discover it in the long run. 

What are your thoughts on this topic? Leave a comment to join this dialogue. And don’t forget to share this post with anyone who might find it interesting so we can keep this dialogue going. 

---

© All Rights Reserved by K.E. Creighton and Creighton’s Compositions LLC.

---

Today’s Writing Prompt