I recently posted about why I believe writers needed to blog every day – it created some debate!

I have now thought more about this topic and, after discussing it with a number of writers, I am now even more convinced that blogging every day (by this I mean work days) is essential for any writer looking to build a platform.

I don’t say this lightly, or to be controversial, I say this because I am passionate about offering the best possible advice for writers looking to build an online platform.

So let’s cut to the chase. The internet offers a unique opportunity for writers. It provides them with the tools needed to get their work read by more people than any other moment in history. But let’s not kid ourselves, though setting up a platform is easy, making it work and spreading your message is tough (very tough).

Many bloggers (myself included) have in the past suggested that the whole process is easy – we were lying and we were wrong! Though it takes very little financial resources to establish a voice online, it does take a huge amount of time and effort for it to be heard.

I think the crux of the matter is that I am talking about becoming influential in your space. If your goal is to express yourself online to a select group of readers, then my advice is not for you. Don’t get me wrong, I truly believe this is a noble and valuable goal – yet my words are for writers looking to use the internet to build a career.

This leaves writers with a question:

Do you really have the dedication to build a platform?

The biggest objection, that has been levelled to my suggestion that a writer should blog every day, was that it would reduce the time they had to write.

Seriously, is it really a choice between blogging and writing?

I fully understand people have lives and that writing is something they do in their spare time. I would hate to think that a writer was giving up precious writing time to blog. In fact, I blogged earlier this week suggesting the opposite.

Let me just take a slight detour. The number one priority MUST be to write and get your book written. Without a written book you have nothing to pitch and nothing to sell. If you genuinely have so little free time that it is consumed fully by writing, then forget about trying to build a loud online voice. Instead, focus on making your book amazing, producing a great book pitch and approaching traditional publishers.

If you are looking to build a platform then it all comes down to priorities. If you are going to build an online presence then you need to develop a voice and audience. The more you push, the louder your voice becomes.

The problem writers face is that there are now thousands of writers building platforms. Thousands of writers with twitter streams and irregular blogs…thousands. Thousands of writers whispering into the wind.

The question that faces you is what are you doing to be heard?

Blogging every day makes a difference. The massive output of content feeds google, attracts visitors (potential readers) and builds your voice.

Yet it is hard work. The key comes down to priorities. If you are serious about building a platform, then it needs to become a job (a way of life). You need to ‘find’ time each day to read blogs, leave comments, play with twitter, update your Facebook and write blog posts.

It is finding the time that is key.

Ask yourself – How long does it take to write a blog post?

For me it is about 30 minutes.

I find it hard to believe that you can’t find 30 minutes each day to write a blog post. You could do it in your lunch break or watch less TV or not play on the Xbox or get up a bit earlier or go to bed a bit later.

It is all about priorities…what is more important than building your voice?

But, perhaps I am being unfair.

Maybe you do want to build a platform, perhaps you are passionate about getting your voice heard, but blogging every day just isn’t…well…you. Then fine, you still have a chance.

The key is to be amazing and different.

Perhaps you are writing amazing blog posts on a weekly basis and this may be enough. Word of Warning! These need to be amazing not just very good. If people are not reading them, talking about them and sharing them they are probably not amazing!

Though perhaps blogging just isn’t your thing. I am serious. Who said that just because you are a writer you need to be a great blogger? Maybe you would be better with a podcast or a video blog or a photo stream or…well…anything. If you can’t be an amazing blogger, go produce the best Facebook fan page ever or free downloadable ebook.

The key for a writer building a platform is to stand out from the crowd. Your duty as a writer who is looking to stand out from the crowd is to find the platform from which you can be heard the clearest.

Here’s some tips from Chris Brogan on blogging every day.

In recent years securing a book deal has become as much about a writer’s online following as it is about their book.

Publishers have become increasingly aware of the power of a writer’s online fan base. It has now become common place for a publisher to factor in a writer’s online presence when weighing up whether to offer a book deal or not.

So here’s the five best ways to find and keep fans of your work:

1. Build a hub

The idea is that a writer creates a blog/website on which they can put static information, such as book and contact details, whilst also including more dynamic information such as blog posts. This is the hub of your platform.

Writers then use social media channels to find potential fans and guide them to the hub. The best example of this is Twitter. An active Twitter account will attract potential readers, and regular tweets about a writer’s blog posts, and a link in the bio, will channel these writers to the hub.

2. Add value

Why would a potential fan follow you in the first place?

The answer is because you add value to their lives! This value might be from something as simple as tweets with links to great content, or entertaining blog posts or even a efree ebook. It makes no difference. What matters is that a writer find their niche and then adds value.

3. Be transparent

You don’t need to share your deepest darkest secrets, but being open and honest is the only way forward. If you are going to put a lot of content out on the web, it is very difficult to keep up an online persona. If you are an unpublished writer looking for a publisher, then say so. You will quickly find loads of writers in a very similar situation who will be interested in what you have to say. If you are a self-published writer then great. Make your self-publishing journey the focus of your blog. If you are published with an agent and a string popular titles – great! Just remember you are a rare breed. Many unpublished writers and fans will be interested in your ‘insider’ knowledge. The key is to be honest.

4. Be persistent

The main element of an online presence is persistence. A writer need to finds a ‘rhythm’ and stick to it. Some people like to write a ‘big’ blog post each week, others (and I like this approach) blog every day. The key is to be persistent and predictable. Fans/readers will get used to your rhythm and match their habits to your output. If you truly intend to build a fan base then you are looking at a year of blogging/tweeting etc. before you will see any major results – stick with it…

5. Find the channels that work

One of the key aspects to building a hub is to create two or three social media spokes. I can’t emphasise enough that this is all about quality not quantity. You need to find the spoke that works for you and dominate. For us it’s Twitter. The nature of BubbleCow means we are at our computers most of the day, making tweeting easy. This may not be the case for you. It may be that you are a photographer and Flickr is the way forward. It may be Facebook that is your thing and a fan page may work well. The key is to find the channel that works the best for you and stick with it.

…and as a thanks for reading this far, here’s a bonus 6th tip.

6. Google is your friend

I am sure you have heard the phrase ‘content is king’ and this is true. Good content will breathe life into your blog like nothing else. However, when it comes to getting people to your blog the single richest source of traffic is search engines, most likely Google.

This means you have to become aware of Search Engine Optimisation and how you can optimise your blog post to slip into the Google machine. This is a complex subject and ranges from simple tips like paying attention to your title and meta descriptions, to complex software solutions, to identifying and using keywords. All I will say is that any time spent on SEO is time well spent.

Writers looking to build an online platform need to be aware of other key blogs, what is being written and what new areas of interest are developing. The simplest way to do this is by using RSS. As an added bonus, ensuing your RSS feed is set up correctly will allow other writers to follow your blog with ease.

Introduction to using RSS

Using Google Reader to read blogs

Using FeedBurner to set up your RSS feed (WordPress)

I simply couldn’t survive without the internet.

Here’s a list of the online applications I use at least once every day.

Gmail

Google Reader

Get Clicky

WordPress

Social Oomph

Paypal

Hootsuite

Sessmic

Tweetdeck

Curdbee

Couldn’t find a video but go see the site.

Writers looking to build an effective online presence should blog every day.

I say this not to be controversial, but as a simple reality. I have talked in the past about the importance of seeing your online platform as a web, with your blog as the central hub and other platforms, such as Twitter, as spokes that lead back to this hub.

The problem many of us face is that the peripheral platforms (Twitter and Facebook) have three big advantages over the blog. The first is that they are easy to use, with content created in minutes. The second is that they bring immediate and visible results. The third is that success is measurable, with visitor counts and friend requests providing a real time measure of popularity.

Unfortunately, the aim of a writer’s platform is not to find friends but gather fans and the only way to do this is to be open, honest and add value. The best way to do this is with your blog.

By blogging every day you show your potential fans that you are in this for the long haul, that they can depend on you and that you will be sitting in their RSS stream when they look each morning. Occasional blogging is OK but it will not set you aside, you will just become lost in the noise of the net.

Reasons for blogging every day

• Building a community takes commitment,
• Increases your presence,
• Forces you to have something to say,
• Forces you to engage and listen to your community,
• Forces you to write tight,
• Forces you to be interesting.

Blogging every day has two additional advantages. The first is that it will do wonders for your google ranking. The more content you produce, the more people will link to your site and the higher up the google machine you will move. The second is it will increase your RSS subscribers. The more you blog the more readers you will attract. In fact, I would go as far as saying that the only statistic you should use to measure your influence is the amount of RSS readers subscribed to your feed.

Get your book professionally edited and receive discounted printing, cover design and PR.

When you use BubbleCow to professionally edit your book we offer three additional services. The first is the chance to employ a professional book cover designer to produce your cover at a discounted price. The second is to choose one of two handpicked printing companies to print your book at a 10% discount. The third is a 10% discount on the services of a specialist book PR company.

The edit

Our goal is to provide unrivalled editorial feedback. We hand pick our editors, employing only those with a proven track record. As standard we offer both a reader’s report to provide general advice, and a detailed line-by-line copy edit so you have an insight in how to improve your book. We charge just £5 per 1000 words and promise the edit will be completed within ten working days.

Any writer receiving a full BubbleCow edit is entitled to…

The printing

Finding a reputable self publishing company can be a stressful and unrewarding experience. At BubbleCow we have tried to remove some of the pain from finding a self publisher by teaming up with two companies who we know provide the highest quality of service. As an additional bonus these companies are offering a 10% discount on their services for any writer who has purchased a BubbleCow full edit.

The cover

BubbleCow have teamed up with award winning design company 2H Design to offer a unique opportunity. 2H Design specialise in book cover design and have a number of years experience in working with some of the country’s leading publishers and authors.

A Writer, whose full book is edited by BubbleCow, has the option to purchase one of the following cover design packages:

Option 1

Type only cover – cover design is based on typography/hand lettering/ interesting background.

£230

Option 2

Cover with stock photography – allowing for picture research time and or alterations to the image(s) to create the cover effect.

£350

Option 3

Cover with commissioned imagery – final figure to be quoted after a briefing conversation.

starting at £750+VAT

PR

As all self published writers soon discover, getting your book into print is one thing, but getting it seen and talked about is another.

BubbleCow have team up with specialist book PR company Authoright to provide self published writers with the best possible chance of making their book a success. Authoright have kindly agreed that any writer who has received a full BubbleCow edit will receive a 10% discount on any of their services.

”For any author, publishing and marketing their book can be a daunting experience. At Authoright PR our aim is to make publicity as straight forward and stress free as possible.

Many self-published authors find themselves alone once their book is published, with no idea how to promote their work and generate sales.

Authoright PR provides a high level of personal service and expert guidance that most authors crave but can rarely afford. The combination of our sensitive and flexible approach, together with our effective marketing strategies and extensive media contacts, has led us to rapidly become the UK’s leading provider of marketing solutions for authors.

We do our best to meet even the most exacting author’s needs: whether it’s the drafting of a simple press release or a step-by-step concierge service where Authoright PR facilitates every inch of the publishing process from finding a self-publisher, designing the book, building the author’s brand online and executing a thorough marketing campaign.”