Grow Your Platform Without Spending a Dime

Do you remember long-distance phone call commercials?

Reach out and touch someone . . .

I’m totally showing my age (40!) but when I sat down to write this I remembered those ads as clear as day. (I also remember my mom reviewing every number on the phone bill to see who was calling long-distance because it was expensive!)

My point isn’t MCI versus AT&T, I swear.

Instead, I want to share one of my top tips for growing your platform organically and authentically: reach out, and by doing so build your reach.

I define reach as how many people you could, ahem, reach when your book comes out to promote and sell it. Reach goes beyond your own audience and following, expanding out into the followings and audiences of friends, colleagues, even competitors. Recently an author we worked with had a small following themselves (of approximately 3,000) but had built a reach of millions — all through authentic, organic, free connections.

I’ve seen the value of connection myself. For nearly seven years, my business operated on referrals — from a handful of people. My best prospective clients still come from people that I know. Some have worked with me before and some haven’t, but the personal connection matters.