Writing is a form of art that not everyone can master. It would help if you had the talent to put thoughts and ideas into lucid, written form.
When people read your work and receive a good response, you are motivated to write more.
Whether you are writing for sheer pleasure or financial gain, you need to project yourself in a particular way as your work gets published.
The emotional resonance associated with the name that you create with your readers is your brand.
The Importance Of Building Your Brand
The idea to create a brand that identifies who you are as a writer may not be appealing initially. But as your work gets published, you could subconsciously create a brand.
But what if the brand that emerges fails to portray you the way you want it?
It can be a surprising fact to know that you have already created your brand if you have been writing for a while. But does your brand represent you and your work in the way you would like it?
5 Best Ways To Build Your Brand
If you want to build our brand from scratch, you can create a powerful brand presence by following a few best practices listed here.
The process is gradual, and you have to work at it. But it will help to provide a strong foundation for your writing.
You cannot be successful by merely relying on high-quality writing. As an aspiring writer, you need visibility. You need to create and project your brand in a compelling way.
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Who Is Your Audience?
You need to know for whom you are writing. You can’t see your readers, not in an absolute way, but they exist. If you need the imagination to write, you also need to imagine your readers.
After writing for some time, you will likely get feedback and comments from your readers. It is an extremely valuable parameter for gauging the response that your writing receives.
You cannot build a brand without the end-users involved. It would be a meaningless exercise. People have expectations, and you need to meet those expectations through your writing.
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What’s Your USP?
The USP of a product is the “wow” factor of what you have to offer that stands out from the rest. The purpose of your USP is to get your audience hooked.
Thousands of writers write in various niches like romance, thrillers, biographies, self-improvement, fiction, and nonfiction. Where do you stand in all this, and what is it that would make a reader choose your writing over others?
There are so many common factors that you would share with others like your niche, type of cover design, the structure of your pages, and so on. But, to stand out in a crowd, you need some unique characteristics.
Try comparing yourself with other authors and what makes their work so unique. You can try to make similar attempts at bringing out things that will make people want to read your writing.
If you write novels, novel writing software could help you in developing your USP.
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Finding Your Brand Voice
Once you can define your brand, you need to take an in-depth look at yourself.
How would you like to appear in front of others? When your readers hear your name or see it in print, what is it that you want people to associate it with?
Your brand is all about what you stand for, and your brand voice is what expresses it. It may not be easy to find your writer’s voice, and it can take a lot of time and effort.
What sort of person do you portray yourself in your blogs or books and on social media? Are you the analytical type of writer, or are you cynical or humorous? Does your writing inspire people to achieve great things?
Honest answers to these questions will define your brand voice.
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Understanding Your Brand
Your identity stems from the person you project yourself as in the writing world. How do you want your name to appear in print and on social media?
Who you are in the writing world need not be the same person you are in real life. For instance, world-famous author James Herriot’s real name was James Alfred Wright, but his pen name was James Herriot.
In the same way, you can also adopt a pen name if you feel that it would identify better with your writing work.
There are many other ways to create hype about your brand. The key is to be consistent with everything you do. It again boils down to the image you make about your brand that vibes best with your readers and followers.
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Setting Expectations
You need to reach out to your readers and tell them who you are and what to expect from you. It results in creating anticipation in your readers to look forward to what you will come up with next.
A typical example of setting expectations is writing a book on a particular theme and then coming up with a sequel or a series of books.
By setting the bar on your first bit of writing, you should be good enough to whet the appetite of your readers for more.
Developing a personal style is another excellent way of setting expectations with your readers. As you become more fluent in writing over the years, you will find that you develop a particular style.
You could be intense, flippant, formal, informal, or reflective. Whatever style you adopt, your readers will look forward to your next piece of work if your writing has substance.
Your brand will effectively reflect your style, which will be what your readers will identify you with.
The Bottom Line
Writing correctly, even with the help of book writing software, is not enough. You need to add a personal flavor to your writing work, which will go a long way in creating your brand.
Surviving and making your mark among writers, many of whom are far more accomplished than you, involves much determination and hard work.
Your brand is not only a sure-fire way of achieving success as a writer, but it’s also the most powerful marketing tool you can have.
It defines who you are and what you stand for. It sets expectations for your readers and the promise you give to them. Creating your brand in the right way will enable you to deliver that promise.