(Captivating Your Podcast Audience.)

Promotion can feel awkward and overwhelming, but growing a podcast doesn’t have to mean endless hours spent chasing algorithms. While social media is an important tool, it doesn’t work well for everyone and isn’t the only way to promote. These suggestions focus on methods of podcast promotion outside of social media that are more of an extension of your existing craft.

Leverage Writing Spaces

Your writing spaces are likely the easiest place to begin. Whether you publish through Substack, Medium, or your own author website, you already have readers who are invested in your voice. These readers are more likely to become listeners if you give them a reason beyond a simple link. Instead of saying “New episode out now,” draw them in with a story. Maybe share a short transcript excerpt, a guest quote that resonated, or a reflection on what inspired the episode. Treat it like a behind-the-scenes post rather than an announcement.

Engaging with the greater literary world outside of your own working spaces is important too. Literary magazines, writing websites, and newsletters are often eager for essays about the creative process. Write about what podcasting has taught you about storytelling, dialogue, or creative discipline and include a link to your show at the end. If you occasionally align your content with events like National Novel Writing Month or National Poetry Month, your podcast can become part of a larger literary conversation rather than an isolated project.

Distribute Functional Items With QR Codes

Your podcast ‘lives’ online, but it can be promoted in the physical world. One of my favorite promotional ideas is distributing free bookmarks that feature your podcast name, a catchy descriptor or quote and most importantly, a QR code that links directly to your podcast feed. You can give these to local bookstores, hand them out at writing events, or leave a stack at your public library or a coffee shop. Postcards, coasters, magnets, or any other hand held item that can be printed on will work, but free bookmarks are low cost, easy to distribute and likely to be kept for longer than a business card or flyer.

Make an Audio Trailer

This one may require help from a producer, but creating an audio trailer is one of the most helpful things you can do to market your podcast. Unlike social media content, you don’t need to be creating new trailers every week or for individual episodes. A good podcast trailer can be used for years. This is a simple 30-45 second audio piece that gives potential listeners a preview of your podcast. Use your strongest clips, a brief introduction, and maybe a touch of music that reflects your tone.

Share the trailer everywhere, online and off. Post it at the top of your podcast feed, on your website, and across social media. Some local radio stations feature home town podcasts ontheir websites or on air, and an audio trailer is the best thing to submit when looking to be featured. A trailer can also double as a trade ad: independent podcasters often swap trailers, running each other’s short promos at the beginning or end of an episode.

Engage Writing Communities

Online writing spaces like Reddit’s r/writing, Discord servers, or genre-specific forums remain some of the richest places for genuine connection online. Like most creative spaces, they value conversation over promotion.

If you share your podcast in these communities, do it in the same spirit you’d join a craft discussion. Ask a question or participate in a thread before mentioning your podcast. When you do mention it, be sure it connects well to the discussion taking place. Approaching the conversation as a participator rather than a promoter subtly directs people toward your show without it feeling like callous marketing.

Over time, these spaces can provide both audience growth and inspiration for future content. Questions from other writers and artists, shared struggles, and recurring topics can evolve into full episodes. Community discussion becomes a loop of creative exchange.

Feature Listener Submissions

Taking community exchange further, featuring listener submissions accelerates discoverability and development of listener loyalty. Inviting your listeners to share questions, short stories, or writing prompts gives them a voice within your show. Reading submissions aloud creates intimacy and signals that your podcast is a shared space rather than a one-way broadcast. Listeners are more inclined to share episodes with friends or post a link on their own social media if their submission was featured.

An additional bonus for some podcasters is that segments featuring listener submissions often take less time to prepare than interview or storytelling segments.

Collaborate With Other Writers

Collaboration drives discoverability. Partnering with fellow authors, editors, or podcasters who share your audience is an effective and enjoyable way to grow. Consider recording a crossover episode, guest-hosting a discussion, or partnering with other podcasting writers for book talks and in person events.

When done well, the exchange feels organic, not transactional, and builds credibility within your field. Even micro collaborations like trading shoutouts can strengthen your network and bring new readers into your orbit. These exchanges expand your reach and model the kind of literary community listeners love to see.

Podcast promotion doesn’t have to sit apart from your writing life, or rely solely on social media content. By weaving your show into the writing, publishing, and community work you’re already doing, you’ll attract listeners who connect with both your voice and your process. Listeners who find you that way are ones who’ll stay.

The post Easy Podcast Promotion for Writers appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(12 Podcasting Dos & Don’ts for Writers.)

What was once a niche offshoot of radio now sits squarely at the intersection of storytelling, journalism, and entertainment. Understanding how the podcasting landscape has changed can help writers see where their craft fits into today’s world of multimedia storytelling.

The Early Days: DIY Roots and Intimacy

The first wave of podcasters were tinkerers and enthusiasts. Episodes were often rough around the edges with unpolished sound and uneven pacing, but that was part of the charm. Early shows embodied a spirit of experimentation, where creators spoke directly to listeners without filters, corporate sponsors, or broadcast standards.

The barriers to entry were low, and the intimacy of audio created an entirely new way to tell stories. In those early days, podcasting’s rawness was its strength. There were no gatekeepers, just voices and stories.

Early podcasts found small but deeply dedicated audiences. Without mainstream understanding of what podcasting was, how to listen, or platforms to easily distribute episodes, these shows were limited in their reach.

The Podcasting Boom: Professionalization, Reach, and Diversity of Content

Then came Serial. I almost don’t want to talk about Serial, because it’s discussed so frequently, but I have to acknowledge that it changed the industry forever. When the first season dropped in 2014, millions of listeners were suddenly tuning in weekly, sharing theories, and discussing audio storytelling with the same fervor once reserved for prestige TV. The success of Serial ignited an industry-wide boom. Production companies formed. Celebrities launched shows.

Networks began competing for exclusive content. Podcast industry executives like Max Cutler (founder of Parcast and PAVE) and Ashley Flowers (Audiochuck) cite Serial as the podcast that inspired them to create their podcasting networks.

This is the time when audio storytelling became more sophisticated, not only in production but in structure and tone. This was the era when minor podcasting networks were formed, just before media moguls controlled the landscape. This is the period that gave us The Moth, Beautiful Anonymous, WTF with Marc Maron, and Lore (among many others) as well as an explosion of docuseries that came with the formation of journalistically driven podcasting networks such as Gimlet and Wondery.

For writers, this shift meant that podcasting became a viable platform for publishing and discovery. Stories that might have languished in slush piles found new life as audio fiction. Essayists and novelists began appearing as guests on genre-specific shows, connecting with niche audiences that mirrored their readerships. People outside of tech and radio were now familiar with podcasting, and for those creatives willing to experiment, launching a podcast of their own became an opportunity to expand their creative voice while building a loyal following.

The Current Landscape: Saturation, Innovation, and Hybrid Models

Fast-forward to today, and podcasting is no longer the Wild West. There are now hundreds of thousands of active shows competing for listener attention. The challenge isn’t just creating a good podcast, it’s being discovered. With competition from YouTube, TikTok, and other video-first platforms, audience fatigue is a real issue.

Yet, even in this crowded landscape, innovation thrives and niche audiences continue to connect with new podcasts. Subscription models through various platforms allow creators to build sustainable income from dedicated listeners. Stories flow across media boundaries and podcasts become books (Limetown, Alice Isn’t Dead) or television series (Homecoming, Dirty John, Root of Evil).

For writers, the key to discovery is thinking strategically. What story, or aspect of your voice works best in sound? A writer doesn’t need to chase every trend; instead, the goal is to use the medium intentionally and authentically to connect with your specific audience.

The Future of Podcasting for Writers

Artificial intelligence and voice synthesis are beginning to shape the field, opening possibilities for accessibility and experimentation, while raising significant ethical concerns about ownership, authenticity, and sustainability. For writers, staying informed about these developments is a professional necessity.

The increasing use of AI and corporate involvement in podcasting has been troubling to creatives and caused tension in the industry. Many podcasters and listeners miss the early days of DIY podcasting before there were gatekeepers and higher and technical expectations. The constant changes can be tough to keep up with and can discourage podcasters from starting or continuing with their projects.

However, listeners will always care most about quality storytelling and they can spot (or hear) a lack of authenticity in a fraction of a second. My experience working in corporate podcasting showed me that no matter how much funding a podcast has, if it’s an inauthentic corporate creation that feels stilted or relies on AI writing, very few people will listen. Listeners want stories written by real people, they want to hear real friends laughing together, and they follow shows with creative authenticity and hosts that feel genuine. Very few corporate creations actually outrank homegrown podcasts of friends or colleagues sharing stories and displaying vulnerability, and a huge swath of top charting podcasts had very humble beginnings.

Practical Takeaways

Despite the industry changes, you still don’t need a studio or a staff to get started. Creating a podcast remains one of the most accessible media projects one can take on, but you don’t have to create your own to get started. Many writers begin by guesting on existing podcasts related to their genre or niche. It’s an easy way to reach new readers while getting comfortable with the audio format.

Collaboration is another path forward. Joining forces with an editor, voice actor, or fellow writer can turn a simple concept into something dynamic. Audiences are primed for more diverse and overlapping media styles, making it a great time to experiment with format and lean into a multi media approach to your work.

Podcasting also functions as a powerful tool within the world of writing and publishing. Writers can use it to connect with other writers, discuss craft, read work aloud, or share the creative process behind the scenes.

Regardless of industry updates, podcasting continues to be a great tool for both the craft and the business side of writing: sharpening your ear for language while expanding your professional reach.

The post Writers in the Ever Changing World of Podcasting appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Launching a book is thrilling. Lots of time, energy and thought goes into planning it. But that’s not the only day you should be thinking about.

You’re going to have that book for a long time. So although launch day is important, the real question is: How do you keep the book in the minds and in the mouths of people all over the world for a long time? It all starts way before your book is even written.

Start before your book exists.

Before you’ve even written a book, you can start by building a platform. This is how your future readers will find you.

Building a platform means putting yourself out there so the people who need to hear your message can find you. That means pitching as a subject matter expert. I did this a lot before my first book, Listful Thinking, was published. It meant I could back up my expertise when I was trying to find a publisher. And it meant I was ready to share my book when it came out.

When you’re building your platform, think about where your audience is likely to be—and go there. Pitching traditional media is important, but so is social media. And don’t forget about blogs, podcasts, and live-streaming shows! You can actually create an editorial calendar to keep yourself accountable. 

Once you have the book deal. 

Celebrate! This is a big moment. Then it’s time to sit down and set your media goals. It can often take a year or more from getting a book deal with a traditional publisher to the day of your book launch. You’ll need that time to plan a detailed strategy to connect with readers. 

One year before your book launch.

A year seems like a long time. In some ways it is—you can fit a lot of events, media, and content into a year. But it can also fly by if you don’t start planning. One year out is a good time to identify the outlets you want to be featured in. It’s also a good time to think about media training. It might take a little while to find a media trainer and actually get started, so you want to give yourself plenty of time. Or you could take a training course like mine called Media-Ready Author to get ready at your own pace. 

You’ll also want to start doubling down on your content calendar. Make a plan and stick to it! 

Six months before your book launch.

Think about what kinds of support you’ll need for the launch, such as a publicist or social media manager. Those people will help you start securing event dates for the launch period—both virtual and in person!

During this time, you’ll keep up your content creation schedule. It’s a good time to revisit your strategy. Where are people really engaging with your message? What posts aren’t getting as much attention? Use that feedback to tweak your strategy.

[Media-Savvy Author: How to Hire Professionals for Your Book Launch.]

Three months before your book launch.

Keep creating videos, blog posts, and social media content. This is the solid foundation of your author platform. Now is also the time to get more serious about pitching traditional media in conjunction with your book launch dates. 

Two months before your book launch.

Start thinking about your wardrobe, makeup, and overall presentation for your book launch events. Venues for your launch events should be booked at this point. Make sure to promote those events via your social media platforms. And start getting excited!

One month before your book launch.

The countdown has arrived. Self-care is key one month before your launch. You’ll want to keep up your schedule of interviews and content, but don’t neglect your basic needs. Get plenty of sleep and eat a balanced diet (which can be tricky if you’re traveling for events!). 

Speaking of events—if you’re traveling a lot, now is the time to concentrate on your packing and prep strategy. Layers, items that don’t wrinkle, and back-ups of everything you need are key. 

Day of your book launch.

Take a moment to breathe and take it all in. This is a big day! Bring yourself back to your “why” — the reason you wrote your book in the first place. Remember, sharing your thoughts and ideas with the world is a public service. Thinking about it like that can be very useful for the promotion process.

Keep the momentum going after your book launches.

When you’re in the book launch phase, you’re really invested in the book itself. That’s only natural. It should be the focus of attention at this point! But once your book is a few months old, you have to shift your focus and start to consider how your book can support you as an author and expert—not how you can support your book.

This does not mean you shouldn’t talk about your book. Of course you should! You just need to find new ways of framing and contextualizing how you talk about your book. The attention needs to be on how your knowledge (and by extension, your book) can solve problems or shift people’s mindsets.

The relationships you build with journalists, reporters, and producers are some of the best resources for you as you consider your post-launch strategy. Thank you notes (paper ones—yep!) go a long way in demonstrating your appreciation.

These really do make an impact on fostering positive relationships between you and members of the media. You can then leverage those relationships to pitch again from a new angle. 

You might be wondering what exactly you should pitch—how can you use your book as a jumping-off point that inspires the next stage of your media strategy?

Well, here’s a little secret: Everything you talk about doesn’t have to be in the book. In fact, it can actually be counterproductive to limit yourself to only things you covered in your book. You are an expert on a topic that includes what you talk about in your book. You can absolutely pitch on related areas within your expertise that didn’t fit into your book—and you should! This is essential to any sustainable media strategy. 

The post Media-Savvy Author: Setting Your Media Goals appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Make More Human and Successful Pitches.)

Now I want to expand beyond pitches to how we interact with everyone we encounter (or want to encounter) in our writing and publishing work. From community involvement and collaborations to marketing and reader engagement, a human approach based on authenticity and generosity leads to better results … and is a lot more enjoyable.

Connect With Individuals, Not Audiences

Technology can make our author lives easier, but they can distance us from the people we want to reach. Automated social media scheduling tools and templated newsletters may save time, but efficient processes can lead to lackluster content and can dull our authentic voice.

When listeners of The Indy Author Podcast decide to support me via one of my patronage platforms, the thank you I send is very similar from patron to patron, and it’s tempting to write that message once and use it every time. But writing out the message fresh to each new patron ensures an authenticity I wouldn’t achieve with a generic message.

I’ve even switched away from pointing listeners to my website Contact page if they want to get in touch and instead provide my email address. (Anyone who tries out the firstname@domain.com standard could easily figure it out.) This removes a point of friction of connecting with an individual fan or follower.

Automations and standard operating procedures can be useful tools, but they should be used in the service of authentic communications, not as a substitute for it. When we communicate with individuals, we should treat them as individuals.

Ask yourself: Does this sound like me—or like everyone else?

Treat Connection With Generosity, Not as a Zero-Sum Game

If you’re approaching your author career as a business rather than a hobby, then you will have practical, goal-oriented reasons for reaching out to writing and publishing colleagues: to obtain a blurb for your book, to land a speaking opportunity at a genre reader conference, to connect with a librarian or bookseller. But approaching such transactions with a “What can I get?” mindset eliminates practical benefits you might otherwise gain. It makes the interaction transactional, where even a one-time “win” devalues the potential of a connection.

Instead, ask yourself “What value can I provide?” That will smooth the way to success in that transaction but, more importantly, it paves the way to a long-term connection that will benefit both parties.

For example, I have recommended colleagues as writers for publications and platforms that offer a limited number of slots, which means that every successful recommendation reduces my own chances of landing one of those slots. But for every recommended colleague whose work I’ve seen on that platform, I’ve been paid back handsomely: They’ve promoted my work, notified me of opportunities, and introduced me to other professionals whose connections have proven valuable to me.

Find ways to provide value. When a podcaster hosts you on their show, promote their work in return. When you ask another author for a blurb, read and share their books.

Ask yourself: What relationships in my professional life could become more productive if I offered value first?

Humanize Your Marketing

It’s easy to fall into the trap of treating readers or followers as data points: email opens, link clicks, conversions. But people aren’t metrics; they’re individuals who choose to let you into their lives. A more human approach to marketing focuses less on selling and more on connecting.

I used to use a social media posting tool that enabled me to post the same content on multiple platforms, but it prevented me from optimizing the content for each platform’s audience, and I wasn’t checking in on most of the platforms to see how that audience was responding. Now I’m focusing on one platform, where I actually interact with the people who are responding to my posts.

In what other ways can we humanize our marketing? Respond personally to messages, spotlight another author whose work your readers would love, or simply write your newsletter in the same conversational tone you’d use with a friend.

Ask yourself: How can my marketing sound more like a conversation and less like a campaign?

Choose Human Connection Over Scale

We’re often told to grow our followings, build our platforms, and scale our reach—but sometimes, smaller is stronger. A few hundred engaged subscribers who feel seen and valued will do more for your long-term success than tens of thousands of passive followers.

I’m frequently a guest on others’ podcasts, and the extent of that outreach is almost always more closely tied to the quality of the engagement of the host’s followers rather than with the number of followers.

Especially when you’re starting out, don’t design your processes for connecting with your colleagues to accommodate a network that’s substantially bigger than the one you currently have. You’re more likely to create barriers than efficiencies.

Whether you’re running a newsletter, a podcast, or a reader group, prioritize depth over breadth. The time you spend doing this builds loyalty and trust that no algorithm can replicate.

Ask yourself: Where could I trade quantity for quality in the way I connect with others?

The Human Advantage

In a world that’s increasingly automated and genericized by reliance on AI, your humanity is your differentiator: the warmth of a sincere message, the generosity of a thoughtful recommendation, the curiosity of a genuine question. Lead with empathy, authenticity, and reciprocity in every interaction. It’s the surest way to build not only a successful author career, but a meaningful one.

The post How to Make Human (and Successful) Connections appeared first on Writer's Digest.

A literary agent friend of mine mentioned that she was using video to pitch her clients to editors, and I was very excited to hear this. As a former TV producer and a media trainer, I’m a huge fan of video. It’s a unique medium and it allows you to connect with your audience in a special way. 

Think about it: Seeing a video creates a lasting impression and a sense of a person’s personality. That can go a long way in wowing agents! 

However, it’s important to go about this the right way. Professionalism is the key here. A 20-minute, blurry, rambling video is not going to do you any favors. It’s the same as when you’re doing media. I’ve helped hundreds of authors feel more confident on camera for media interviews and videos through private training and my online course Media-Ready Author. Those are all the same skills that work for query videos.

Done right, query videos can help you share your personality and stand out. If you’re planning to use video in your queries, it’s important to have a cohesive plan. Remember that using video is a lot like querying agents in general. Every person likes something different, and it all depends on what that person connects with. 

There are two situations where video can really work in your favor. One is when you’re querying agents. The other is once you have an agent and they’re communicating with book editors on your behalf. Jessica Berg, author, agent, and Agency Director of Rosecliff Literary, told me that she’s getting excited about the personal connection that video can create. 

“I think video pitches are such a smart way to close the gap between the inbox and real life, especially for nonfiction,” Berg says. “I meet so many authors at conferences, and it’s often the person, not just the idea, that hooks me. It’s their energy, clarity, the way they talk about the book that sticks just as much as the concept. Sometimes (OK, most of the time) it’s really refreshing to meet the person behind the pitch.”

Creating videos is especially useful for nonfiction authors. Fiction is its own ballgame. But in nonfiction, you, the author, are a big part of the story. Editors and agents want to know what makes you the right person to share this message. 

Here are some suggestions to get started.

1) Start with a clear and concise hook.

This is crucial. You want to start out strong so that the agent or editor watching your video is immediately interested. This is something you’ll definitely want to work out beforehand—no winging it! Try to think of one sentence that will keep your audience engaged. Attention spans are short these days, so you don’t have long to make that impression!

2) Share a compelling personal introduction.

Introduce yourself and share your personal connection to your book. You might focus on topics such as the events that led you to write this book or what about you makes you the right person to tell this story. This is your opportunity to give the agent or editor a sense of who you are and what you bring to the table. You don’t need to give your whole life story—and you shouldn’t! Just narrow it down to what is relevant to the book.  

3) Give your book pitch in one minute or less.

Long, rambling videos are not going to cut it. They might actually hurt your chances with an agent. Agents are busy and they’re not going to watch anything that eats into their time without a return on investment. That’s why you need to make sure you get right to the point. You’ll probably need to time yourself to get the time down. Cutting filler words will help you sound more professional and also help you be more concise. You still want to sound conversational, though—here are some tips on how to do that. 

4) Implement the Accordion Method for flexible, scalable pitches.

I developed the Accordion Method so that authors and experts would have a go-to strategy for media appearances. And it works just as well for videos in query letters!

The Accordion Method means having a short, medium, and long answer to every question. For each version, you need to start with a strong hook and then go into more depth depending on how much time you have to elaborate. Here’s my full guide for speaking in soundbites using the Accordion Method. 

[Read more about the Accordion Method from Paula Rizzo on WD.]

5) Set yourself up for success with video skills.

Not everyone is comfortable on camera, and that’s OK. It just takes some practice. It’s important to assess your video skills and comfort on camera so you know where you might need some help. 

Having a professional setup is essential. That means considering things like lighting and background. Plus, you’ll want to use a high-quality microphone for clear audio and make sure you choose an appropriate camera to get good video quality. I have lots of tips for creating a professional-looking at-home studio here. But… don’t get so wrapped up in trying to create professional videos that you forget about the most important aspect—the message!

Berg agrees: “The biggest takeaway for authors is you don’t need fancy edits or a perfect setup,” she says. “Just show me you get your reader, you know your angle, and you care about the work. That’s what makes me lean in.” 

6) Decide on a video sharing strategy. 

There are lots of ways to host and share videos these days. You’ll want to decide if you plan to host on YouTube, a private link, or agent-specific. 

Relatedly, it’s worth thinking about creating custom videos for each agent rather than one universal pitch. That personal touch can make all the difference. Berg believes that the personal connection is what will create leverage. Don’t be afraid to show who you are and what you bring to the table. “If I can get even a glimpse of that in a query, it’s a massive win,” Berg says. Your personality and charisma will make agents and editors remember YOU.

7) Be inspired by examples.

Now that you’re ready to use video, some examples can help you get a sense of the way authors are using this. These two examples are from already published authors, but I think it’s important to note how they do it and emulate the style in your own videos. 

Elizabeth Gilbert the author of Eat, Pray, Love and All The Way To The River, has some great examples on her Instagram. She shared a “behind the title” video that ticks all the boxes—professional, short, and warm. 

YA author Angie Thomas’s video is a great example for fiction. 

Noticing what these authors are doing—great lighting, clear communication, hooks that grab you—can inspire you to create your own videos.

If you’re ready to try using videos to woo agents and editors, remember the key elements: concise, personal, and professional. This is something I predict we’ll be seeing a lot more of!

The post Media-Savvy Author: Using Video to Woo Agents & Editors appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(List of Book Fairs and Festivals By State.)

Some authors tend to be introverts; extrovert writers enjoy the balance between alone-time and social connection. As a professional or future professional writer, it’s important to cultivate relationships with others at every step in the writing process.

• If you write nonfiction, going to events expands your number of on and offline connections; you are building your platform, which is something you need to showcase in your book proposal.
• If you write fiction, you want to start building your readership and email list.
• No matter what your genre, writers conferences and events give you access, agents, publishers, potential mentors, and writer-friends.

Here are 5 tips to help you be more successful at in-person networking.

1. Determine Your Overall Networking Mission.

Before even exploring what’s out there, think about what you hope to gain from attending events/meeting new people/expanding your network. Are you seeking an agent or publisher? Media opportunities? Beta readers?

Whereas your “mission statement” for your writing career is about helping others—sharing information that will inform, educate, enlighten, or entertain—your networking mission is all about helping yourself—increasing your visibility, finding opportunity—so you are in a position to share your work with more people.

Your networking mission statement combines who you are with what you want and what you need to do/happen in order to get it.

2. Set Networking Goals.

Once you find a good in-person event to attend, whether it’s a writer’s conference, workshop, or mixer, decide what is going to be a win for you. Is it meeting X number of people/agents/publishers? Is it connecting with podcast hosts who can interview you? Or finding a critique group in your genre, so you can continue to hone your craft.

Setting concrete, realistic goals for any networking situation gives you purpose. When you are just getting started, it’s okay to set the bar really low. Decide who you want to meet, who you need to meet, who would be nice to meet. These can be titles (editor, acquisitions, agent) or types of people (podcasters, speakers). And you can start by seeking one or two of each. Achieving simple goals gives you a boost of confidence, and will make your next networking experience even easier.

3. Prep Pre-Event.

Do a digital review to make sure your website—and your social media sites—are accurate and up-to-date. This includes your LinkedIn; at a minimum, make sure your profile photo looks like you, you add a background pic, and have an accurate headline. If you are a writer, who also has a day job, put a breadcrumb/teaser in that headline. For instance: “lover of cozy mysteries” or “ask me about my novel.”

When you meet new people, you will look them up. They will do the same for you. You want your online persona to reflect who you are in-person.

Also, have either business cards or a QR code on your phone that leads to a Linktr.ee (digital business card), so you can easily swap information and stay in touch with new people.

4. Be Memorable, Curious, and Not Salesy.

Do you have a signature color, prop (eyeglasses or a hat), or backstory that helps you stand out? Is there something particularly unique about you that makes everyone go, “Wow,” or, “That’s so cool.” At events, particularly mixers, you will likely meet a lot of new people. You want to make a good impression, so they remember you/your expertise/genre, etc.

Meet people. Ask questions. Test the vibe. And get to know them, so you can decide if you want to make them part of your tribe. A networking conversation is simply a conversation: and, unless it’s a pitch event, you are not selling anything.

The goal is to get to know others, be helpful, and find ways to be memorable … and include a casual call to action (“let’s connect on LinkedIn so I can let you know the next time I find a good author event,” “would love to have you on my podcast,” “would love to share my knowledge on your podcast”), so you have a reason to stay in touch.

5. Follow up and Follow Through.

At any author event, you will likely meet three types: instant BFFS, people who seem nice that you want to get to know better, and those you can’t quite get but seem okay. Unless someone is a red flag/energy vampire, connect with all of them. Follow their social media, send a connection request on LinkedIn, and for those you have that instant rapport with, make plans for a follow-up phone call, coffee, or Zoom.

Set a follow-up schedule, so you do all of the things. After the event, set a next day appointment with yourself to do the social-media following and connecting. Bonus points for interacting with them on social media as a way to stay top of mind. Set a next week appointment to jot an email to those on your A list and a next month appointment to follow up with everyone else.

If someone doesn’t reply right away, that’s fine. Everyone is busy. Make a note to circle back to those you deem most important either a few months down the line or when you have good info—a link, article, or event—to share.

Final Thoughts

Think of networking as what it is: relationship development. It’s an opportunity to meet a bunch of new people in a short period of time. Then, decide who you want to get to know better.

You may get new readers and followers, you may make an awesome publishing connection, you may make a new friend.

Go into every interaction with a positive attitude; you never know what gold will come from it down the line.

The post 5 In-Person Networking Tips for Authors appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(5 Tips for Writing Better and Faster.)

The amplifier increases the effect and emotional impact of the already strong claim that it precedes or follows.

Copy Amplifier Example 1:

>> After that, it’s too late.

Insert this copy amplifier after stating a deadline to intensify the urgency of the call to action:

Standard: “This offer expires tomorrow at midnight.”

Better: “But I urge you to hurry. This offer expires tomorrow at midnight. After that, it’s too late.”

Copy Amplifier Example 2:

>> Hint: it’s not what you think.

Further entices the prospect to continue reading by amplifying curiosity about the statement that precedes the amplifier.

Standard: “The one stock you must own now. (Hint: it’s not the one you think.)”

Copy Amplifier Example 3:

>> Satisfaction guaranteed—or your money back.

Following a benefit or claim with this particular amplifier makes the reader more confident in the benefit or claim of superiority that you say your product will deliver.

Use “guaranteed” if you will take pains to assure that your product will deliver the benefit you say it gives. If there is a money-back guarantee of satisfaction, add either “or your money back” or “or you pay us not a cent.”

You can also add the length of the guarantee to create a sense of urgency:

Standard: “Create your business plan in just 30 days—guaranteed or your money back.”

Copy Amplifier Example 4:

>> Yes?

Inserting this in the copy after making a statement that seems correct and logical causes prospects to mentally answer the question in the affirmative, so they are in effect agreeing to your sales proposition or argument.

Standard: “If we can show you how our system can cut your energy bills in half, it would probably make good sense for you to at least see a short demo—yes?”

Copy Amplifier Example 5:

>> As crazy as that sounds.

Insert this phrase preceding a claim that sounds too good to be true but in fact is or could possibly be true.

Standard: “Crazy as it sounds, shares of this tiny R&D company, selling for $2.50 today, could be worth as much as $100 in the not-to-distant future.”

Copy Amplifier Example 6:

>> Could this be?

Another phrase to be inserted before a claim that either sounds too incredible to be true or if stated plainly comes off a bit too braggy—to make it seem less boastful and disarm potential skepticism on the part of the reader.

Instead of: “The world’s most powerful antioxidant.”

Write: “Could this be the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered by medical science?”

Copy Amplifier Example 7:

>> Ever again.

Emphasizes to the consumer just how strong, sincere, and lasting your promise of achieving change, improvement, or other positive benefits as a result of using the product really is.

Standard: “How never to give a boring speech—ever again.”

Copy Amplifier Example 8:

>> Listen up!

When you are making a statement that is really important for the prospect to hear and pay attention to, precede it with this copy amplifier, which is a command. It works because people follow commands. So when you tell them to listen up, they will; pay attention also works.

Standard: “Listen up. If you’ve been putting off checking your smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, this simple step could save your life.”

The post Listen Up! Leverage the Power of 8 Copy Amplifiers in Your Writing appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(20 Podcasting Terms Every Writer Should Know.)

6 Podcasting Dos for Writers

Have an Outline:

You don’t need to have a script but you do need to have a clear structure and episode arc. If you have a guest, an outline will help you lead the conversation so that the guest can relax into their experience without being concerned about the interview sounding awkward or feeling like they have to lead.

Once you get into a conversational flow during recording, it’s very easy to accidentally record a 2+ hour episode that most listeners won’t finish, and maybe won’t even start after seeing the length. Pace yourself when recording. Having time markers in the outline and a stopwatch with you during recording is a good idea. That way you know how long you want to spend on each section, and can move things along when needed.

Stick to Your Niche:

It’s important to keep your podcast focused on one topic or a couple of topics that fall under one umbrella. For example, if you want to podcast your novels, creating different podcasts for different pieces of writing rather than releasing all of your work under one podcast name and feed can help with searchability and listener retention. Chances are slim that the audience for all of your work will be the same, and it can alienate listeners if you stray too far from what they expect from your show week to week. You can build out several podcasts over time that are interrelated and promote each other, but have separate titles and feeds for maximum searchability and listener loyalty.

Record With Wired Headphones:

Recording with headphones is the most crucial if you have a guest who is joining via phone or video chat. The guest’s voice needs to come through your headphones, NOT your computer speakers. If the guest is coming through your speakers, they will also be picked up by your microphone creating an echo that can’t be removed in post. If you don’t have a guest, it’s still a good idea to record with headphones, as this will allow you to hear your mic feed while recording and stop to adjust if you hear anything that sounds off.

Given the choice of wired or Bluetooth headphones, wired is always a superior choice. Bluetooth can sometimes unexpectedly override the computer’s mic settings in the middle of a recording, meaning your podcast audio is suddenly being recorded by your headphone microphone instead of your podcast microphone, resulting in tinny and irregular audio. Additionally, Bluetooth headphones run on a battery, are subject to interference, and can cause confusing tech problems.

Interact With Listeners:

Think of it as nurturing the relationship between your podcast and the listeners. Social media is probably the best way to promote and share episodes, answer listener questions and gain valuable feedback. You can also read listener emails on your podcast if they relate well to your episode, and let that listener know they’ll be featured in the episode to increase the chances they’ll share it with friends. You can also use social media to gauge audience interest in certain topics by posting polls asking listeners which episode subjects they are most interested in hearing about.

Listen Back, Critique, and Edit:

When listening back to edit, keep an ear out for overly long pauses, double digressions (an aside that leads to another aside), and any places where the energy dips. You want to win over new listeners who might not have as much patience for your content as you do, so keeping the pace tight while still allowing for a natural conversational feel is the sweet spot. Asking a few trusted friends and colleagues to listen and give constructively critical notes can help open your eyes to the way other people experience your podcast and editing style.

Batch Record:

Batch recording is when you record multiple episodes at once. This saves setup and breakdown time, helps reduce studio fees if you record in a rented space, and allows you to look at a handful of episodes at once to see how they fit together or how larger themes play out across episodes. The trick is having a handful of outlines prepped in advance.

Recording a bank of many episodes that are evergreen, meaning they aren’t especially related to current events and can be relevant at any time, is a great way to create a backlog of material and take the pressure off of last-minute recording and editing. Current event and time specific content (related to news, micro cultural moments, holidays, etc.) can be great for building listenership and getting boosted in social media algorithms that favor global trends. If you’ve got a backlog of evergreen episodes, then you can focus on creating those time-sensitive episodes when needed without being bogged down by other work.

6 Don’ts of Podcasting for Writers

Don’t Hack the Episodes Apart:

Over-editing can make an episode feel oddly disjointed, like it’s skipping around unnaturally or missing the emotional beats of a real conversation. It’s almost always better to leave the conversation in the order it was recorded in rather than re-structuring, and keeping in a little human texture helps build a relationship with your audience.

Aim to edit with a light touch. Remove distractions like loud background noises, long tangents, non-additive pauses and sections that don’t serve the episode’s focus, but let the conversation breathe.

Don’t Skip Release Dates:

The quickest way for a listener to forget about your podcast is releasing episodes irregularly. You might hook a listener with the first three episodes, but if they have to wait four weeks for the next one, chances are they’ve moved on and are spending their listening time on something else. Batch recording is immensely helpful when it comes to sticking to a release schedule.

Don’t Pursue Broad, General Topics

It might be tempting to create episodes about sweeping themes like “creativity” or “storytelling,” but general topics tend to attract general disinterest. The more specific and focused your topic, the more likely you are to connect with a specific audience, and that’s exactly what you want.

Instead of “Let’s talk about the writing process,” try “How I outline my second draft to fix pacing problems” or “What stream of consciousness writing taught me about editing.” That kind of specificity helps your episode show up in search results, makes it easier to promote, and gives audiences a concrete reason to listen.

Don’t Be Afraid to Go Off-Script

Even with an outline or a script, allow room to follow tangents (especially if they’re related to the topic), react naturally, and let your personality shine through. Listeners are tuning in for your voice, not just your content. Some of the best moments on a podcast are often unplanned: Sharing a spontaneous story, cracking a joke or reacting genuinely to a guest. You can always trim or tighten the edit if a tangent goes too long, but letting your humanity show makes the podcast more engaging.

Don’t Post or Send Rebuttals to Negative Feedback

Follow up graciously when listeners inevitably correct you over email or in the comments. Posting or emailing a rebuttal will never help. Maybe you misquoted something, used a problematic term without realizing it, or forgot to credit someone’s work. Thank the listener for letting you know, and express that you’ll be correcting your error going forward. Acknowledging feedback with humility and openness builds trust. Responding negatively (even when the critique seems a little over the top) can have a devastating effect on your listenership.

If you receive negative comments or emails about something you can’t change, like the sound of your voice, which is an extremely common complaint female and lgbtq+ podcasters receive, just ignore it. If you’re being authentic, you’re doing it right. No one needs to change the way they naturally speak.

Don’t Get Too Isolated

Writing can be a solitary pursuit, and podcasting can fall into the same trap, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Think of podcasting as an opportunity to build community, collaborate, and open up your creative process. Recording with a friend or colleague, even occasionally, can bring new energy into your episodes and your writing. It helps with chemistry, keeps the tone conversational, and allows for spontaneous insights you might not reach alone.

Even if you prefer to record solo, don’t isolate yourself entirely. Reach out to other podcasters, join forums or writer communities with a podcasting channel, or invite guests from your network. Treat your podcast as a bridge, not just a broadcast. That connection can be creatively energizing and a reminder that even in the quiet work of writing, you’re not alone.

The post 12 Podcasting Dos and Don’ts for Writers appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(5 Tips for Writing Better and Faster.)

A sales funnel outlines the sequence of steps in the sales process: What must happen to take people from strangers to prospects to customers.

The sales funnel steps are:

1—Attract from the population those people who might be customers for what you are selling.

2—Convert these potential customers to qualified prospects: people with the money, authority, and desire to buy what you are selling.

3—Engage prospects in a conversation that generates and amplifies their interest in what you are selling.

4—Get them to purchase the product.

5—Retain them as satisfied buyers as well as cross-sell and upsell them to additional offers.

We use the funnel metaphor because, as in a real funnel, the mouth is wide, so you can attract everyone who might conceivably be a buyer. Then, as you move through the funnel, it narrows as you select out the smaller group that actually become buyers.

What communications are used in each stage of the sale funnel[1]?

At the top of the funnel, blog posts, infographics, social media posts, videos, influencer content, display ads, and other engaging content to attract attention and build initial interest.[2]

In the middle of the funnel, information that builds trust and helps prospects make intelligent decisions about whether your product is the solution for them: case studies, comparison guides, long form blogs, interactive content, white papers, product brochures, interviews, reviews, and performance data.

At the bottom of the funnel, we use a variety of communications to close the sale and get the order including testimonials, pricing, proposals, demos, webinars, and presentations with irresistible offers—and compelling calls to action that drive commitment.

Do copywriters handle sales funnels?

For the longest time, the primary task of the copywriter was to write all these various marketing materials; product managers and marketing managers were responsible for working out the strategy for the sales funnel.

Today copywriters still write the marketing materials, but many also consult with their clients on the sales funnel—and are frequently asked to contribute suggestions, tactics, and ideas to increase conversion rate—that is, get more people through the funnel and turn them into paying customers.

Some copywriters include sales funnel optimization ideas as part of their overall service. Some put their strategies into a written marketing plan, for which they charge a separate fee in addition to their copywriting fees for specific deliverables.

[1] “Capitalize on the power of newsletters to build B2B sales,” SmartBrief Update.

[2] Martech Zone, 7/28/25.

The post How to Build a Sales Funnel appeared first on Writer's Digest.

For so many reasons besides that belittling criticism I received, I could never get past the first 30 to 50 pages of more than a dozen novels I began and then abandoned in the following decades. It was all too easy to lay the self-doubt aside and settle for a day job that was less challenging and less fulfilling than the calling I could never put behind me. 

When my husband and I moved to Spain in 2019, I intended to take one more run at writing fiction part-time while teaching English. Then, during Covid lockdown in 2020, I tricked myself into short daily writing sessions that were sometimes frustrating but still better than the boredom of sitting stuck in an apartment with nothing better to do. A novel emerged—at last I had found a way to quiet (if not silence) the inner critic and proved to myself that I could do it. 

I began querying that novel in 2022, and all the advice-givers on YouTube agreed a newsletter is a great way to build an author platform. For new writers today, I would emphasize starting one as soon as you first begin drafting your novel, preferably sooner. While the cold-querying process to agents still produces success stories, the ability to engage with readers and show that you are already a robust citizen of the literary world is an increasingly important selling point that novices ignore at their peril.  

Unfortunately, I also came late to the newsletter and author platform game and didn’t yet have that crucial piece in my querying package. Despite a few full manuscript requests, all my queries were declined; that I managed not to take those 60 rejections personally was a testament to how far I’d come from that crushing earlier experience. While I let those No’s marinate, I embarked on a newsletter platform I’d heard about in a writing workshop: Substack. 

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Never mind monetizing—a secondary consideration for a fiction writer trying to connect with readers—the real magic of Substack is in the relationships you build with like-minded hopefuls, many of them also just starting out and looking to build a rapport with someone, anyone, who shares their dream of joining the community of people playing with words. I call it a writer incubator, even though there are more experienced writers and recognized names on the platform all the time, either courted by Substack or just finding their way through attrition from traditional media. 

Whether it’s finance, civil rights, or news, popular media, erotica, or New Age meditations, there’s a niche for everyone—and by all accounts, deciding on a niche is the first task at hand when you are initially choosing categories for yourself. I picked Fiction and Literature, but for the first 11 months I published no fiction. I was testing the waters. I busied myself with thought salads, book reviews, and stories of my life—clearing my throat while I figured out what I was really doing. 

Six months into posting on Substack, the self-imposed weekly deadline did wonders for my motivation, my subscribers increased five-fold, and feedback that was supportive rather than hypercritical helped repair my confidence further. I began to form connections with other writers, including several who were testing out serializing novels. I saw how non-traditional narratives presented in episodes resonated with readers, that the process of writing and reading fiction in digestible bites could be as satisfying as sitting down to the five-course meal of a book in hand. 

Eager to begin a new novel, I decided on a different approach—drafting and publishing each chapter as I went along. Lamb: A novel in snapshots is experimental and non-linear, interlocking stories with the same characters tracing an arc from high school days to the mysterious disappearance and untimely death of the title character. The story unfolds years later when his best friend, the unnamed narrator D, reminisces about their life together in the 80s and 90s while sorting through journal entries, poetry, and short stories left behind by Lamb, a sensitive, misunderstood soul and frustrated writer. 

The main advantage of this method (rather than finishing the novel before posting) was that I could post episodes of the story in real time, without much fear that developments later would necessitate seismic shifts in the earlier chapters. Drafting my first novel had been a process of iterations, blind alleys, and revisions; it had also taken two years.  

Another advantage, besides a deadline, was the need to frame each episode as its own engaging scene with a satisfying conclusion that still left the reader wanting more. Writers serializing on Substack often find their individual chapters are tighter and more suspenseful within the constraints of the format. 

The main disadvantage of serializing? Perhaps the perception that a novel self-published on Substack is disqualified from agent representation or a traditional publishing contract. I was interested in giving self-publishing a shot, and serializing it first seemed the perfect way to build an audience who might also be interested in buying or at least telling others about the book version later. 

Of course, there are still opportunities to publish traditionally even after self-publishing, Andy Weir and The Martian being just one wildly successful example. At least two memoirs (Kimberly Warner’s Unfixed and Mary L. Tabor’s Who By Fire) and a novel (Eleanor Anstruther’s Fallout) first serialized on Substack have been offered publishing contracts by Alisa Kennedy Jones’s new women-centered imprint, Empress Editions.  

The brilliance of Substack as a platform is not just the readers you find, but the relationships you’ll form with writers at all levels of the game. Eleanor, who’s now been both traditionally and self-published (she is leading the charge for a rebrand to “independent” publishing as an increasingly worthwhile path in the evolving marketplace), is a generous, prolific Substacker who also provided me a blurb for Lamb. 

There are a few caveats to just firing up a new Substack and starting to post chapters. Build up an audience of consistent readers first, who can be depended upon to Like and Comment on each new installment. Provide clear signposts along the way, with a separate introduction and table of contents pinned to a special section for your novel, and in-post links to previous and subsequent chapters. Know that most readers on Substack are unfailingly kind, and their positive comments should not take the place of beta readers and honest, constructive criticism. Expect that some readers will fall away in the course of the serial—rather than be disappointed, consider that these might be the very people who would prefer to read your story in book form; use it as motivation to set a swift deadline to bring it to market. 

As I’m turning the corner with the book I started on Substack, now released into the wild, the experience of building my platform there is sending ripples out into the wider literary landscape. While it’s not a magic pill, the doors it can open are proliferating for the new writer hoping to be welcomed into a fellowship of mutual support. 

The post How Substack Helped Me Publish My Novel at 55 appeared first on Writer's Digest.