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When I taught blogging workshops for writers and authors, one thing was predictable. Their eyes would always glaze over when I got to the part about building an author brand.
They thought of selling out, of compromising their art, of consumer brainwashing. They had seen too many taglines, too many TV commercials—Coke (“refreshing”) and Apple (“think different”).
“I don’t need a brand,” they would say. “I’m not a product.”
They were confusing a brand with an advertising slogan.
Branding is simply the feeling your want your readers to experience when they see your name—the emotional connection you want them to feel with you as an author.
And a blog is a perfect stage upon which to build your author’s brand.
Your author brand is the character and your blog is the stage.
Like a character, your brand has a personality. It has a way of looking at the world. It behaves in a certain way. Your brand is not the story, but it has a story to tell.
Your brand matters because it is how readers figure out who you are, what your message is and—ultimately—whether they want to buy your book.
Like well-crafted characters, good brands are:
Consistent- Ever read a book where a character did or said something that was so not who you thought they were that they became unbelievable? When your brand’s character shows up on your blog, who they are should not change.
Clear- Know the market niche your blog fills and how you will communicate that. Knowing your audience and message helps you get clear with your brand.
Convincing- Show the character that is you the author—and you the person. It’s how readers get a sense of who you are and why they should care about you.
How to use your blog as a branding stage
1. Get the look right.
Your story’ s character has an exterior and so does your author brand. On a blog, that would be the first thing we see when we land on your home page: the look.
But, unlike a fictional character, who might mask her inside with an exterior that sends another message, your brand’s outside should mesh with the inside: your blog’s message and content.
A good brand can be ruined by bad design.
Choose a style and tone that’s consistent with your brand. Even the font types and colors you choose tell something about your author brand: playful? dramatic? quirky?
2. Define your audience niche.
You may focus on a certain market (readers of historical fiction), a character in a series (think Harry Potter), a region (stories set in the deep south) or your own personality ( a business coach writing a series of self-help books).
But the way you define your niche determines who your audience is—and what you will blog about. So nail down the thing that makes you different, then highlight that in your branding.
One of my former blog coaching clients, who is testing the book publishing waters with her blog, has branded herself as The Erma Bombeck of Grief. She blogs about the impact of the unexpected death of her husband and being shoved into single parenthood, but her posts are infused with humor. Sad subject. Interesting and unusual take on it.
And within five seconds of landing on her blog, you get who she is, what her brand is and who her audience is.
3. Consider a tagline.
Your tagline is the short descriptor in the header, right below the name of your blog. It’s your brand and audience, in one sentence.
Hollywood does taglines well.
But unlike movie taglines—unless you are John Grisham and everyone on the planet knows you—your tagline should be specific enough to let visitors know up front what they can expect to find on your blog.
Take Larry Brooks’ tagline on Storyfix.com:
get it written. get it right. get it published.
You know right away what Larry is about. He helps readers manage the writing process (get it written). He teaches form and structure so your plot doesn’t fall apart (get it right). And he helps you explore publishing options and find the right one for you (get it published).
With these three bold statements, I get a sense of his brand: He is a no-nonsense guy and he’s not going to sugar-coat things.
4. Find and claim your blog’s voice.
Just like you as a writer, your brand has a voice. It can be elusive, but when you’ve finally claimed it, your branding is complete.
Your blogging voice should be congruent with what you write and how you write it. As people get interested in you, your blog and the things you write about, they are going to want more.
And where will they go? To the bookstore or amazon.com, of course, to read more of this author with the unique voice.
5. Show your real, three-dimensional self.
Your author brand should be convincing.
More than your newest book, more than your recent reviews, your blog’s readers want a ‘behind the velvet rope’ moment. They want to see who you are, what you are passionate about, what makes you tick.
Let your readers in close. In addition to a compelling, authentic about page, consider a bio box on the sidebar of your home page with an engaging, brand-centric photo and a few sentences about who you are, what you write and the things you care about.
First-time visitors will especially appreciate this introduction-at-a-glance because they are deciding in scant seconds if they want to hang around. Help them out.
What about you?
Do you have an author blog?
Do you know what your author brand is?
This post was first published on the storyfix.com blog. If you are in the Seattle/Bellevue area and need help with creating and managing your blog, find out more about @bobwp’s Hands-on WordPress: Learn How to Manage Your Blog workshop on March 15. All attendees get Bob’s full WordPress Starters video series ($57 value) free.
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Thanks Judy – this is all great advice!
The only question I’m left with is, as an author who is starting out, do you need to start putting out a blog before your first book even comes out?
And once that blog is out there in the blogosphere, how can you drive readers to it?
Andrea,
Great questions. Yes, I definitely think your blog needs to come before your first book. I may be a little biased, but I never would have had interest from an agent (it’ll be my first book) if I hadn’t developed an online presence first.
There are many ways to drive traffic to your blog. In fact, this week, I’m offering new subscribers to my blog a 10-point tip sheet that is all about attracting readers to your blog. Also, check the categories on the sidebar of my blog. There might be some posts that will help you with that.
Judy Dunn recently posted..When Blogging Is Seriously Hard
I agree with your idea. Branding is very important nowadays since there is very stiff competition in the blogosphere.
Very helpful post, Judy. I started over two years ago, naming my blog after my first personal journal. Little did I know that “ramblings” is used by every mother’s son. Now I am converting to my sign off: fOIS In The City. Once I get the name straight, I will do a clean up on the over-all. Mostly, I love clean, clear and easy on the eyes. Use tons of photography … my daughter’s photography is my header and ont he side bar. Do a great deal about The City … and if anyone out there doesn’t know … there is only one “City” … NYC. That is why the Chicago based comedy group is “Second City,” because they know every other place is second to the one … I think I’ll keep this post to use as I begin to rework, but mostly, it’s pretty easy to see who I am. Question: How does one attract other NY bloggers? Do I google to find them? I have 100 subscribers, mostly other writer friends. Have any suggestions how to build on the gal from NYC theme?
Thanks … now back to work
florence fois recently posted..March Bookfest … Week One
Hey Florence,
Yeah, two things about “ramblings,” in my opinion. The word IS overused, and, to me, it isn’t focused enough as a blog title (or if used as a tagline, for that matter). I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to find and, as a reader, I’m time-challenged and looking for topics and subjects I’m interested in or need help with.
I’m with you there (on the “one city” thing). NYC is THE city. If I were a little younger, I’d consider moving there. On female NYC bloggers, there is a site, “Top 10 Blogs by NYC Women” : http://www.blogs.com/topten/top-10-blogs-by-nyc-women/ .
I also use twitter to search for people geographically, although I don’t know if you can narrow it down as precisely as female bloggers from NYC. Google is certainly an option, too.
Judy Dunn recently posted..Your Blog as Stage: Building a Believable Author Brand
Sorry ladies, the NY as the city thing is overrated and seen as a bit provincial by the hundreds of millions who live elsewhere.
Jack recently posted..Yoda’s Life Lessons For Business & Raising Children
Haha, Jack. It’s all a matter of perspective now, isn’t it? I love the cultures, languages and arts in NYC. And those antique book shops in lower Manhattan? I could linger all day.
But I also love London.
Judy Dunn recently posted..What I Learned When I Visited the AUTHORNOMICS Blog
Ha, Ha for sure. Is Jack from London?
No, this will not be a throw down, just stating a fact. There are hundreds of major cities world-wide and only one of them is The City … all the rest wish they were
Have a great day, Jack!
florence fois recently posted..The Writer’s Life … A Celebration of Books
Florence,
I am from Los Angeles the city that New York wishes it could be. There is a reason why so many people left the over crowded, over priced, over rated and underwhelming Big Apple.
Frankly New York is matched in every way by not just Los Angeles but many cities around the country and the world.
The problem is that so many New Yorkers have spent so much time drinking the Kool Aid they haven’t noticed that the only people buying their propaganda are the people that live there.
Enjoy.
Jack recently posted..Be A Better Blogger- Sustain Your Effort Edition
No, Jack isn’t from London. Just a proud Angelino. : )
I have a love of world languages and maybe it’s just because there are so many people crammed into such a small space, but I like walking the streets of NYC and hearing all those snippets of languages I don’t understand, wondering what they are saying to each other, where their home countries are.
I like LA, too (actually lived close to it for a while in the early 90s). I was lucky that I didn’t have to fight commutes every morning and afternoon. And, yes, it’s much more spread out—sprawling, actually.
Judy Dunn recently posted..When Blogging Is Seriously Hard
Great post Judy. And for me very useful as this is an area I’m still working on. But given that I haven’t yet clear ideas on my brand it’s someting I have to think about more. I have a tagline but it’s not The Tagline yet. Thanks for the useful and interesting reading.
Andrea Hypno recently posted..Conversational Hypnosis is like Covert Hypnosis: My Point of View
Andrea,
I’ve found that my brand has evolved over time, as I got more clear on my blog’s goals (and, of course, when they changed). So if you think of it as fluid, I think that’s a good thing.
Judy Dunn recently posted..6 Interior Design Tips to Make Your Blog User-friendly
Thanks Judy – That was very helpful and inspiring.
Glad to help.
Judy Dunn recently posted..Your Blog as Stage: Building a Believable Author Brand
I started my blog to track my journey towards publication and share what I learn with other writers, but now I wonder if the focus is too split…I’ll look at it again with these tips in mind-thank you! Stumbled on an excellent interview with a Random House editor discussing social media and platforms as they relate to getting published:
http://newyorkpitchconference.com/interview-Caitlin.htm
Colleen recently posted..An Article Acceptance, of Sorts.
Hi Judy, just discovered your blog, good stuff! As I’m self-employed in a copywriting army-of-one, I AM my brand. You would think this would make it easier to write blog posts but it can make it harder in some ways. Looking forward to reading more of your tips
Eoin – copywriter, NI recently posted..More Risky Copywriting from Paddy Power
Glad you found the Cat’s Eye blog. Welcome to the community and thanks for introducing yourself. As a one-person copywriting business, you have a lot in common with the rest of us. As a long as you are clear on who you are, consistent in the ways you show up online and convincingly authentic, you will do fine.
Judy Dunn recently posted..When Blogging Is Seriously Hard
I enjoy your succinct and informative way of laying things out. Sometimes I want to know how to do it right, before beginning, and forget that there will be a learning curve. It was affirming to know you altered as you went. What have you discovered about your blog that keeps people interested?
Looking forward to reading more of what you have to say.
Marilyn,
Thanks for the comment. I will say that when i started, four years ago, I just jumped right it. When I looked back on my first post, I cringed. In fact I blogged about it, “Five Thing’s I’ve Learned Since My Stinky First Post.” http://catseyewriter.com/2011/01/08/catseyewriter-confessions-5-things-ive-learned-since-my-stinky-first-post/
On your question on keeping people interested, I listen a lot: at blogging workshops I’ve taught, on Twitter and Facebook, in the comments from readers on my own blog. So, I try to be helpful, but put a personal spin on the topic so it doesn’t bore my audience to tears. And, yes, I’ve definitely evolved over the four years.
I wrote a post over at For Bloggers, By Bloggers that might also be helpful to you as you think about this. It’s called “7 Ways to Use Your Blog as a Lab, Even if You Sucked at Science.” It’s about trying out different ideas to find out what works and what doesn’t. http://bestbloggingtipsonline.com/7-ways-to-use-your-blog-as-a-lab-even-if-you-sucked-at-science/
Hop this helps and do come back and visit us again. : )
Judy Dunn recently posted..Here She Comes to Save the Day!: ‘Wanton Exclamation Point’
To me voice and the content it speaks about is the most compelling component of blogging.
You can have a great tale to tell but if you don’t use your own voice to distinguish it all you have done is added to the noise out there.
Jack recently posted..Yoda’s Life Lessons For Business & Raising Children
I’ve been a part of discussions online this week about this very thing. Some people seem to think that voice and personality on a blog don’t matter. I’m on your side on this issue.
Judy Dunn recently posted..Is Writing with Vulnerability a Sign of Low Self-Concept?
This was very interesting to read. I am new to blogging and trying to glean as much advice as possible to avoid as many pitfalls as I can sensibly avoid.
Thanks
Joan,
I WISH I had observed a little more before I jumped in. On the other hand, it’s that experience that makes you better—faster. (Making mistakes, correcting the, moving on.) Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. : )
Judy Dunn recently posted..I Just Got a Warm Hug from Larry Brooks and He Wants to Give You One, Too
Hi Judy,
I’m so glad I found this blog. Thanks for sharing this posts, the information is invaluable.
I will certainly read more.