Follow Me Not

On my struggle with platform building

Scout~13 Years and Counting

I just finished a course in school titled Author and Book Marketing. Beyond the basics of how to market a book, the class largely centered on platform building for writers.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m not in love with this subject.

Still, I started the course trying to have a good mindset and embrace the class material, and overall, I did okay in maintaining an upbeat attitude. We had an entire assignment on platform planning where we had to devise SMART goals to implement.

Let me just also add, that goal setting, SMART or otherwise, is challenging for me.

But, I did the assignment and even finished the paper feeling optimistic. I laid out plans with timelines and tasks I intended to execute. One of the specific areas I wanted to focus on was my Instagram writer’s page. Beyond Instagram, I do not have a writer-specific social media page. I’m on LinkedIn, but I mostly see that as a means of connecting with other writers. Also, I’m on Facebook and Instagram personally (with modest friend counts).

The problem is, beyond my marketing reluctance and challenges with goal setting, I also have a complicated relationship with social media.

Don’t get me wrong, social media has its good sides. I truly love the ability to stay in touch with people on Facebook that otherwise would be next to impossible. It’s a great way to share resources and prayer requests. Yes, there are good things. But as a writer, for this course, it was all about growing a platform, and that is where things get sticky. I don’t put this on others, but for me, it can feel so inauthentic. Which is the antithesis of what I aim to be.

Also, Instagram has a lot of incredibly curated material. Of course, people have their personal pages like I do, just pictures of family and vacations, etc. But businesses, photographers, social media gurus, and authors have spent hours curating, perfecting, and learning how to use the platform to grow an audience. I don’t take issue with that; I’m just not sure I have the bandwidth currently to do it well. I don’t want to put out janky stuff. If people are following my Instagram page as a writer, I feel like I need to do better. But that little word is what really seems to be stopping me in my tracks. Following.

Instagram accounts accrue followers, and this idea keeps coming back to me. People amass thousands of followers. If I’m posting pictures of my dog Scout and he gains a following, great! He’s old and arthritic now, but even not in his prime, he’s adorable. I personally follow some person who puts pictures of bookstores and libraries on her page. That’s it. Dusty books and attics or something. The page has 309,000 followers. That’s a lot of people who want to look at bookstores. But I get it. I have romantic notions about owning a bookstore while simultaneously living in the upstairs loft; I truly enjoy those bookstore photos. But some people are influencers, and that is a whole different ballgame.

Now, I understand that this is largely just wording. My Substack page has subscribers. I’m okay with that. My Facebook page has friends. Yep, okay. LinkedIn? Connections. All good. But followers? I can’t seem to overcome the terminology. There is something scary and accountable in that word. Following automatically implies that someone is leading. And leading means something very, very serious. I mean, Jesus has followers. I’m sure I’m getting too caught up in semantics, but the truth of the matter is, I don’t want followers. An influencer, I’m not.

I think I know what you are thinking, and I’m thinking about it, too. Aren’t writers by nature influencers? To some degree that is true. But intent matters. Take for instance what I write here on Substack. I share what I’m wrestling with, currently pondering, and reading. I want it to be a safe and honest space and not necessarily a place where someone has to be “right,” including me. I think of it more as a conversation with friends. I might confess a struggle and share a lesson I’m learning as a result. I might share my opinion or recommend a book I liked. But I’m just fine if you disagree, hate the book, or think I’m a kook. I want to hear your thoughts and am totally willing to embrace that mine on a given matter might be off-base. My intent is not to lead you but to have a forum where we can be transparent and authentic. I want a place for us to be real as Christians.

Now, I’d like to say if you have a business, or are an author or creator using Instagram, and have followers, wonderful! Go forth in freedom! This is my weird hangup to overcome. But what does it mean for me? I’m not sure. As a writer, the necessity of building a platform is just a reality. You can’t get away from it (trust me), and you can’t just stick your head in the sand. Right now, I have my humble Substack page, but someday I hope to publish manuscripts, and while I don’t want followers, I would like readers. Readers sounds wholesome. I can get behind the idea of readers.

What’s the bottom line? I’m putting away my SMART goals and plans and going back to the drawing board. Frankly, I’d love prayer. I need it to feel good and right and true. Hopefully, the answer will come sooner rather than later, so if you’d like to be a reader who joins me on Instagram, pop on over to @tiffanylink_writer. Just promise if you follow me, not to follow me.