Being a successful author and selling books has always been difficult. Today, this is particularly challenging as reaching out to potential readers has become tricky. Therefore, building an author platform is very important. Through it, writers can reach their readers more quickly.

Now, one of the best ways to establish a stable author platform is through using videos. However, it’s essential to do this properly as a video can both be harmful and beneficial. The critical thing to remember is that video content generates the most engagement.

People have more patience for videos rather than texts. A video can explain something and deliver information more quickly. At the same time, they don’t require any effort from the viewers.

What are Author Platforms?

Before we continue any further, we should first define author platforms. There is a broad interpretation of this term, and a lot of people misunderstand what it means. An author platform is a writer’s ability to sell their work on their name and without any marketing campaign.

Publishers today look for writers that have enough authority and credentials with their audiences. The audience should respect an author. This shows potential for future book sales and whether that person has what it takes to make it.

People don’t want to read authors they don’t know. It has become equally important to build a brand around the author and connect with the audience. A platform can be social media, blogs, or several channels combined. The important thing is that it can build sales momentum through engagement.

Why Publishers Like Writers with Established Author Platforms?

It doesn’t matter how authors have managed to build author platforms. If the writer can bring readers through his or her blog, social media, TV shows, online mini-series, or any other way, publishers will be more willing to give that person a contract.

An author with a built platform has a lot of engaged audiences, and this will lead to direct book sales. When viewers are engaged with an author, they are naturally more open to reading or buying his/her work. For publishers, the only thing that matters is sales and author platforms help make them, simple as that.

Tens of thousands of followers are already a good start, and publishers will notice that. If you have more, your odds of finding a publisher will only increase.

How Videos Help Build an Author Platform

Increases Visibility Through Searches

A lot of people look for information online. They get on search engines to find what they are looking for. A big part of those search results is also videos. If you find a niche where the consumer needs haven’t been met and post videos regularly on that topic, you can increase your visibility.

After some time, people will start subscribing to you and keep coming back. The more videos you make, the more people will organically find them online. If your videos offer useful information to them, they will want to see your future work.

Create Video Trailers for Your Book

This is the first thing that comes to mind for most people. Even though it’s generally a good idea to create book trailers, this won’t help you build authority that quickly. Still, these videos can help inform your whole audience about your upcoming book and engage them.

These videos are short and sweet. You can share them quickly and let everyone know about your new work. These kinds of videos are also great for sponsored ads on social media. They can be used to drive more interest as people can view them in a matter of seconds.

Podcasts

Podcasts are a new but useful video format where people usually talk with each other. Podcasts are pre-recorded programs that are later published on a site. You can create your podcast or look to find one where you can make a guest appearance.

Still, it’s important to deliver content that will be interesting to your audience. For example, there are various online podcasts designed explicitly for authors where they discuss their writing, methods, approaches, and so on. Podcasts allow you to communicate your brand to the audience and keep them connected to you.

Make Informative Videos

As an author, your goal is to connect yourself with the audience. It’s about letting people know who you are and what you know rather than familiarizing them with your book. One of the best ways to establish yourself as an author that can be trusted and respected is by offering your expertise.

Videos are a great medium for delivering valuable information to viewers. For example, you can talk about how you write and help people who are starting out. On the other hand, you can talk about topics related to your books. What’s important is to offer value to your audience and make videos enjoyable for them.

Video on Social Media

Everyone is on social media today. This means that you need to be on these platforms as well. Depending on the genre and your target audience, some platforms might be better for you than others. However, what matters is that all social networks now have live video options where you can tune in instantly and inform people about something.

For example, Instagram is an excellent platform as everyone that follows you will see your video. These videos on social media are great for quickly informing people about something and maintaining a relationship with them.

Conclusion

As a writer, you need to be able to market yourself apart from writing.  Making videos is not an easy job, especially if you aren’t familiar with this kind of work.