What Is The Best Way To Build Your Audience As A New Writer

In April, I attempted to do a challenge of writing twice a day. The first week went well.

I wrote twice a day, and then in week two, I was burnt out of writing, so I went back to my once-a-day and submitted a few to relevant publications.

My goal for the month was to see if self-publishing articles do better than articles in publications. I did not need to write twice a day to give you these results.

Do You Want To Make A Full Time Income Of Writing? A 30 Day Experiment

Self Publish, Publications, daily writing, what really works?

First, I want to explain a few things.

Many of us who are writers do not want to read about writing; however, there are so many new writers here every day that it sells. Why do people write about writing? It gets views, and it makes that person money.

Why do people publish in pubs vs. self-publishing?

Same, it gets views, your name out there, and people see your work, and typically the publication articles do get more reads.

Why do people like myself prefer to self-publish?

Convenience, and I like to not worry about the style I write in or follow a set of rules.

I only publish a few publications; they are flexible and don’t usually change my articles.

My first two articles that took off in November were self-published. To date, they are still my best articles.

Whether in a pub or self-published, the articles that have done best are my most controversial ones.

It doesn’t matter if they are self-published or in a publication; “a good article is a good article.”

Photo by Jamie Haughton on Unsplash

So then, should you hustle to write two or three times a day?

I do not think so; I have written almost every day since I started here in October. I take a couple of days off here and there, usually because I need a break.

I have friends who write multiple articles a day and schedule; I like to do that also. Then I have one piece and will write another without pressure to produce. I do not do well when I am tired, burned out, or trying to meet a goal.

Hence why I failed my twice-a-day writing.

I also like to write when the mood strikes. Last night I tried to write, and an hour later, and four horrible stories half done, I quit. I went to sleep early. I woke up refreshed and ready to write.

If you are a new writer, respond to your commenters, check them out, and see who is reading your work. You will find they are similar to you and then can start building a community of your own. Read writers that you enjoy reading. It is simple; keep it fun and natural.

Ok, you are wondering about my results for the month?

The ones I placed in publications did the best this month. I also have a particular niche; I write about travel, living abroad.

My most-read article, and a bit controversial:

Why Americans Have A Bad Reputation Abroad, A First-Hand Toxic Experience

I can not believe what I was hearing.

The second most popular was published in Illumination, another publication I use. I used it as an experiment to see if writing about writing makes money; yes, it was my second most popular, it is linked above:)

With this said, I published an article in May, which already has more views than most of my articles in April. It is self-published and a bit controversial, and a different style for me, and more fun to write!

How To Stay Safe As A Man In The World

From a women’s perspective, because we know best.

So my recommendations, if you are going to publish in a publication, pick one that is very specific to your niche, and you will do much better. Try to pick a few topics and become the expert in those topics.

Mine is budget travel, living abroad, and a little bit of sobriety and inspiration to chase your dreams. I also tell stories of my life, these are not popular, yet these are my favorite to write. So I will still publish them because I enjoy them.

Do not do writing for the money, or you will burn out fast. I love writing and creating a community, so for me, it is fun, and when it is fun, as an enneagram 7, I will continue.

When I started, I just wrote whatever my heart desired. I did not look to see what was trending; I just picked what struggles I have had over the years and created a story around them. It helped me process my thoughts, but it also helped me create stories that could help someone else if they are in the same position.

I have had a lot of difficult moments in my life; when I started writing, I noticed how angry I was about many things from my past. Since I have been continuously writing, I noticed I am not as mad.

So writing has been therapy, and I am forever grateful to those who read my crazy stories.

Logistics, run your articles through Grammarly premium. Use a headline analyzer for your titles — above 70 is best. Write.

So final thoughts, start and write. Choose two publications that are specific to your niche. I recommend using publications, but not all the time self publish also. It takes the pressure off of having to make it perfect.

Do a blend of the two, and see what you enjoy doing more; ultimately, that matters. The money will come if you find the joy first.

Daily writing is best, but my stats doubled when I wrote twice a day. Yet I was stressed and burned out early. So I will stick to daily writing when I feel inspired.

I will continue mainly self-publishing; I will submit it when the article is appropriate for a specific niche pub.

I am not an expert at life or writing; I am just a girl with a blog who enjoys writing.

Writing this way works for me; you need to find a way that works for you, lots of trial and error, as with anything in life. Write from the heart, write what you want, and do not chase the dollar; that is never the answer.