As an indie author, you’re likely handling the bulk of building your author platform yourself. This is great, because you’re automatically going to be reinforcing a consistent brand—you—but it also means that your brand is susceptible to…ahem…vehement opinions.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and the glory of the internet (or, as some might say, its curse) is that there’s a place for everyone to voice that opinion. Your social media platform, be it twitter, Facebook, or your personal blog, is most likely going to be the place where you voice your opinions. When you do this, we can guarantee you two things:
- You will, at some point, say something controversial about something you care deeply about, and
- You will offend someone.
Now, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be controversial. After all, a statement that starts a valuable discussion and engages others in thoughtful dialogue is a wonderful thing. However, the internet is also home to trolls, mean-spirited people who hide behind a computer screen and live to cause trouble, offend, and generally be just plain awful.
When most people hear the word “rant,” they think of yelling, screaming, and illogical arguments. But on the internet, a rant is just a new word for a lengthy, posted opinion.
As an authorpreneur, you are passionate about something, and when the time comes (and it WILL come) when you want to take a stand, to say something controversial, to voice your opinion (even though others may not like it), you want to start a discussion, but you don’t want to alienate people.
Wise Ink’s Laura Zats is also a literary agent in the traditional publishing world. For her agency’s blog, she posted a rant on diversity in literature, something she cares greatly about, but is something that remains a hot-button topic in publishing and in the greater world. In the two weeks since it’s been up, Laura’s agency site has seen a marked increase in viewers, and she has gained over four times the amount of twitter followers as usual. There hasn’t been one negative comment posted, either.
Laura’s rant strengthened her public image and boosted her online presence, but how did she do it without offending anyone? Well, here are some tricks she used:
- Don’t single anyone out. You wouldn’t walk up to the biggest bully on the playground and pick a fight, would you? Well, the trolls and other combative people on the internet are looking for an excuse to fight, so rise above. Talk in generalities. Avoid stereotypes. Don’t give anyone the opportunity to feel threatened. No only will it hurt your image, but it’s not nice.
- Use positive examples. You’ll come across as nice and friendly, which will make you likable overall. Plus, people tend to take what you say more seriously if you build instead of bash. Think of it like constructive criticism: point out something you like, and talk about how to make not-so-good things as good as the thing you like.
- Avoid inflammatory language. This is the web equivalent of finger-pointing. Stay away from cursing, offensive terminology, or just anything that would make someone uncomfortable. This counts for CAPS YELLING TOO, WHICH COMES ACROSS AS SCREAMING IN SOMEONE’S HEAD. Use “I feel” statements to reinforce that your rant is your opinion, not necessarily someone else’s fact.
- Take your time and be deliberate. Even if you’re writing on Twitter, pick your words carefully and make sure that you explain your intended meaning anywhere something might be misconstrued. For Twitter, use multiple tweets. For blog posts, expect to spend at least twice as long crafting a rant than a regular post. Remember: the internet is forever. Something put badly and taken the wrong way can never really be deleted.
- Thank readers and commenters for their time and opinion, even if you don’t agree. This will keep things civil, and will allow you to engage in a conversation with said commentator if you so choose. By acknowledging someone’s opinion, you are actively respecting them, which is essential to get your followers to respect you. However, do NOT engage with someone trying to get a rise out of you. Don’t feed the trolls.
When done right, rants will help you build your planform, winning you loyal followers and fans. Embrace them. Love them. Use them. But be careful, too.
Readers, what do you rant about? Why was it successful? What have you learned from unsuccessful rants?
I said something about the health care situation and received plenty of comments. I thanked each one for their opinion because I think that it’s good to have different opinions. What did I do wrong? Nothing. Except the subject has nothing to do with my book. :{