Your Platform-Building Checklist
Sprocket Websites is proud to say that we boast a few authors among our clients. In addition to developing websites, we also help folks with their digital media. Small-business clients call it “Online Reputation.” Authors know it as “Platform.”
The Sprocket team has a checklist that we follow to make it easier to update online profiles. Keeping this information together in a file on your computer makes it simple to cut and paste rather than having to compose on the fly.
Here’s what you’ll want to prepare and save in your file:
- Your name
- Your pen name
- Your website URL
- The email address you are using as an author
- A short biography/about-the-author of approximately 50 words
- A longer biography/about-the-author of approximately 150 words
- Your headshot, about 300-500 pixels
- Your book title(s)
- Your book(s) ISBN(s)
- The cover image of your book(s), about 300-500 pixels
- A short synopsis of your book(s) of approximately 50 words
- URL links to places where your books are sold
- Your Twitter account name
- Your Facebook account name
- The URL of any YouTube videos or book trailers
By having all this information ready to go in your computer’s files, you can fill in the blanks at online profiles efficiently without agonizing over each one. You can use this checklist when building your profile at social media websites and on author pages at book sites. Don’t forget to post it on your own website as a Press Kit for reporters and bloggers to access when writing about you.
This Press Kit info also comes in handy when someone requests a bio for introducing you at a speaking engagement or to print in their program. Instead of dropping everything to write something up to meet their deadline, just cut, paste and send!
It’s helpful to keep a list of the links where you posted this information in your Platform File as well, and you’ll want to mark your calendar to review the file every so often. If you’ve published a new book, taken a new photo or just want to rewrite your bio, you’ll know where to go online to update your profile.
Platform building is important, but so is writing the next book! By making the job easier, you’ll have more time to write.