Engaging readers online is tough—even more so than engaging readers in print.

Here are five tips to get you started:

1. Get to your point right away. You may lose your reader with three introductory sentences.
2. Use short paragraphs—and stick to one idea per paragraph.
3. Use simple, concise language. Why say “a number of” when you can say “some”?
4. Make your text easy to scan. Break it up with sub-headings and bulleted lists.
5. Use clear, descriptive titles instead of clever ones. Your reader will appreciate knowing exactly what your entry is about—and a search engine is more likely to see it.

Post by Amy Robertson, with help from Lisa Manfield, an SFU Continuing Studies instructor.
Image courtesy of Stock Exchange.

Your platform is your public profile—your means of communication with your fans. Agents and publishers will look at a writer’s platform before deciding whether to take him or her on as a client. They need to know that you, the author, are doing everything it takes to make a name for yourself.

Where do you begin?

1. Social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

2. Build a website.

3. Blog.

4. Join online writing communities.

5. Give readings of your work.

6. Teach.

7. Write for other markets.

Take some time to think about who you are as a writer. You are a brand—make sure you know what that brand is and whom you’re selling it to.

By Claire De Boer, a current student at The Writer’s Studio. Read her full post. Image from Wikipedia Commons.

These easy steps can help beginners start and continue a blog with confidence.

1. Choose a topic (or topics) and decide how frequently you feel you can post. (Once or twice a week is fine to start.)
2. When you put up your first post, write and schedule several others to come out at suitable intervals.
3. Choose a regular time of day that gives you a chance to edit, or at least check, each post.
4. Re-schedule upcoming posts as you need or wish to.
5. Sketch in titles and rough ideas for upcoming posts when the ideas come to you.
6. When you find a good topic, schedule a series of closely-related posts.
7. Make your blog visually appealing. Keep your posts short—online text should be less dense than print text.
8. Add interest by putting in your own pictures or shareable pictures you find online. Be sure to acknowledge and link to sources as appropriate.

By Carol Tulpar, author of the blog Essay-eh: essay-eh.blogspot.com.

Photo by Mike Rowe.