Do you dream of being discovered?
Imagine if someone spotted your novel, dragged you into the limelight – and publishers came crawling. Or what if your blog post went viral, admirers crashed Twitter, and readers scrambled to subscribe – wouldn’t that be great?
It happens. New writers are discovered every day. It may look accidental, but there are ways to become ‘accident-prone’. Here are five shortcuts to fame that work:
Tip #1: Throw yourself up the learning curve.
Every worthwhile endeavor has a steep learning curve. If you want to have success as a fiction writer, you need to learn how to create a compelling novel or short story. If you are a blogger, you need to learn how to write a blog post that can go viral. Make sure that you learn what has made others successful. Money spent on education and training is always a good investment. And if you can snag a mentor on your learning journey – you’re allready half-way to fame.
Tip #2: Hang out where you can be spotted.
One of the sure-fire ways to fame is to be endorsed by an expert in your field. You can see how that works when you read the blurb on the back of books. Be discovered and endorsed by a leading exponent, and you are on the fast track to fame.
But how to get discovered?
It’s simple. You need to figure out where the experts hang out and join them there. Let’s say for example that your dream as a blogger is to have a guest post on Zen Habits which was originally voted by Time Magazine as no. 1 of the 25 best blogs of 2010. Zen Habits now has about 200,000 subscribers, so a guest post there catapults you automatically into fame.
How do guest posters snag a primo gig like this one? Well, two of the best guest posts on Zen Habits were from Jeffrey Tang of The Art of Great Things and Barrie Davenport of Live Bold and Bloom – both of whom are members of the A-List Blogger Club. That’s where their talent was spotted by Leo Babauta. They both hung out where they could be discovered.
Tip #3: Be insanely useful.
I was recently writing up my blogging experience as a case study. I noticed a weird pattern, over and over. I’ve always tried to help others, whether they were newbies or experts. Being helpful is the main reason behind my success. It’s the same with people I’ve pushed into the limelight: their relationship with me usually started with consistent offers of help. So, be insanely helpful to others in your field.
Tip #4: Grab opportunities as they flit past
The Internet is a place of fast change. Opportunities only come around once. If you’ve built a connection with an expert and they ask for help, say “yes” – even if you are over-committed and unpaid.
Here’s an example: a joint-venture project that emerged from the A-List Blogger Club is just about to launch. The Daily Brainstorm – a blogazine to rock your mind – has turned into an amazing opportunity for three Club members destined for the A-List: Barrie Davenport is the Editor in Chief, and Katie Tallo with Jean Sarauer are Managing Editors. They embraced this opportunity without hesitation. The combined count of monthly unique visitors of all the blogs contributing to The Daily Brainstorm is already in the millions – and that’s even before today’s formal launch. This thing’s running hot and is going to be BIG!
Tip #5 Use ‘vitamin’ C in high doses.
Vitamin C is something that aids vitality. But I don’t mean pills here. C stands for Connection. Because connection is what makes opportunities happen on the Internet.
How can you connect? Start with your end of the conversation. If the expert you want to connect with is on Twitter, send him or her regular Tweets with relevant comments. If it’s a blogger you want to connect with, comment on her or his blog. In time the expert will notice you, and a connection will form. Once you’ve forged a connection, make sure that you’re insanely helpful.
Meet good fortune half way – and don’t sit around, waiting for it to find you.
But what about those who are disadvantaged? What about those who are eager to become top blogger – but they can’t afford the cost of training? I’m thinking in particular of writers in the Third World.
In my experience, blogging is the quickest way to create a career with fast fame and a solid income.
If you have some more tips to add about shortcuts to fame, please share that in the comments as well, ok?
