The Disillusionment of Platform Building

In 2012, with a good dose of prompting from two friends, I ventured out into the vast sea of the blogosphere.

Although I technically started a blog in 2011, I didn’t do much with it, nor did I have a clue about what it meant to blog.

So after I met with my two friends who showed me the nuts-and-bolts of blogging, I was ready to take on the world and get my voice out there. To confirm this calling, I just so happened to catch a podcast episode by Michael Hyatt on the importance of platform.

I was mesmerized. It was exactly what I was looking to grow my blog. After the podcast, I immediately bought Hyatt’s book, Platform, and devoured it.

I then proceeded to implement everything I digested online through the podcasts I listened to and the blogs I read. As a result, I focused on:

• Building my email list.
• Getting onto every Social Media tool I could (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn).
• Designing my website a certain way to attract people and build my traffic.
• Checking my stats and traffic often (way too often!) to see how my site was doing.
• Following people who promised success and financial freedom if I implemented their strategies.

After about a year of this, I realized how platform-chasing can lead to a lot of disillusionment.

Don’t get me wrong – I love Michael Hyatt and the other blogging greats out there – it’s just that they’re success and techniques don’t necessarily work for me or for others.

And as a result, I found myself frustrated and felt like a failure. I would read a blog post about someone who gained 30,000 subscribers because of this or that, or how a post went viral because it had a catchy title… you know the drill.

But thankfully I have come to realize that as good as a platform is, it can also easily get out of focus.

Here are 4 ways your platform maybe getting out of focus:

1. You’re overly obsessed about your stats, traffic, shares, etc.

Often, the first thing I would do after I got out of bed was check my stats. If my traffic was good or I had a lot of comments, I’d be happy; if it was low, I’d be depressed and my wife would say, “It’s not the end of the world. Don’t let this effect you so much.”

And she was right. I was very unstable. Sadly, I even neglected my own children because I was too busy checking things on my phone.

2. You compare yourself to other popular bloggers or writers often.

We live in a world of comparisons. We read about or see someone who makes it big and we think, “That will be me someday.” And so we find ourselves discontent… a lot!

I know I did. Thankfully, through some challenging circumstances, God helped me to see my folly in the empty endeavor of comparison.

We are called to live in the moment, not be allured by the idea of arrival. “If only I could get to this place then…” But it’s a lie.

Paul tells us the secret of contentment – no matter what we face – is finding strength in Christ (Philippians 4:12-13).

3. You are more concerned about writing about what you think people will like rather than what you’re passionate about.

Have you done this? Boy, I have. I would read about how to create a catchy title or seven-steps to get tons of shares or whatever, and then I’d do it.

But the problem was, I lost my voice amid all of the techniques and trends and strategies out there. When it comes to writing, the most important thing you can do is share what you’re passionate about.

Why?

Because passion is contagious. Forget about what is trendy and catchy; write about what makes you feel alive.

4. You don’t seek God for what He wants you to say through the gift He’s given you.

I have an amazing and discerning wife. Oftentimes, after I published a blog post, I would lament to her about not getting many comments or shares… and, inevitably, she would say, “Did you pray about what to write?”

“Umm,” I said, feeling like a heel, “no.”

“Well,” my wife would say, “isn’t that why you write?”

And she was right, and she didn’t say it in a deeming way either.

If we are going to be godly writers, it’s imperative we seek God on what to write about. If we do, it won’t matter how many comments we get or subscribers or how many books we sell – God will be glorified and lives will be changed.

Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Questions: Have you experienced disillusionment with platform-building? What have you learned?

Photo Credit: androoouk via Compfight cc