A media platform is a brand. You publish your message in a publication with a name and a regular publishing schedule to an audience who wants to hear from you. A media platform can be in print, digital or audio formats.
When you see yourself as a publisher, you have three important responsibilities:
1. Do what you say you will do. Show up every day and give your audience what they expect from you.
2. Add value in every message. Produce binge-worthy material that your audience keeps in a special folder to consume over and over again.
3. Publish with no thought about what your audience can do for you. Give, give, give with no thought for a return.
Your media platform is much different from content production. You must do more than crank out content. You must develop a media platform that means something to a small, niche audience. This audience invites you to communicate with them and learns to expect and welcome your work because it adds value to their life.
Your communication deepens your relationship with your audience. Content production machines have few relationships.
Your communication builds trust over time. Trust deepens because you add value and ask for nothing in return. Content production machines blast messages to a mass audience and seek transactions. Communication is transformative.
Your communication adds lifetime value and meets very specific needs. Content production machines believe one size fits all.
As a publisher, you make promises and keep your promises throughout many seasons. Don’t publish with an end in mind. Expect nothing.
When your audience connects with your media platform they are rewarded with value. They don’t wonder about what you are selling this time. They can’t ever find your “buy now” button because your trust is in the process not the button.
The process guides an audience to answers. Step by step, day after day.
