For a blog, an email list, a YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to be a platform, it must have two things: permission from an audience and a promise that you make to them. Put simply:
Platform = Permission + Promise
Permission
Read Seth Godin’s work on Permission Marketing (article / book).
I like the way he has been describing permission lately.
He asks: Would they miss you if you were gone?
The first step is to get someone to subscribe (or like or follow), but real permission comes when someone actively seeks out your expertise in a certain area. Why is this important? Because it is becoming increasingly difficult to compete with the many other voices crowding people’s inboxes and news feeds.
Real permission comes when someone looks forward to hearing from you. Your emails and posts aren’t interruptions unlike the many ads, spam, or sales pitches people see and experience all the time.
This is why in order to have a strong platform, you must also make a promise
Promise
We might break down this platform formula a little further as:
Platform = Permission + Promise
Platform = Permission + (Offer + Outcome)
“I promise to offer you . . .”
When you ask someone to subscribe (or like or follow), what exactly do you promise to offer them?
It drives me crazy when I see “Follow us on Facebook” on billboards and the walls of businesses. Why? What are you offering me if I do follow you? There needs to be a concrete offer.
This is the major reason why no one is subscribing to your email newsletter.
“I promise the outcome will be . . .”
Let’s say you have taken the extra step and defined exactly what you will offer if someone signs up for your email list or follows you on Instagram.
Now, define the outcomes you promise people will experience of they give you permission. Since you are likely to help people achieve a number of different outcomes, pick the one that you can help with the most.
