Platform

Platform Plot Summary

Introduction

In today's hyper-connected world, having a great idea, product, or message isn't enough. Every day, millions of talented people with brilliant offerings go unnoticed because they lack the one crucial element that separates success from obscurity: a powerful platform. The challenge isn't just creating something remarkable—it's making sure the right people see it, engage with it, and spread the word about it. Think about the last time you discovered an amazing artist, writer, or entrepreneur. Chances are, you found them because they had effectively built a platform that amplified their voice above the noise. That's precisely what you'll learn to create for yourself. Whether you're an aspiring author, business owner, speaker, or someone with a cause worth fighting for, this journey will transform how you connect with your audience and establish your presence in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Chapter 1: Create a Compelling Product That Wows

At the heart of every successful platform is something that genuinely captivates people—a truly wow-worthy product or offering. Before worrying about marketing tactics or social media strategies, you must first ensure that what you're sharing with the world is remarkable. A mediocre product with amazing marketing will only lead to faster failure, while something truly exceptional can overcome even modest promotion efforts. Consider the journey of Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes. While traveling in Argentina, Mycoskie witnessed children without shoes who couldn't attend school and were vulnerable to soil-transmitted diseases. Rather than simply donating shoes, he created an entirely new business model—One for One—where for every pair sold, TOMS would give a pair to a child in need. This wasn't just another shoe company; it was a movement that solved a problem in an unexpected way. The response was overwhelming. By 2010, TOMS and its partners had given more than one million pairs to children worldwide. What made this offering so compelling wasn't just the quality of the shoes but the emotional connection customers felt knowing their purchase directly helped someone else. One child in Kenya exclaimed after receiving shoes, "I'm excited because when I woke up this morning, I did not know when I'll have something like this." A teacher added, "I can tell you, these children will not sleep today. They will be talking about those shoes the whole night!" To create your own wow product, start by identifying what expectations currently exist in your market, then deliberately exceed them. Ask yourself: What is the specific outcome I want customers to experience? What typical expectations do they bring? And most importantly, what would exceeding those expectations look like? The difference between meeting expectations (good) and exceeding them (wow) is where remarkable platforms begin. Remember that wow experiences share common elements: they surprise and delight, create anticipation, touch the heart, connect to something transcendent, provide clarity, create a sense of timeless presence, appeal universally, inspire evangelism, endure over time, and make people feel privileged to experience them. Your offering doesn't need all these qualities, but incorporating several will dramatically increase its impact. The foundation of your platform isn't clever marketing—it's creating something so valuable and distinctive that people can't help but talk about it.

Chapter 2: Build Your Home Base Online

The cornerstone of your platform strategy must be establishing a powerful online home base—a digital property you own and control where your tribe can gather. This is where all your internet traffic ultimately points, where your ideas live, and where your most meaningful engagement happens. Unlike social media profiles that exist on borrowed land, your home base gives you complete control over your message and audience. Michael Hyatt, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, learned this lesson the hard way. "In the early 2000s, we went website crazy," he explains. "We built a corporate site, divisional sites, author sites, and book sites. We naively thought this was marketing." The result? Over a thousand static sites that generated virtually no meaningful traffic. They were like brochures gathering dust in a warehouse. The turning point came when Hyatt began experimenting with his personal blog, updating content frequently and creating compelling posts people wanted to share. He noticed that consistent, valuable content brought readers back repeatedly and inspired them to tell friends. This simple insight transformed his approach to platform building. Your home base should primarily be a blog or content-rich website where you consistently deliver value to your audience. WordPress.org (the self-hosted version) offers the most flexibility for serious platform builders, though services like WordPress.com, TypePad, or Blogger provide easier starting points for beginners. The investment required scales with your success—from free hosted options to more sophisticated self-hosted solutions that might eventually cost hundreds monthly. To build an effective home base, focus on creating content that's uniquely yours—don't outsource your voice. When one CEO asked Hyatt who ghostwrote his blog, he responded, "I don't use a ghostwriter. I write every word myself." The executive replied he couldn't possibly do that, to which Hyatt advised, "Then you shouldn't do it at all." Authentic personal content builds trust that can't be manufactured. Develop a consistent posting rhythm (3-5 times weekly is ideal), use a template for efficiency, maintain a running list of post ideas, and write in a conversational, accessible style. Most importantly, engage with commenters to build community. Your home base isn't just a broadcasting platform—it's where meaningful relationships with your audience begin.

Chapter 3: Expand Your Reach Through Social Media

With your compelling product and home base established, it's time to extend your influence through strategic use of social media. Think of social platforms as embassies—places you don't own but where you maintain an official presence to engage with new audiences and direct them back to your home base. For many successful platform builders, Twitter has become an indispensable tool for expanding reach. Despite initial skepticism, even reluctant adopters discover its power for connecting with potential fans and customers. As one business owner discovered when launching a new product line called Boba Baby Carrier: "Prior to that, we were just using traditional online and print advertising. We went from having one follower to selling out our whole inventory in a matter of weeks." Effective Twitter use requires understanding its unique culture and constraints. The 140-character limit forces concision and clarity—a valuable skill for all communication. Post frequently but not excessively (10-12 tweets daily maximum), maintain a consistent voice, and follow the 20-to-1 rule: share twenty valuable resources or insights for every promotional message. Your generosity creates the social capital that makes promotional content welcome rather than intrusive. Facebook presents another powerful channel for expanding your reach. With over 800 million active users worldwide, its global influence is undeniable. However, approach it strategically by separating your personal profile (for family and close friends) from your professional Fan Page (for your wider audience). This distinction preserves your sanity while maximizing your platform's impact. To maintain consistency across all social media embassies, employ four branding elements consistently: your name (in exactly the same form everywhere), your logo or distinctive font, a professional avatar or headshot, and a consistent branding statement or tagline. This visual and verbal consistency ensures instant recognition across platforms. Remember that social media success comes from participation, not broadcasting. Respond to mentions, engage in conversations, and monitor what's being said about you through tools like Google Alerts or Twitter search. When someone mentions your brand—positively or negatively—respond quickly and authentically. This transforms potentially damaging situations into opportunities to demonstrate your values and commitment to serving your audience.

Chapter 4: Engage Your Audience Authentically

Building a platform isn't just about attracting attention—it's about creating meaningful connections that transform casual visitors into loyal advocates. The most successful platform builders understand that authentic engagement is what ultimately builds a thriving community around their work. David Alston learned this lesson dramatically when his wife had a terrible customer service experience with U-Haul. He tweeted about it to his 1,500+ followers, and within an hour, two dozen others shared similar negative experiences, creating thousands of negative impressions. Alston canceled his reservation and booked with Penske instead, tweeting about their excellent service. The result? U-Haul lost thousands in revenue while Penske gained new customers—all because one company failed to engage authentically while another excelled. This story illustrates a fundamental truth: in today's connected world, brands are built or destroyed one interaction at a time. Each engagement becomes either a "deposit" or a "withdrawal" in your brand account. When Apple's "genius" not only fixed Michael Hyatt's memory problem but also replaced his improperly seated battery without being asked, they created a wow experience that cemented his loyalty. "Now that's customer service," he notes, "and one of the reasons I keep buying Apple products!" To create authentic engagement on your platform, start by inviting conversation. End blog posts with thoughtful questions, implement a threaded comment system that allows readers to respond to each other, and make your own comments stand out visually so readers know you're actively participating. Most importantly, respond selectively but meaningfully to comments—about 20% is a good target—to demonstrate your presence without dominating the conversation. Establish clear guidelines for civil discourse by creating and publishing a comments policy. This doesn't stifle authenticity but rather creates a safe environment where meaningful exchange can flourish. As one industry observer noted about Hyatt's blog: "What stands out is the civility of the discussion—even from those who might disagree—and the general appreciation from those who comment for an explanation." When criticism comes—and it will—distinguish between three types: true friends offering constructive feedback, honest critics who simply disagree, and unhealthy trolls with destructive agendas. Welcome the first two while refusing to engage with the third. Remember that criticism often indicates you're making an impact; irrelevance rarely attracts criticism.

Chapter 5: Monetize Your Platform Strategically

Once you've built a platform with engaged followers, the question inevitably arises: how can you transform this attention and trust into sustainable income? Many creators hesitate at this juncture, fearing that monetization might compromise their integrity or alienate their audience. However, there's no inherent conflict between art and commerce—in fact, strategic monetization often enables creators to deliver even more value. When Michael Hyatt first considered accepting advertising on his blog, he resisted. "I thought somehow it would compromise my integrity," he admits. Then he had a realization: "All professionals charge for their work. In fact, this is what separates the professionals from the amateurs. Musicians sell tickets. Artists sell paintings. Authors receive royalties. Speakers are paid fees." This perspective shift allowed him to explore monetization strategies aligned with his values. One successful approach is selling advertising on your platform. You can start small with WordPress plugins like WP125 to sell modest 125×125 pixel ads, generating enough income to cover hosting costs. As your traffic grows, consider joining networks like Beacon Ad Network or BuySellAds.com that manage your ad inventory for a commission. For transparency, create a professional advertising kit showing your traffic metrics and audience demographics. Affiliate marketing offers another powerful revenue stream. By signing up as an Amazon Associate or joining affiliate programs for products you genuinely use and love, you can earn commissions without creating additional products. The key is maintaining authenticity—only recommend products you personally use and believe will benefit your audience. Hyatt consistently earns $600-700 monthly from Amazon affiliate links alone. Creating and selling your own products often proves most profitable. Hyatt's e-books on writing book proposals generate consistent sales month after month. The beauty of digital products is their automation—customers purchase, receive download links, and payments deposit directly into your account while you sleep. This passive income stream works continuously, requiring minimal ongoing effort. Beyond these direct monetization methods, your platform can generate leads for speaking engagements, coaching sessions, or consulting work. The credibility you've established through consistent value creation positions you as an authority worth paying for personalized guidance. Remember that monetization works best when it enhances rather than detracts from your audience's experience. Offer products and services that genuinely solve problems, maintain transparency about affiliate relationships, and keep promotional content proportionate to value-giving content. When monetization aligns with your mission to serve your audience, both you and your community benefit.

Chapter 6: Defend Your Brand With Consistency

Your platform represents years of dedicated work building trust and recognition. Once established, you must vigilantly defend this valuable asset through consistent messaging, vigilant monitoring, and graceful handling of challenges. In today's digital landscape, your reputation can be enhanced or damaged in minutes—making brand defense an essential skill for platform builders. Anne Jackson discovered this reality when she had a terrible experience with American Airlines and shared it on Twitter, followed by a blog post titled "American Airlines Is the Devil." With 3,500 daily blog visitors and another thousand Twitter followers, her negative experience quickly spread. Dozens commented with their own horror stories, creating a significant brand crisis. Remarkably, it took American Airlines nearly two months to respond and attempt to make amends—far too late to prevent substantial damage. This scenario plays out countless times daily across social media. To avoid similar crises with your own brand, implement a comprehensive monitoring system using tools like Google Alerts and Twitter search to track mentions of your name, company, products, and key competitors. When notifications arrive, you can quickly address concerns before they escalate. Carl Sewell, in his book "Customers for Life," calculated that each loyal customer was worth $332,000 in lifetime value (in 1990 dollars!). This perspective transforms how you view each interaction—suddenly, responding graciously to criticism becomes not just good manners but smart business. When you consider the ripple effect through their social networks, millions of dollars in potential revenue hang in the balance. When mistakes happen, take full ownership without qualification. The moment you include "but" in your apology, you negate everything before it. As one platform builder advises, "You can either be right or you can be happy." Taking responsibility, even when you believe you're not entirely at fault, demonstrates character that strengthens your brand rather than weakening it. Most importantly, maintain visual and verbal consistency across all touchpoints. Your name, logo, typography, color palette, messaging, and values should align seamlessly whether someone encounters you on Twitter, your blog, a podcast interview, or at a live event. This consistency creates instant recognition and reinforces your platform's unique identity. Remember that defending your brand isn't about perfection—it's about demonstrating your values when challenges arise. By responding quickly, taking responsibility, solving problems creatively, and exceeding expectations, you transform potential brand disasters into powerful demonstrations of your commitment to those you serve.

Summary

Throughout this journey, we've explored how to build a platform that elevates your voice above the noise of today's crowded marketplace. The path begins with creating something genuinely remarkable—a wow product or message that exceeds expectations. From there, you establish a home base, expand through strategic social media, engage authentically with your growing audience, monetize thoughtfully, and defend your brand with unwavering consistency. As Tony Robbins demonstrated in his fire-walking experience, the most important step is the first one. "Setting out to develop a platform can be overwhelming and scary," Michael Hyatt acknowledges. "There is so much to learn." Yet just like walking across hot coals, once you take that initial step, the rest becomes possible. The question to ask yourself isn't whether you're ready for everything the journey entails, but rather, "What would having a platform like this make possible for my business, my cause, or my campaign? What would it make possible for me?" Start today by selecting just one element—creating compelling content, launching your blog, or establishing your social media presence—and take decisive action. Your voice deserves to be heard, and the world needs what only you can offer.

About Author

Loading...

Michael Hyatt

Read more

Related Books by Michael Hyatt

Loading...

Free to Focus

Michael Hyatt

A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less

★★★★☆4.4

Loading...

Your Best Year Ever

Michael Hyatt

A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals

★★★½☆3.9

Loading...

Living Forward

Michael Hyatt

A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want

★★★½☆3.9

Loading...

Win at Work and Succeed at Life

Michael Hyatt

5 Principles to Free Yourself from the Cult of Overwork

★★★★☆4.1