Darla G. Denton | Author Platform Coach

Setting strategic Author Platform Goals 2025 can help you connect with readers, market your books effectively, and build long-term success

The publishing world moves fast. Every year, thousands of new books flood the market, making it harder for authors to stand out. To succeed, you need a strong author platform, but where do you start?

You see bestselling authors posting daily, sending newsletters, and engaging with readers across multiple platforms. It looks effortless. Meanwhile, you’re struggling to stay consistent or figure out what actually works.

Many authors fall into common pitfalls:

• They try to do everything at once and burn out.
• They focus only on social media, neglecting email marketing and SEO.
• They set goals so vague they don’t know if they’ve succeeded.

Sound familiar? This guide will help you set realistic, strategic goals tailored to your writing career. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your strategy, you’ll find practical steps to grow your audience and build your author brand effectively.

If you’re new to building an author platform, start here: Author Platform: What It Is and Why You Need One.

6 Challenges Every Author Faces & How to Overcome Them

Before you dive into growing your platform, it’s important to recognize the common obstacles that can derail your author platform goals and how to overcome them

Building an author platform can feel overwhelming. Many authors struggle with time management, self-promotion, and setting clear priorities. But the right strategies can help you overcome these obstacles and make real progress.

Challenge #1: Too Many Tasks, No Clear Starting Point

Why This Feels So Hard:

• There’s so much advice out there, and it’s tough to know where to start.
• It seems like every successful author is active on multiple platforms, making you feel like you need to be everywhere at once.

How to Make It Easier:

• Start small and focus on one or two key areas instead of trying to do everything at once.
• Think about where you are in your career:
  • New authors: Set up a website and get your branding in place.
  • Self-published authors: Pick one social media platform to focus on and engage your audience there.
  • All authors: Build your email list—this is one of the most important assets you’ll ever have.

Building your platform is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on consistency, not perfection.

Before you build your author platform, you need a strong personal brand. Learn how to define yours step-by-step in Defining Your Author Brand: A Beginner’s Guide for 2025

Challenge #2: Putting in the Work but Seeing No Results

Why It Feels Like You’re Stuck:

• You’ve been posting, emailing, and engaging, but you’re not seeing a big jump in followers or book sales.
• It’s frustrating to put in the effort and feel like no one is paying attention.

How to Start Seeing Results:

• Growth takes time, but tracking the right numbers will show you where to focus.
• Instead of worrying about follower count, pay attention to engagement and email sign-ups—those are what actually convert into loyal readers.
• Try setting specific, measurable goals so you can see progress:
  • Instead of “I want more readers,” say “I will grow my email list by 200 subscribers in the next 6 months by offering a free novella.”

Success is about building momentum, not overnight results. Keep showing up, and you’ll see steady growth.

Challenge #3: Scattered Efforts with No Clear Priorities

Why It’s Hard to Stay on Track:

• Every marketing tip you read says something different, and you’re not sure what’s actually worth your time.
• You start one strategy, then switch to another, and never feel like you’re making real progress.

How to Get Clarity:

• Get clear on what matters most for your stage as a writer:
  • New authors: Make sure your brand and website clearly tell readers who you are.
  • Self-published authors: Focus on growing your audience and marketing your books.
  • Traditionally published authors: Strengthen direct reader connections beyond what your publisher handles.
• Choose 3-5 core goals and stick with them for at least three months.
• Don’t spread yourself too thin. If Instagram and your email list are working for you, focus on them instead of chasing every new trend.

The more focused you are, the faster you’ll see real progress.

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Challenge #4: No Time to Build a Platform

Why It Feels Impossible to Keep Up:

• Between writing, marketing, and everything else in life, there’s barely enough time to get it all done.
• You start strong, but after a few weeks, you’re burnt out and falling behind.

How to Make the Most of Your Time:

• Batch your content—spend one afternoon creating posts for the next two weeks instead of scrambling daily.
• Use time-blocking—schedule one hour a week for platform-building instead of letting it take over your life.
• Maximize your efforts:
  • Talk to five readers daily instead of trying to be everywhere at once.
  • Repurpose content—turn a blog post into a social media post or an email.

You don’t have to do everything, just do the right things consistently.

Feeling overwhelmed by all the tools you need to build your author platform? Kit helps you organize your must-have resources in one place, making it easy to stay focused and efficient.

Challenge #5: Marketing Feels Too Pushy

Why Promoting Yourself Feels Uncomfortable:

• You don’t want to sound pushy or turn people off.
• You’re worried that talking about your book too much will annoy your audience.

How to Sell Without Feeling Sleazy:

• Think of marketing as relationship-building, not selling.
• Instead of just saying “Buy my book,” share things like:
  • Behind-the-scenes glimpses of your writing process.
  • Stories about what inspired your characters or plot.
  • Reader Q&A sessions to make them feel involved.

The more personal and engaging your content is, the more naturally people will want to buy from you.

Challenge #6: No Clear Way to Measure Progress

Why You Feel Lost:

• You don’t know what’s actually working, so you feel like you’re spinning your wheels.
• There are so many analytics and numbers that it’s overwhelming to figure out what matters.

How to Track What’s Working:

• Focus on a few key numbers that really show growth:
  • Email list: How many subscribers are you gaining? Are they opening and clicking your emails?
  • Engagement: Are people commenting, saving, and sharing your content?
  • Website traffic: Are people actually visiting your site?
• Set data-driven goals instead of just hoping for the best:
  • A 5% engagement rate is better than 10,000 passive followers.
  • 100 engaged readers will do more for your career than 1,000 silent ones.

When you track the right numbers, you’ll know exactly where to focus your energy.

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Every author struggles with these challenges at some point. But the ones who succeed are the ones who set clear goals, take consistent action, and adapt when needed.

Pick one area to focus on for the next 90 days. Whether it’s growing your email list, engaging on social media, or strengthening your brand, commit to it and track your progress.

Your author platform is an investment in your career. Start now, stay consistent, and watch your audience grow.

The 5-Step Goal-Setting Plan Every Author Needs

If you want to grow your author platform, you need a plan. Wishing for more readers won’t make it happen. Neither will randomly posting on social media or sending an occasional email to your list. Without clear, strategic goals, it’s easy to waste time on tasks that don’t move you forward.

Let’s break this process into five actionable steps. By the end, you’ll know exactly what to do next.

1. Define Your Core Focus

Before setting goals, decide on your primary focus. You cannot effectively grow your author platform if you’re trying to do everything at once. Choose one area to prioritize for the next three to six months:

• Branding: If you are just starting, your focus should be on building a professional website, developing your author brand, and establishing a consistent voice across platforms.
• Book Marketing: If you have a book coming out soon or one already published, shift your focus to marketing strategies, promotional campaigns, and increasing visibility.
• Audience Growth: If you want to expand your reach, concentrate on growing your email list, networking with other authors, and consistently engaging on social media.

Once you’ve selected your core focus, your goals should align with that. If your goal is to build an email list, don’t waste time trying to be active on five different social media platforms.

Ask yourself: What’s the one thing that, if done well, would make the biggest impact on my author career right now? That’s where your attention should be.

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2. Set SMART Goals

Vague goals won’t help you measure progress. Saying, “I want more followers” is not a strategy. You need SMART goals, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Here’s the difference:

• Vague goal: “I want to grow my audience.”
• SMART goal: “I will grow my email list to 1,000 subscribers by the end of the year by offering a free short story and promoting it on Instagram and my website.”

SMART goals remove the guesswork. They give you a clear direction and allow you to track your progress.

Here are a few SMART goal examples for different focus areas:

• Branding: “I will complete my author website and publish my first blog post within 60 days.”
• Book Marketing: “I will schedule five podcast interviews to promote my book within the next three months.”
• Audience Growth: “I will gain 300 new Instagram followers in 90 days by posting engaging Reels three times a week.”

If your goals don’t have specific numbers and deadlines, rewrite them.

Setting up your author platform is easier when you have the right tools. Check out 18 Must-Have Author Platform Tools to Simplify Your Writing Life to make your platform-building process more efficient.

3. Create an Action Plan

Now that you have a goal, how are you going to reach it? Goals without an action plan are just wishes.

Here’s how to break it down:

• Choose 1-2 marketing channels. Focus on the platforms where your readers spend time. If your audience is primarily on Instagram, don’t waste time trying to grow a Twitter following.
• Plan your content in advance. If you want to grow your email list, you need to create lead magnets, write compelling emails, and promote them regularly. If your focus is branding, plan website updates, blog posts, and about-page improvements.
• Be realistic about your time. If you only have three hours a week for platform-building, don’t commit to daily content creation. Instead, create a sustainable schedule that fits your life.

For example, if your goal is to grow your email list, your action plan might look like this:

1. Create a free short story or exclusive content to offer as an incentive.
2. Set up an email marketing service like Kit.
3. Promote the freebie on your website and social media twice a week.
4. Write one newsletter per month to engage new subscribers.

Each step moves you closer to your goal without overwhelming you.

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4. Measure Progress and Adjust

Setting goals is only the first step. You also need to track your results to know if your strategy is working.

Here’s how to measure progress effectively:

• Email list: Track how many new subscribers you gain each month. Look at your open rates to see if people are actually engaging with your emails.
• Social media: Don’t just count followers. Pay attention to engagement, comments, shares, and saves matter more than vanity metrics.
• Website traffic: Check your Google Analytics to see how many visitors you’re getting and which pages they’re spending time on.

If your numbers aren’t improving, don’t panic. Instead, analyze what needs adjusting. Maybe your emails aren’t converting because your subject lines aren’t compelling. Maybe your social media engagement is low because you’re not using calls-to-action in your captions.

Tracking the right data will show whether your author platform goals are working or if you need to adjust your strategy.

5. Stay Flexible and Keep Learning

The strategies that work today may not work in six months. Platforms change. Algorithms shift. Readers’ preferences evolve.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

• Keep up with trends. Follow book marketing experts, listen to publishing podcasts, and stay updated on industry news.
• Engage with your community. Join Facebook groups for authors, attend webinars, and learn from writers who are ahead of you in the journey.
• Test new strategies. If your current approach isn’t working, pivot. Try new content formats, experiment with paid ads, or focus more on collaborations.

Successful authors don’t just set goals once. They adjust, refine, and improve their strategies over time.

If you want to build an author platform that works for you, you need a plan. Start by defining your core focus, set SMART goals, and take consistent action.

The most successful authors aren’t the ones who do the most; they are the ones who do the right things consistently.

What’s your next goal? Write it down, make it specific, and start taking action today.

Final Thoughts

The key to success is setting author platform goals that are realistic, strategic, and flexible enough to grow with you.

Success in building an author platform doesn’t happen overnight. It takes strategic planning, consistent effort, and the willingness to adapt. The good news? You don’t have to do everything at once.

Start by setting realistic goals that align with your career stage. Focus on one key area at a time, whether it’s building your brand, growing your email list, or marketing your book. Small, steady progress will take you further than scattered efforts.

Right now, choose one SMART goal to focus on. Write it down. Then, break it into clear action steps that fit into your schedule.

Your author platform is an investment in your long-term success. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see results. Take action today and begin building a platform that works for you.

Ready to Build a Stronger Author Platform? Take the Next Step!

You have the knowledge and the strategy,now it’s time to take action. Whether you’re refining your brand, growing your audience, or promoting your book, the right plan makes all the difference.

Here’s how to move forward:

• Get clear on your next steps with a free Author Platform Goal-Setting Worksheet
• Learn how to set achievable goals that drive real results
• Stop guessing and start building a sustainable author brand
• Get expert guidance tailored to your unique author journey

Ready for a Personalized Coaching Session? Let’s Talk.

Building an author platform can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. If you’re looking for expert guidance tailored to your unique goals, I’m here to help.

Let’s create a strategy that works for you. Contact me today to book a personalized coaching session.

Let’s Chat!

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to building your author platform? Are you struggling with goal-setting, audience growth, or marketing your books?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, I’d love to hear from you! Let’s start a conversation and help each other grow.