In 1990, a middle-aged woman submitted her manuscript to publishing houses, hoping for the best.
She’d been divorced recently. She’d a daughter.
One has to survive, especially when a child looks up to you. SO she got a job as a teacher. The payment was poor, but she had imagination and a manuscript that she wouldn’t give up.
She thought it was good and believed it would sell, but no publishing house was interested.
They all returned it in the same way you would reject food you wouldn’t eat.
No, they said.
She would not give up on the book for many years after the first rejection.
Neither she nor the publishers knew that the manuscripts would become one of the most-read books of all time.
What changed? How did it happen?
She kept submitting it to publishers until one of the editors gave it to his daughter. The little girl enjoyed reading it, and then the editors looked at the manuscript AGAIN.
The book is THE HARRY POTTER.
The author is J. K Rowling.
Let’s stop right here and look at something important.
As a content writer, what fascinates me the most is that a publisher became interested after an 8-year-old girl loved the manuscript.
Why?
Take a glance at the synopsis of Harry Potter that publishers rejected.
You will see the book is about an eleven-year-old boy who has magical powers.
The publishers who rejected it were adults. Can they really tell if the readers would love it without giving it to the right readers?
I have seen children watch cartoons for hours, and I fall asleep before two scenes.
Did you see where I am going?
Your chances of rejection are higher when you do not show your product or services to the right people.
It is also the reason you shouldn’t take rejections personally.
The receiver or reviewer of your product might not be right for what you offer.
So, until you find the right people, you might not get a yes.
Take a closer look at your product, pitch, services, and even your content, and ask yourself, who is this for?
Then send it to the right people.
I like J.K Rowling’s approach — pitch a thousand publishers until you find the right one.
But this approach isn’t the best for you if you are a business owner.
Don’t worry, though. We will talk more about it.
How to Find Your Audience As An Artist
It can sometimes be hard to find your audience is hard, especially if you’re a small business or one-person business owner.
The story above has some important lessons worth discussing elaborately for anyone who wants to succeed in business.
They are:
1. The first requirement is an Amazing product
It’s hard to sell a bad product. You must work on what you’ve got and create a quality product.
(But, sometimes, you can only get honest feedback about the quality by putting it out. In that regard, the other suggestions in this post will help)
So do your best to make your product perfect, and the rest of your job will be easier. Without enough faith in your product, the first couple of rejections can hit harder than you can handle.
So strive to have some confidence in what you’ve created before you find your audience. Create a good product.
2. Keep searching for the right audience
That little girl better appreciates JK Rowling because she enjoys reading the manuscript. She probably enjoyed it because the hero in the book is a young person like herself.
So before you send your product, do your diligence in research and study who you are sending it to.
Use tools to understand what your audience is looking for. Below are the tools that can help you determine your target audience:
- Google Analytics
- Google search console
- Google Trend (Their YouTube Channel, “Google for Creator,” is equally helpful)
- Answer the public (find questions people are asking about topics)
- Semrush social media tool (find how and which of your posts people are engaging with)
- Industry-specific newsletters (learn what’s new, insider tips, research, or findings in your industry)
- Buzzsumo (find posts people share more often)
- Forums and communities on Reddit, Discord, Quora, and LinkedIn (Find topics that are generating the longest/most heated discussion)
- Keyword.io (Find long-tail keywords relating to a particular topic)
- Pocket (Find the most saved and people’s favorite posts)
You can do keyword research to learn what people are already searching for.
Check this link for more helpful tools.
My experience: I used to think that small business owners care about marketing. Yes, they care, but they hardly use words when discussing their problems. Instead, they say, “We are not making sales.” To them, they do not have a marketing problem. They are not getting sales. I found out by reading and joining communities dedicated to small businesses. You have a better chance of getting them interested by saying, “You will help them get more sales,” than by saying, “I will market your product.”
Check this link to find low-cost marketing ideas
3. Consistency
If you are here, you probably know that people don’t win on their first try. But that’s how it has been since we were born and during our first walk attempt.
You have to try again and again. Use the information you learn from your first failure or rejection to restrategize.
Don’t Take Rejections Too Personal
It’s hard to find your audience and get them to listen.
The only thing that makes it a lot easier is faith in your work, pricing your tenth in front of the right people, and consistency.
Try again. Try again. Learn. Then try again.