How did creators get noticed in the nineteen hundreds? Whatever this process entailed, one thing is sure – the internet and social media platforms have revolutionized how creatives interact with their audience. In his book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, Michael Hyatt shares tips to help you stand out as an artist.
I bought this book while developing my blog a few months ago and could not stop reading it. Below is a review of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. This review focuses on content, readability, and practical application of concepts.
Reasons to Read Platforms: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.
Content
This book is divided into five main parts. Section one focuses on developing a compelling product, picking a brand name, and packaging it properly. Section two dives into goal setting, branding, elevator pitches, and more. The third section expands on social media, blogging, intellectual property protection, etc. The fourth section contains tips to improve blog traffic, gain email subscribers, and guest blogging, to name a few. The fifth section closes with how to engage your audience through comments, brand monitoring, etc.
The book title might make you believe that it covers all platforms. However, I think this book is most beneficial to bloggers. Nonetheless, there are a few tips other creatives can benefit from such as intellectual property, content ideas, and branding advice. What I enjoyed most about the content is how it touches on a few relevant areas of blogging I didn’t consider at first. If you desire a more robust dive into major social media platforms, this book falls short in content.
My only critique of the book is that some of its content feels outdated— particularly the section on blog templates and Twitter. The average person today understands how Twitter functions alongside other social media platforms. So this section can use some updating to meet the times.
Delivery
In terms of its delivery, this is a solid book. I like its simplicity and conversational tone. Reading it feels like discussing with a mentor. The language is easy to understand, and the chapters are short, each focusing on a single concept. Even though the book reads like a combination of different articles, the author does a great job linking one chapter to the next.
There are a lot of helpful tips on blogging and engaging one’s audience in this book. I like the author’s use of examples to help readers comprehend ideas. He also shares valuable book recommendations. As a book blogger, I appreciate these recommendations.
Also, Michael Hyatt engages readers and helps them read the book faster with the help of short chapters and sentences. I almost completed the book the same day I received it. This is a plus point for any author. No one wants to take forever to understand a concept. The faster we can read through, the better.
Practical Application of Concepts
Regarding applicability, I would say this book is suitable for creatives. Although the title sells it as a technical book, it is straightforward, and the ideas are easy to apply. It contains valuable information and examples from the author’s blog with his permission to adapt them. I found the following topics beneficial: how to promote posts, deal with trolls, use Twitter to generate traffic, write a compelling about page, and write attractive headlines. These and more make the book very practical.
Finally, this book is ideal for new bloggers or growing an existing blog. It won’t give you much technical advice on SEO, but it has handy information on developing quality blog content.
Have you read Michael Hyatt’s Platforms: Get Noticed in a Noisey World? Share your thoughts on the book below.