“How do I know what I should be doing?”
Authors ask me this all the time, convinced the answer is out there somewhere, waiting to be found. But it isn’t!
The real answer is sitting right in front of them, and most never see it.
Notice the question isn’t “what could I be doing.” That list never runs dry, and it never will. There’s always another podcast to pitch, another platform to try, another idea somebody swears by.
The question that stops authors cold is “what should I be doing.” That’s a different question entirely, and it’s the one nobody hands you a straight answer to.
That’s not a coincidence. It’s the trap.
In this week’s free article, I covered what happens when authors hop on the marketing treadmill. They keep adding activities because doing so feels safer than stopping long enough to decide what actually matters.
The challenge isn’t finding another marketing idea.
It’s knowing which ideas deserve your time.
So every author needs a filter.
Not a complicated system. Not another framework to memorize. Just a few questions to help you decide whether an opportunity moves you toward the future you want or simply hands you something else to do.
Start With the Destination
Before I recommend any marketing activity to an author, I want to know where they’re trying to go.
Sounds obvious, right? You’d be surprised how often this piece goes missing.
If your primary goal is speaking, your marketing should help event organizers discover you, understand your expertise, and picture you in front of their audience.
If your goal is consulting, your marketing needs to demonstrate the problems you understand and the results you can help clients achieve.
If bulk book sales matter to you, you need to find organizations that already serve large groups of the people your book exists to help.
Different destinations require different routes.
Skip that clarity, and almost any marketing idea sounds reasonable.
Nail it down, and you can start saying, “This might be a good opportunity, but it’s not the right opportunity for me.”
That single distinction saves an enormous amount of time.
Ask: Does This Put Me in Front of the Right People?
Years ago, when I focused on the tradeshow industry, I didn’t need everyone to know my name.
I needed the people who ran exhibitions, events, sales training, and tradeshow performance to know who I was.
Knowing this reshaped how I marketed myself.
I wrote for industry publications. I spoke at industry events. I built relationships within the associations and organizations that mattered. I kept talking about the problems exhibitors struggled with.
Over time, I became known as the tradeshow training expert.
Outside that world, plenty of people had never heard of me.
That didn’t matter.
I wasn’t trying to be famous. I was trying to be relevant.
To this day, this is still one of the most useful marketing lessons I know.
When you evaluate an opportunity, ask yourself whether it brings you closer to the people you most want to reach.
A podcast with 500 highly relevant listeners can beat one with 50,000 people who care little about your topic.
A small association conference can lead to more meaningful opportunities than a large general business event.
A thoughtful introduction to the right person can outweigh weeks of posting on social media.
Audience size rarely carries the most weight.
Fit does.
Ask: Does This Reinforce What I Want to Be Known For?
Authority grows through repetition.
Not mindless repetition. Consistent association.
When people hear your name, what do you want them to connect it with?
Talk about one subject on a podcast, another on LinkedIn, something unrelated in your newsletter, and a completely different topic when you speak, and you may build visibility without building recognition.
Two very different outcomes.
I've watched authors resist narrowing their message. Not fear of boring people. Fear of missing out on opportunities.
Usually the opposite happens.
The clearer your message becomes, the easier it gets for people to remember you, recommend you, and understand where you fit.
You can hold many interests.
You can know a great deal about many subjects.
But marketing works best when a recognizable thread runs through what you share.
Before you say yes to an opportunity, ask:
Will this reinforce the expertise I want people to associate with me?
If the answer is no, the opportunity might still bring you enjoyment or value.
It won’t be at the top of your marketing list.
Ask: Can This Lead Somewhere?
Here’s one question I wish more authors would consider.
Every marketing activity should carry the possibility of opening another door.
You don’t need to know exactly what will happen.
Marketing rarely works that neatly because it’s often labeled as an inexact science (frustrating for analytics).
But there should be a reasonable connection between the activity and the opportunities you want.
A podcast interview might lead listeners to your newsletter.
Someone searching for a speaker might discover an article you wrote.
A presentation could introduce you to a company interested in bringing your ideas to its employees.
A strategic partnership could lead to bulk book sales.
A client success story might help another prospective client recognize you understand their problem.
One activity feeds the next. This is when marketing gets powerful.
You stop chasing isolated bursts of visibility, the kind that fade the moment you stop. You start building momentum instead.
Momentum compounds. It doesn't reset every time you try something new.
Ask: Is This Something I Can Sustain?
Here’s another question authors tend to overlook.
Can you actually keep doing it?
I’ve watched authors choose marketing strategies because someone told them they “should” do it…
They should post every day.
They should create video.
They should host a podcast.
They should show up on three social platforms.
For a few weeks, they give it their best shot.
Then life gets in the way, the strategy turns exhausting, and then they stop.
There’s nothing wrong with experimenting. But I’d rather see an author pick two or three activities they enjoy and can stick with than build an elaborate marketing plan they secretly dread.
The right strategy should stretch you a little.
It shouldn’t make you miserable.
Love writing? Articles and newsletters can become a core part of your authority building.
Come alive in conversation? Podcasts and speaking suit you better.
Build relationships naturally? Partnerships and direct outreach beat social media every time.
Your marketing should play to your strengths. That doesn’t mean dodging everything uncomfortable. It means when the strategy fits you, showing up gets easy.
The Question to Ask Before Adding Anything New
When a coaching client brings me a new marketing idea, I don’t usually start by asking, “Is this a good idea?”
Most marketing ideas are good ideas for someone.
Instead, I ask, “How does this help you get where you want to go?”
That question changes the conversation.
Now we’re not talking about whether they can start a YouTube channel. We’re looking at whether YouTube makes sense for their audience, message, goals, strengths, and time.
We’re not talking about pitching more podcasts. We’re looking at which podcasts could put them in front of the people they most want to reach.
And we’re not chasing visibility for the sake of visibility. We’re asking what kind of visibility could actually lead to possible opportunities.
Those are the questions that help us make better marketing decisions.
A Simple Marketing Filter
Next time a new idea lands in your inbox, shows up in your social feed, or gets pushed on you by someone who swears every author should be doing it, run it through these five questions:
Does this support the destination I’m trying to reach?
Will it put me in front of the right people?
Does it reinforce what I want to be known for?
Could it naturally lead to another opportunity?
Can I realistically sustain it?
You don’t need five perfect yeses.
But if you struggle to answer most of them, pay attention to that.
Sometimes the best marketing decision isn’t adding something.
It’s choosing not to.
Put the Filter to Work
Take a look at everything you’re currently doing to market your book.
Write down your active marketing activities, including the ones you keep telling yourself you “should” be doing.
Then run each one through the five questions.
Now make three decisions:
Keep: Which activities clearly support your goals?
Pause: What are you doing mostly out of habit, guilt, or fear of missing out?
Add: Is one important activity missing, one that would bring you closer to the audience or opportunities you want?
Finally, choose your three marketing priorities for the next 30 days.
One should help people discover you.
One should demonstrate your expertise.
One should create a path toward a conversation, relationship, or opportunity.
Then give yourself permission to ignore the rest for now.
You can always add more later. Right now, the goal is to see what happens when your marketing starts working together instead of competing for your attention.
What to Focus on First
If you’re feeling scattered right now, I wouldn’t start by rebuilding your entire marketing plan.
Consider three priorities.
One activity that helps people discover you.
One that helps them understand your expertise.
And one that helps turn that attention into a conversation or opportunity.
For one author, that combination might mean podcast guesting, a strong newsletter, and direct outreach to associations.
For another, it could mean LinkedIn, speaking, and strategic partnerships.
For someone else, articles, workshops, and corporate outreach might make more sense.
The exact combination matters less than the connection between the pieces.
You want each activity to support the next.
That’s how you get off the marketing treadmill.
You stop asking how much marketing you can possibly cram into your week and start asking which few activities can do the most meaningful work for you.
And in my experience, that’s when marketing gets a lot less overwhelming.
It also gets a lot more effective.
Let me know how it goes.