Platform Quotes

“You will never see the full path. The important thing is to do the next right thing.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Perfectionism is the mother of procrastination.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“somewhere deep inside you realize that the dream has taken a hit. It hasn’t died, of course. But it has been dialed back—calibrated to the reality of deadlines, budgets, and limited resources. A similar process can happen for individuals who set out to create something, whether a book, a record album, or even a comedy routine. It’s easy to “settle.” At this very moment, you face a decision.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“By the way, you don’t have to make every experience in life a wow. If everything is a wow, then pretty soon, nothing is a wow. But you must be able to identify which experiences you want to make a wow, and then have a process—or a technology—for creating that outcome.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“As one of my favorite marketing gurus, David Ogilvy, once wrote, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.” How true.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Invite them to subscribe. In my opinion, this is the most important call to action. You don’t want to depend on your readers remembering to return to your blog. Instead, you want them to subscribe so they receive your content every time you post something new.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“But you should resist the temptation to provide your entire bio—at least at the beginning. One or two sentences are sufficient. 5.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“By this, I mean that the blogger starts with his or her bio, moves on to personal interests, and then (sometimes) gets to what may interest the reader. I suggest you reverse this. Start with the reader’s interests.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“his groundbreaking book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us,1 Seth Godin defines a tribe as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.” I read this book right after it came out in 2008, and it is just as relevant today as it was then.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Provide guidance, samples, and a deadline. Include a brief description of your product and perhaps a sample. Then offer to send them the entire product. Tell them the kind of endorsement you are looking for. The more specific, the better. I”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“buy your own domain name for ten to twenty dollars per year. You will have an e-mail address that looks like this: yourname@yourdomain.com. This makes a positive, powerful brand impression. 46”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“An elevator pitch for an entertainment product should also consist of four components: 1. Your product name and category 2. The main character’s ambition 3. The conflict he or she encounters 4. The real significance of the story Here’s”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“An elevator pitch for an information product should consist of four components: 1. Your product name and category 2. The problem you are attempting to solve 3. Your proposed solution 4. The key benefit of your solution Here’s”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“you don’t have to make everything a wow. But once you learn the distinction between wow and not-wow, it is difficult to be satisfied with anything less.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“You will never see the full path. The important thing is to do the next right thing. What can you do today to move you toward your dream?”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Don’t underestimate the importance of great design. When it comes to selling your product, it can make you or break you.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“I have learned to avoid this. The goal is to communicate, not to impress readers with your vocabulary.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“The more you write, the better you will get.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“When we are young, parents and teachers tell us we can do anything and become whatever we want. But as we grow older, these same people tell us we must be more realistic.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Regardless of the form your product takes, no amount of marketing savvy, salesmanship, or operational excellence can overcome a weak product.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“in the end, the best posts are about your readers’ needs, fears, problems, or concerns. Always ask, “What’s the takeaway for my reader?”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“My site is hosted by Linode Cloud. My advertising is handled by Mindy Spradlin at BeaconAds. Disclaimer This is my personal blog. The opinions I express here do not necessarily represent those of my employer, Thomas Nelson. The information I provide is on an as-is basis. I make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“You can also check my blog’s archive for a list of every post I have written or use the search function below my picture in the sidebar to find other posts that might be of interest. My Biography I have worked in the book publishing industry my entire career. I began at Word Publishing while a student at Baylor University. I worked at Word for a total of six years. In addition to serving as vice president of marketing at Thomas Nelson in the mid-80s, I also started my own publishing company, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, with my partner Robert Wolgemuth in 1986. Word eventually acquired our company in 1992. I was a successful literary agent from 1992 until early 1998. However, I really missed the world of corporate publishing. As a result, I rejoined Thomas Nelson in 1998. I have worked in a variety of roles in both divisional and corporate management. I was CEO from August 2005 to April 2011, when I was succeeded by Mark Schoenwald. Additionally I am the former chairman of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (2006–2010). I have also written four books, one of which landed on the New York Times best-sellers list, where it stayed for seven months. I am currently working on a new book for Thomas Nelson. It is called Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (May 2012). I have been married to my wife, Gail (follow her on Twitter @GailHyatt), for thirty-three years. We have five daughters, four grandsons, and three granddaughters. We live outside Nashville, Tennessee. In my free time, I enjoy writing, reading, running, and golfing. I am a member of St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, Tennessee, where I have served as a deacon for twenty-three years. My Contact Information You can contact me via e-mail or follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Please note: I do not personally review book proposals or recommend specific literary agents. Colophon My blog is built on WordPress 3.1 (self-hosted). My theme is a customized version of Standard Theme, a simple, easy-to-use WordPress theme. Milk Engine did the initial customization. StormyFrog did some additional work. I highly recommend both companies. In terms of design, the body text font is Georgia. The titles and subhead fonts are Trebuchet MS. Captions and a few other random text elements are Arial. Keely Scott took most of my personal photos. Laurel Pankratz also took some. I get most of the photos for my individual”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“About I am the chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S. This is my personal blog. It is focused on “intentional leadership.” My philosophy is if you are going to lead well, you must be thoughtful and purposeful about it. I write on leadership, productivity, publishing, social media, and, on occasion, stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories. I also occasionally write about the resources I am discovering. My goal is to create insightful, relevant content that you can put to work in your personal and professional life. If you are in a position of leadership—or aspire to be—then this blog is for you. I typically post three to four times a week. To make sure you don’t miss my newest posts, you can subscribe via RSS or e-mail. I also accept a limited amount of advertising. My Top Posts If you are new to my site, you might want to start with my most popular posts. Here are my top three in each category: Leadership • Creating a Life Plan • The Importance of a Leader’s Heart • Five Characteristics of Weak Leaders Productivity • Yes, You Can Stay on Top of E-mail • How to Shave 10 Hours Off Your Work Week • Slay Your Dragons Before Breakfast Publishing • Advice to First-Time Authors • Literary Agents Who Represent Christian Authors • Writing a Winning Book Proposal Social Media • Do You Make These 10 Mistakes When You Blog? • The Beginners Guide to Twitter • 12 Reasons to Start Twittering Miscellany • My Take on the Vibram FiveFingers Running Shoes • 20 Questions to Ask Other Leaders • Whatever Happened to Modesty?”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Provide a full biography. Some of your readers will be more interested in your full bio. This is the place to provide it. You should share your education, your work history, any books you have written, current interests or hobbies, your family, and so forth. The more you can be a real person, the more people will connect with you. 105 10. Tell them how to contact you. Why hide this? Make it easy. Though it sometimes creates additional work for me, I enjoy hearing from my readers and even answering questions as time permits. (Make it clear what not to contact you about too.) You will also want visitors to follow you on Twitter and Facebook, so provide links to those pages. Finally, you might want to create a separate About page for your Twitter profile so you can make your page more specific to Twitter followers. This is the page you then link to in your Twitter profile. While this list provides a top ten, there are a couple of additional items you might want to include. These are, in my opinion, optional: 11. Include a photo or video. Since I currently have several on my sidebar already (they rotate with every screen refresh), I don’t have a separate one on my About page. If you don’t have one there, please do include one on your About page. People want to see what you look like! And, please, if you’re forty, don’t use your high school graduation picture or a Photoshopped photo. Be authentic. Be real. You might also consider adding a short video welcome. This could add even more personality and warmth. 12. Add a colophon. Publishers used to add these at the end of books to describe details about the fonts and paper used. You can use it to describe the technologies you are using in your blog (e.g., blogging system, themes, hosting service, and so on), along with design notes about type fonts, photography, and anything else you deem noteworthy. You’d be surprised at how many e-mails I get about these items every week. 13. Consider a disclaimer. This is especially important if you work for someone else. You don’t want your readers to confuse your blog posts with your company or organization’s official position.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Point them to your top posts. This is an opportunity to invite them to “sample the brew.” Draw them further into your content. Give them a taste of your best writing. Google Analytics or even your blog’s stats package can provide you with a list of your most popular posts of all time. You should also point them to your blog’s archive for more content. Adventurous Kate’s featured posts include: • 11 Best Photos of 2011 • My Adventurous Travels—From A to Z”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Tell them how often you post. Don’t tell them how often you wish you posted. Instead, tell them how often you actually post. Use an average.”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“Tell them about your blog. What is your blog about? Try to narrow it down to a theme. For example, my theme is intentional leadership. Next explain what kinds of things you write about. I think it is best to limit yourself to a handful of categories. The more focused your content, the more readers you will attract. Kate McCulley’s About page on Adventurous Kate’s Solo Female 104 Travel Blog gives a few fun facts about Kate (she has been shipwrecked and once made a pass at Jon Stewart; she quit her job to travel the world), and then dives right into her theme: I am a solo traveler at heart, and one of my goals is to show women that solo travel can be safe, easy, cheap and a lot of fun. Meanwhile, I’m committed to showing you what the lifestyle of a long-term traveler and online entrepreneur is like. Like anyone else in the world, I have good times and bad times, but I promise to show you reality—with honesty and humor.3”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

“About page warm and casual on her blog, The Pioneer Woman: Howdy. I’m Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. I’m a moderately agoraphobic ranch wife and mother of four. Welcome to my frontier! I’m a middle child who grew up on the seventh fairway of a golf course in a corporate town. I was a teen angel. Not. After high school, I thought my horizons needed broadening. I attended college in California, then got a job and wore black pumps to work every day. I ate sushi and treated myself to pedicures on a semi-regular basis. I even kissed James Garner in an elevator once. I loved him deeply, despite the fact that our relationship only lasted 47 seconds. Unexpectedly, during a brief stay in my hometown, I met and fell in love with a rugged cowboy. Now I live in the middle of nowhere on a working cattle ranch. My days are spent wrangling children, chipping dried manure from boots, washing jeans, and making gravy. I have no idea how I got here . . . but you know what? I love it. Don’t tell anyone! I hope you enjoy my website, ThePioneerWoman.com. Here, I write daily about my long transition from spoiled city girl to domestic country wife.2”
― Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World