From Edie: Learn how Christian writers can define and reach their target audience on YouTube. Discover faith-based marketing tips to grow your platform effectively.
YouTube for Writers, Part 2: How to Define and Reach Your Target Audience
by Samantha Evans Tschritter @LoveSamEvans
Remember Your First Meeting with a Literary Agent?
Most of us have experienced the first-time pressure of sitting across the table from an agent or publisher to present our heart on a platter. Ten minutes beforehand we run into the nearest bathroom to check our teeth for leftover lunch and cup a hand to our mouths long enough to regret choosing garlic chicken. We’ve practiced our 30-second elevator pitch at nauseum, and after a deep breath we whisper to our reflection, “you’ve got this.” With one last swipe to dry sweaty palms down our hips, we gather our confidence and stride into the meeting room, knowing our manuscript is the next New York Times best-seller.
In my case, the distance between dreams and reality was more of a learning cliff than a learning curve. In fifteen minutes, the acquisition editor enlightened me about platform, audience, and passive verbs.
Following that interview, I spent years spinning wheels to build a platform. I wish I knew in 2017, what I’ve learned along the way.
In This Blog:
- A Quick Spiritual Realignment
- Writing for Our Audience of One
- Tips to Grow Social Media Audience
- A Video Link on “How to Grow My Social Media Audience”
If you are killing yourself to reach certain platform numbers and your efforts include begging family and friends, then it may be time to try a different approach.
Consider Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my burden is easy and my yoke is light.”
With this verse in mind, how would you describe your writing efforts?
- Frustrating, stressful, and wearisome?
OR
- Easy, gentle, and light?
Audience of One.
We’ll tackle simple methods to grow audience in a moment, but pause with me and imagine something. What if, rather than an agent or acquisition editor, Jesus sat across the table from us for our one-on-one? How would the conversation be different?
Astronomical platform numbers wouldn’t impress Him, nor would measly numbers deter Him. Gideon’s three hundred against ten thousand, the boy’s single basket of loaves and fish, and the widow’s two coins show us that numbers are irrelevant to God.
What does God require? Trust and obedience. A writer’s equivalent of burying talents in the ground is hoarding manuscripts, videos, and social media files that “aren’t quite ready” on laptops and external hard drives.
God Math
I tried to tell God my testimony reel needed more editing. He persisted. I caved. In cartoons, characters often sprint off, leaving a dust cloud in their wake. That’s my image of God the moment I tapped “post.” God took my 619 TikTok followers and a four-minute video (a time-length that broke “the rules”) and multiplied my efforts—is still multiplying my efforts. I gained 150 followers over the weekend and (as of September 29, 2025) the testimony reel has 1.2 million views and 98.2K likes. My newsletter is thirteen subscribers shy of 300% growth—all in seven weeks.
If we give God our best effort and remain faithful, we can trust He will multiply our offering for the glory of His church. My number one skepticism if I were you would be, “Easy for her to say God’s in control of the numbers after a viral reel.”
Simple Social Media Adjustments—Large Impact
Maybe you’ve written tons of content, but you aren’t seeing upward trends for your social media presence. Let me show what I did prior to the viral reel—simple adjustments that laid the groundwork for significant growth.
- 1. Defined My Brand (There will be a separate blog about this.)
- 2. Unfollowed People
- I had followed eclectic groups of people based on my own interests, target audiences (plural) and hopes of follow-for follow—authors, widows, parents of infant loss, addiction recovery organizations, and my favorite celebrities. Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok had no idea who I was.
- On Instagram, I unfollowed 2K accounts and gained 30 followers within days. My imagination?
- On Tiktok, I unfollowed 1,000+ people and jumped from 360 followers to 619 followers within weeks.
- 3. Changed My Bio Information
- My social media bios include combinations of:
- My profession—author
- My target audience—grief support
- A CTA (Call to Action)—Follow for “encouragement and clean humor,” “Subscribe to my newsletter for …
- 4. Researched
- How do algorithms use keywords?
- What are characteristics of a quality video?
- 5. Created Youtube channels in 2025 specific to my niche
- The numbers are still small, but I have a firm grasp of who my audience is and the content I need to produce.
- 6. “Practiced” recording dozens of videos—and editing hundreds
- 7. Didn’t give up
- In January, I fasted about my writing career. The Prodigal’s Son: Crackhead to Jesus Freak was only 80% complete. Fed up with emotionally-draining non-fiction, I submitted to Love Inspired. I have never received a rejection letter so fast. Yet, if I wrote for Love Inspired, I would never have gained 20,000 TikTok followers or be ramping up to publish The Prodigal’s Son this December. Most importantly, my ministry to addicts’ families would be non-existent. God closed a door He didn’t want me to walk through until The Prodigal’s Son made more headway. My proof: Two weeks ago, a publisher picked up that romantic suspense novel.
Four Easy Steps To Gain a Larger Audience
Your Homework:
- 1. Watch “How to Grow My Social Media Audience” to grasp a better understanding of HOW the algorithm works.
- 2. Subscribe to my Youtube Channel @Writing Unedited for ongoing influencer tips
- 3. Evaluate your social media accounts
- Who are you following? The “follow-for-follow” method is self-sabotage. The algorithm factors whose accounts you follow, like and comment on. (watch video for better explanation)
- Does your profile say [author] of [genre]? If you write romantic suspense, your profile should say “Author of romantic suspense novels.” Because guess what romantic suspense readers are typing into the Instagram search bar. Your profile will show up in search results if the right words are in your bio. “Christian Authors,” “Christian Inspiration Books,” “Devotionals.” Your profile should be saturated with keywords. Your bio is for the algorithm. Save your interests and personality for your reels/ videos. (There will be a separate video for this.)
- List a CTA. Tell your profile visitors what to do next. “Join the newsletter for …” “Follow for …”
- 4. Identify your audience with one adjective and one noun. Watch “How to Grow My Social Media Audience” for more explanation!
- Christian writers. Romance readers. Prayer warriors. What content does your audience want to see?
Agents, publishers, friends and family are not our audience. When we target a specific audience, our numbers will grow organically. Bonus? Our social media content and our books will reach the same audience and feed into one another. The next time we sit across from a literary agent, we will have a clear direction and a confident answer regarding our audience and platform.
TWEETABLE
Don't miss the rest of this YouTube for Writers Series!
Tschritter currently resides in Simpsonville, South Carolina with her husband, their three teen and preteen daughters, cats named Pitter and Patter, and their Siberian husky whom she lost the vote to name Onomatopoeia. Nothing refreshes Tschritter’s soul like gardening. She gardens to work through plot holes, writer’s block, character development, and book ideas. Tschritter spends a great deal of time gardening. You can find her on social media at Linktr.ee/LoveSamEvans.
No comments:
Post a Comment