Becky Robinson - Reach: Create the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause

reach

Reach

Copyright 2022 by Rebecca A. Robinson
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First Edition
Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-5230-0087-6
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-0088-3
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-0089-0
Digital audio ISBN 978-1-5230-0090-6
2022-1
Book design and production: Seventeenth Street Studios
Cover design and illustration: Rachel Royer

To my family

by Whitney Johnson

Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

When Becky Robinson and I met in 2011, I was working in Boston at the Disruptive Innovation Fund, which I co-founded with Clayton and Matt Christensen. I was about to launch my first book, Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream. I had dared to write a book but I didnt know what to do next.

Through a timely stroke of good fortune, Jesse Lyn Stoner, a mutual friend, connected us. Becky lived in Michigan and was in the process of reentering the work-force. First-time author, me, became Beckys first client at Weaving Influence. It was a wonderful partnership for which I will always be grateful.

As Becky taught me how to extend my reach, I watched as she expanded hers.

Becky had joined Facebook and learned social media marketing after several years of being out of the paid work-force. That led to an opportunity as a social media marketing director for a leadership consultant who had just published a book. This led to the founding of her online marketing firm, Weaving Influence. Today, a decade later, her company has twelve employees and as many contractors and is a thriving business that has launched hundreds of books, including some by renowned authors such as Ken Blanchard, Mark Miller, and Cheryl Bachelder.

One of the magical things about Becky Robinson is that she walks her talk. She consistently provides value related to online influence and has for ten years. She is incredibly generous and always willing to share her expertise. She demonstrates the Four Commitments she writes about in her book (value, consistency, generosity, and longevity). And whether you meet her in person, online, or on the pages of this book, you will feel like you are having a conversation with a personal coach and cheerleader all in one.

What I love most about Reach is that Becky isnt hawking fame. Some of you may become famous, but thats not the promise of the book nor is it ultimately the goal. Fame does not guarantee that an individuals work will be of value to others. Beckys goal is for anyone with a message to be heard by the people who want and need to hear it. She wants everyones voice to have the opportunity to do the job it is meant to do. Thats her promise and she keeps it.

If you care deeply about sharing your lifes work and message, if you want to make a greater contribution to the world, if you want to reach the people who need to hear what only you can say, start reading, start highlighting, and start following Becky Robinsons advice now.

Whitney Johnson

Lexington, Virginia

September 6, 2021

I landed on the title Reach for this book while out running one day. Wed been going back and forth about titles and Id headed out to run and wait for inspiration. With every footfall, I thought about you, one of the people who would read my book, and what you would most want. When the word reach popped into my mind, I stopped my watch, grabbed my phone, and texted my husband. We had found our title.

Im not sure how you measure and define reach or what it means to you, but I know you want more of it. For the purpose of this book, Im defining reach in a new way. Reach is not only about creating the biggest possible audience for your work, as the subtitle promises. Its also about the lasting impact your work can have. Reach means expanding your audience plus having a lasting impact.

This book does not offer a fast path to fame or fortune. If youre looking for that, this book may not be for you. However, if youre willing to invest resources in sharing your valuable work online, consistently over time for a long time, and give of yourself generously to others, youll find that your audience and your impact will expand.

FIGURE 1. The Reach Equation

If youre not already famous, its important to have a realistic view of what is possible, especially if you are just starting out. This is true whether you have a book to promote, an idea you want to draw attention to, or a cause youre passionate about. If you are just beginning, prepare yourself to work over the long term to create lasting impact. There is no express train to reach.

Consider how reach relates to books. Theres a reason traditional publishers look carefully at an authors platform to see how many people follow them before they offer a book deal. The survival of publishing companies is tied to making the right bets on which books to publish and which books to pass up.

Most of the books that make it to the New York Times best-seller lists each year come from authors whose names were already widely known before their publisher agreed to publish their new book. Publishers want to offer books from well-known authors with a track record of selling thousands of books year after year or books by celebrities or politicians. Barack Obamas first book release after leaving the presidency sold 887,000 copies on the first day.