Inspired by @jackbutcher, @thisiskp_, and many others, I thought I'd share how I'm building Alex & Books in public!

First, let's start with the end goal:

• Make a living by reading books, inspiring others to read, and helping them become better readers

Here's the plan:

1) Grow audience through social media

2) Move audience to owned platforms (newsletter, podcast, etc.)

3) Monetize through courses, merch, & books

4) Use a portion of the profits to give books to those in need

Here are my current audience stats:

• Instagram = 63.2k
• Twitter = 13.4k
• Newsletter = 2.7k
• YouTube = .6k
• TikTok = 1.5k
• Podcast = 22k

Here's how I'm prioritizing the growth:

1) Newsletter
2) Podcast
3) Twitter
4) YouTube
5) Instagram
6) TikTok

Why that order?

I want to have a direct relationship with my audience (hence the prioritization of my newsletter + podcast) & not have to rely on the social media algorithm to talk with followers.

Plus, if I got banned on social, I'd lose my relationship with my audience.

Why Twitter over Instagram?

I find that my target audience seems to be denser on Twitter (it's a text-based platform so it makes sense that more readers are here).

Another data point: whenever I ask people to join my newsletter, I always get more subs from Twitter.

Why podcast over YouTube or Instagram?

1) The podcast is a great networking tool (I get to talk to incredible authors) and it helps build my credibility by being associated with big names.

2) I can repurpose the podcast content & share it on YouTube and Instagram.

3) It's fun!

Why is TikTok last?

Although TikTok seems to be the easiest platform to go viral and gain followers, it seems to have the least loyal audience (or the hardest to move platforms).

I see TikTokers with 2M followers have only 10k followers on Instagram or 5-10k subs on YouTube.

What's my monetization strategy?

1) Build my reading course "The Art of Reading"

2) Create A&B merch (starting with t-shirts and then maybe sweaters)

3) Write books (have a few ideas for books I want to write)

At the end of the day, my definition of success isn't making millions, it's doing what I love.

And that means inspiring more people to read books & helping them improve their lives.

If you'd like to support that mission, consider joining my newsletter: http://alexandbooks.com/newsletter