Table of Contents

V. Growing your brand and reputation

Sean Morris Updated by Sean Morris

After you start receiving submissions, it’s time to focus on community building and brand building. Your reputation is everything. Whether you are answering a direct message, accepting/rejecting a submission, or something else, you should treat every interaction as an opportunity to build connections. 

In this article

Publish on time consistently

Contributors anxiously await issue releases and are counting on you to publish on time. Many contributors make commitments to their team and others about publication dates. Delayed releases may result in contributors and advertisers deciding against submitting to you again. 

Be responsive

Responding to submitters' questions quickly is an incredible way to build a good reputation and, ultimately, a loyal community. It’s also a genuine way to convey gratitude to passionate people that worked hard to create something special.

As per Kavyar’s policies, publishers are expected to respond to submitters within 5 business days. Failure to do so may result in a dispute ruling in favor of the submitter. This may include cancellation and/or refund of transaction funds. 

Build your brand first, and the revenue will follow

You should first focus on building your brand prior to increasing revenue. It can be tempting to exchange money for editorial integrity, but this is a short-term view. In the long run, your brand will suffer, and so will your future revenue. The publishers that grow the fastest and the biggest invest and reinvest money into growing their brand. If you're just starting out, be patient and have a long-term view. 

Be accountable for your own success or failure

Kavyar is a tool that, if used properly, can help increase your chances of success. However, if you expect Kavyar to be the only reason for your success, you will most likely fail. 

Your response templates should be more than just an afterthought

Filling out your response templates thoughtfully is a great way to put a personal touch in your messaging and build strong relationships.

Related:

➡️ Creating good response templates

Do things that don’t scale (in the beginning) 

It’s a daunting task to launch an indie publication when there are so many established publishers that have massive followings. However, the advantage to being small is that your submission flow is smaller and more manageable so you can more easily support them by personalizing messages and being quick to respond. This will help you to form relationships and your brand. 

“Guaranteed” is a bad word, and not accurate

Don’t offer “guaranteed publication” and compromise your editorial control. It’s short-sighted and will hurt your brand. It's also been found to create confusion.

Keep all communication and transactions on Kavyar’s platform

Any submission that was started on the platform must stay on the platform. Keeping communication and transactions on the platform allows us to support you if disputes are filed or chargebacks occur. Many submitters report publishers who move off-platform to Kavyar, as they feel unsafe.

Focus on building your community

You’re not just building a brand. You’re building a community. Kavyar’s publisher dashboard is a contributor relationship management tool. When you receive a submission, it's an opportunity to create a lasting relationship. 

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