Social Media for Authors: Sensible Ideas and Methods
Social media is widespread these days. Love it or hate it, it has become an indispensable marketing tool – not just for businesses and companies, but also for writers and artists. As a creator, you need to publish your content. One of the best ways is to use social media when you want to reach your readers directly.
But social media can be overwhelming. Which is the best? What's the best way to use it? Why does what works on one not work on the other?
Fortunately, it's actually a lot easier than you might think. Let's take a look at the best ways for a writer to use four of the largest social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Facebook is a space with a multitude of ways to get involved. People post all kinds of media: short and long text, links, pictures, videos, and more. You can join groups or follow pages and follow friends directly.
Best approach
The best way to use Facebook as a writer is to create a page. Create an author page (also known as a business page), not a personal page where people become “friends” to connect with, and not a group that puts great pressure on other people to contribute to the discussion.
A business page allows people to just like and forget. You will often see your news and updates on their feed without doing a lot of work. People just like it.
How do I post?
Facebook pages should be published two to four times a week. Try to keep the posts short and simple, and include a relevant picture or link, e.g. B. to your blog or a relevant article or an assignable image. Posts with pictures are more likely to get noticed, just make sure they are relevant to your topic.
Avoid sharing generic "feel good" posts that make your viewers feel like a spammer.
How to connect
This is a tricky thing to do on Facebook, but very useful once you get the hang of it. Your company page can act like an alter ego to you when you interact through Facebook. You can like "Like As Page" or "Post As Page". This way, users can see that you comment or like pages as your page instead of your name.
For example, a comment might appear as "Joe Smith – Author" instead of "Joe Smith". This will help you increase your brand awareness and identify yourself as a writer in front of more people.
Twitter focuses on short text contributions. You can share a variety of media on Twitter too, but Twitter's key limitation is its 280 characters per post limit.
Best approach
Create a special Twitter account for you as the author. Write a short, interesting biography of the author. If you have a default photo that you use as your "author photo," it is best to use it as your profile picture. Be clean, precise, be professional.
How do I post?
Due to the short nature of Tweets, they should be published more frequently once or twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening is a good start.
Try to keep the posts relevant and concise. People who follow Twitter want to know what's going on in their head. So a small stream of awareness when thinking about your projects would lead to interesting tweets.
There is a button in the form of a bar graph in the lower right corner of each of your tweets. It shows you how many people saw your tweet and how many interacted with it.
How to connect
Unlike Facebook, tweeting again on Twitter is fine. However, make sure to retweet only what is relevant to your writing. No spam and no click bait. Retweet from other writers you want to follow and connect with.
Join conversations when someone engages you through a chain of tweets, but stay on topic.
Instead of text, Instagram emphasizes images. Each post focuses on one or more photos or videos. There is also room for extensive text, but the focus is on the images.
Best approach
Instagram is very visual based. While it's usually the preferred website for artists rather than writers, it still has its advantages.
The most important thing about Instagram is that the color and content are visually consistent. Make sure your photos have a similar color scheme and composition and invest in good camera equipment and learn Photoshop for photo editing.
How do I post?
Post on Instagram daily or at least five times a week. Since the feed is linear, you will maximize your chances of being seen by your followers.
How to connect
Hashtags are important on Instagram. Tag your images with tags associated with trends that are relevant to your content.
Don't be greedy and overuse tags. Take a look at the accounts you like and want to emulate what tags they use for reference.
Pinterest also emphasizes images, but unlike Instagram which doesn't allow links in posts, every Pinterest post is a link. This is a great way to visually organize bookmarked pages.
Best approach
Pinterest is unique and there is a trick. Did you know that the website categorizes Pins based on other Pins that were used to collect them? A pin that is always collected on boards full of recipes is likely a recipe. A pen that is usually collected on oil painting boards is likely related to oil paintings.
So if you have a font that you want to share with people with similar interests, make a chalkboard, pin your work along with a few dozen other similar pieces, and your lapel pin will be forwarded to people interested in your type of thing are writing.
How do I post?
There's no hard and fast rule about Pinterest, but it's a good idea to stay active and update your board regularly.
How to connect
Follow others with similar interests and actively create new Pins. Growing a Pinterest fan base takes time and is a more passive activity than the others.
Tools for real connection
Social media can be really daunting when you go into it blindly, but in reality it's a lot easier than it looks. Just like writing, if you stay consistent, stay real, and avoid lint and spam, you will reap its rewards over time.
Do you have any other tips or other popular social media platforms? Share them in the comments!
WORK OUT
Social media is a useful way to promote your stories. But what if it was a storytelling tool too?
For practice today, tell a story on Twitter. Write a series of tweets (remember, 280 characters maximum) with a story arc. It could be a true story of something that happened to you or it could be a fictional story.
Take fifteen minutes to write. When you're done, share your series of tweets in the comments below. If you're brave, post them on Twitter!
J. D. Edwin
