Succeeding as an author requires hard work, ingenuity and a whole lot of social media savvy. Social media is one of the best places for you to market yourself and your books, and having an established presence can even come in handy when you are looking for a publisher.
If the idea of launching yourself into a new or unknown social media platform seems scary, you’re not alone! You don’t have to commit to every single platform out there. In fact, it’s better to pick and choose which ones work best for you instead of overcommitting yourself to too many marketing channels.
So which social media platforms should you use? Here are four of the best social media platforms for writers.
1. Facebook
Creating an author page on Facebook is a great way to get started in the world of social media. Readers can like, comment on and share the posts you make on this page. However, if you’re looking for more engagement and a sense of community, then you should look into creating a group.
There are so many things you can do with a Facebook group! Build your author brand, engage with other writers or even create an exclusive club that your readers can join. In general, you’ll get better engagement with a Facebook group versus an author’s page.
2. Twitter
Twitter is not only home to a large reading community, but it also plays host to a number of authors. It is probably one of the better platforms for connecting with other writers as well as your readers. Regularly tweeting under related hashtags is a low stress way to start building your social media presence.
You can reach potential readers without spending your whole day thinking up new things to share. Retweeting other user’s tweets is a great strategy for quickly sharing information or your opinion with others. If you’re looking for networking, Twitter might be your best bet.
3. Instagram
You might be used to reaching people with your words, but Instagram gives you the opportunity to interact visually. As a writer, you can share creative pictures of your book, quotes from your work or even messy shots of where you get your writing done. You can even share images that helped inspire your writing!
You’ll probably find the hashtag #bookstagram most helpful when starting out on your Instagram journey. Make sure you post regularly and engage with others, too. Instagram is a social media platform that heavily relies on give-and-take.
4. TikTok
If you think TikTok is just for teenagers doing new dance trends you’d be wrong. The BookTok community is leading the way in book recommendations with creators posting reviews of their favorite and most anticipated books. BookTok has gotten so popular that you’ll probably see a display of its most recommended books next time you hit up your favorite bookstore.
It’s not just for readers though. If you decide to join TikTok, you’ll probably find your home on WriterTok. Authors like Colleen Hoover and Talia Hibbert are already putting this social media app to good use by discussing the writing process, their books and interacting with readers.
Ready to get started?
You don’t have to be an expert to start marketing and networking on social media. One of the most exciting parts of life is getting to try out new things! If you are nervous though, here are few things you can do to get started:
- Use the same username and profile picture across different platforms
- Ask questions and create polls
- Create a posting schedule and plan ahead
You know your writing is good, now you just have to connect with your readers. Social media really is one of the best places to connect and engage, so don’t be afraid to get out there and post!
