Using social media to get our writing out into the world can be an amazing opportunity. It helps market your works and hopefully, gain a following that will continue to benefit from our writing.
But it can also be a curse. Because of so many social media platforms, most writers languish in obscurity and end up spending more time marketing their writing than just…writing.
Before we start discussing the different social media platforms for authors and writers, I want to discuss an important part of all platforms: Free versus Paid traffic. This is otherwise known as Organic vs Advertisement. Back when social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter were first around, you could easily gain followers quickly. And when you posted, a majority of them would see it. But this was before the Age of Advertisement.
With its advent, social media morphed into a pay-to-play model. For instance, Facebook's natural reach declined quickly and posts are rarely seen organically. HOWEVER…
This doesn’t mean that you can’t reach your followers organically. If reaching followers more effectively and efficiently is your concern, then advertising is the best way forward. This way you can spend more time writing and less time pampering your social media accounts for organic traffic. The truth is that gaining a following on social media organically takes a lot of time. The time that you’d rather spend writing.
Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms. It not only has the largest user base but is also one of the most widely used for all demographics. No matter what you write, your market definitely exists on Facebook. With Facebook, authors have three ways to market their books and writings: Using your Personal Facebook Profile Creating an Author Page Joining, or Creating an Author Group Your personal Facebook profile is exactly what it says. Some have had success with this. Personally, though, I prefer not to mix business with my personal life.
As of right now, there are very few platforms anywhere that are more watched than Twitter. From celebrity gossip to presidential politics, Twitter has become a place where you can experience it all. It is a huge arena to exchange ideas and get your author brand out there. From a business standpoint, Twitter can be a powerful tool if utilized correctly. Twitter provides a fast-paced platform for you to pitch your writing. By limiting the amount of characters that can be used, Twitter encourages the elevator pitch format. Get your point out there. Bring in followers. That simple.
Besides an author bio, what’s one of the best ways to give your readers a glimpse into your life? INSTAGRAM! Instagram is very different than the previous two social media platforms. Its biggest focus is on the picture or photo posted. Now, you may be wondering… “Who the heck just looks at the pictures?” The younger generation for starters. An insanely large number of them. Writers looking to attract the youngsters' attention does not need to look any further than Instagram.
Goodreads is an author platform designed specifically for writers. It exists for the sole purpose of connecting authors and their readers. Pretty neat, huh?
One of the best features of Goodreads is how you actually register for the site. Instead of business and personal pages like Facebook, you have a reader and author options available. Each option has its own special abilities.
Most people on Goodreads actually join as readers, not authors. When registering as a reader, you list all the books you have read then rank and review them using a 5-star system. When that’s done, you are able to then share that list with the public and your friends. This system can help deliver direct exposure for new and budding authors.
