Social Media Tips

A big thing to note here is that you should have social media accounts even if you aren't published yet.

You don't have to become a social media influencer when you start your social media accounts. Instead, focus on creating your brand. If you think social media is superficial and that brands are lies, then that's exactly what your accounts will become. Pretty lies with no authenticity.

The point of having social media accounts as a writer (preferably Twitter, a Facebook page, Instagram, and a TikTok) is to create a way for your future fans to find you and interact with you. People like to see the gradual successes of the people they are following. You're a writer and not published yet? You'll find people cheering you on. But how to get to this point is to take the first step. Create your social media accounts and begin the journey of discovering your brand.

Part of this is also because social media platforms like to advertise established accounts. If you've had your Facebook page for three days, you'll have less traction than someone who rarely posts on a page that has existed for four years.

The general rule of thumb is that you should make at least one post a week about yourself. This could be something in your daily life, a hobby you have, an event you went to, or something else that's positive about yourself and your life. Do you ever scroll past people who are complaining or crying on social media? Don't let yourself be the person they scroll past. This includes politics as well.

Posting about politics will isolate your followers. The general rule of thumb, take their money as they buy your stuff and don't cut out customers. Just like the advice above, these are recommendations, but it's your choice to make.

If you're trying to figure out what to post, remember that you can always retweet or re-post things that others have done. On Twitter, you should always have a comment to go along with your retweet. On Facebook, it isn't necessary. You can follow authors in the same genre as you for potential items to repost. You can also follow AllWritersOnlineWorkshop on most social media platforms and take our posts as well. They are free for you to use. This provides you content with little effort.

Other easy content you can add would include blog posts and helpful articles. This could be for your hobbies and/or for writing as well. Content doesn't always have to be original. However, if you're looking for a platform to create original content then you can use websites such as canva.com in order to create social media posts. Canva even has options for specific social media posts.

For TikTok, an easy way to make videos and posts would be to read writing. People love to listen to writers read their work. Please remember to make sure the work you read is already published to prevent people from stealing your writing. Authors like Sarah Bale even show a brief glimpse of their published work to convince people to purchase it. Remember, you don't have to look professional to gain a following on TikTok.

Please post questions you have below. I'll continue to update the social media help category with more tips and advice. If you use any of the advice above or if you have your own stories of your social media adventures, please also post those below as well!