Professional book editor in the UK explains how indie authors can establish their social media presence to promote their books, connect with other authors & readers, and share important updates!
Lesson 3: Establish Your Social Media Presence
Hiya! It’s nice to have you back again; thank you for joining lesson three of my free blog course!
In the previous lesson, we discovered why it’s a good idea to build your online platform as an indie author, and how you can go about it. In this lesson, you will learn which social media platforms are most beneficial for self-published authors, and how you can make the most of them to increase your book sales and build an audience.
If you missed lesson 2, click here!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you decide to make a purchase through the products and services I recommend. I only recommend things that I truly love and use, so I hope I can recommend something to you that you can love too! :)
So, after you have built your website, it’s time to move onto your social media platforms. You may already have a personal Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account that you share with your friends and family, but if you’re planning to self-publish, you’ll need platforms that advertise yourself as an author.
Keep reading to discover the pros and cons of the top social media platforms and how each one could benefit you.
Facebook is commonly associated with sharing your life with family and friends or stalking old classmates ten years after leaving school, but Facebook is actually an excellent tool for authors who plan to self-publish.
Firstly, Facebook allows you to create an author page that people can ‘like’ or 'follow' to stay updated with your books, blog posts, and any news you may have. However, it can be tricky for people to find new pages unless they’re specifically looking for it or you already have a large following on another platform, but this is where Facebook groups can really help you.
There’s probably a Facebook group for everything these days, but there's definitely an abundance of groups for writers, authors, and readers to discuss their favourite books, share advice and tips, and promote themselves and their sites.
Most groups require you to answer a few questions just to make sure you’re a real person, but once you’re accepted into the group, you’re free to post what you like, providing you respect the group’s rules.
Some groups allow you to promote yourself as much as you like, but a lot of them don't allow self-promotion at all, or only on certain days of the week. As a result, you may only be able to share links from your website and blog once a week, but on every other day, you’re free to comment and network with anyone who interests you, which can provide you with potential readers in the future or people who would be willing to review your upcoming books.
Facebook also allows you to run paid ads which can help you to reach a wide range of people who may be interested in what you write. While paying to advertise may be beneficial occasionally, avoid doing it all the time. Some months may be successful, but other months may leave a hole in your bank!
Like Facebook, it can be tricky to gain a large following on Instagram, but using #hashtags on every post can help tremendously. On other platforms, adding more than two or three hashtags to a post looks desperate and spammy, but on Instagram, it’s common to use up to 30 to gain a wider reach. Including more than five hashtags may feel wrong at first, but seriously, using a broad range can really boost your audience and attract more people to your page and website.
For example, if you decided to post a picture of yourself, your workspace, or a snippet of your author website as your first post, here are some popular hashtags you could use:
#writingcommunity #writerscommunity #writersofintsagram #writersofinsta #writersofig #amwriting #amediting #amwritingromance #amwritingfantasy #amwritinghistoricalfiction #amwritingmystery #amwritingnonfiction #amwritingscifi #amwritinghorror #writerslife #writersblock #writerswrite #writersconnect #selfpublishing #selfpubishedauthor #indieauthor #selfpublishing #selfpublishbehappy #author #authorlife #books #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #bookrecommendation
These are just 30 examples of some of the hashtags you could use, but there are so many more that can help you reach your target audience. Plus, when you start typing a hashtag, Instagram will ‘guess’ what you’re about to write and will give you a drop-down box of popular hashtags and how many people each one will reach.
Instagram also allows you to run paid ads if you switch to a free business account, but again, try to avoid paying to advertise all the time. Money is priceless, so don’t waste it!
YouTube
If you’re a great communicator and love engaging with people through video content, vlogging on YouTube can be a life-changing way to market yourself as an independent author.
Take Jenna Moreci, for example – she started as an advice guru on YouTube in 2013, but since then, her channel has gained over 232k subscribers!
Her warm personality, mixed with her insightful content, has enabled her to make a steady income from her self-published books, so if verbal communication is your thing, make the most of YouTube!
Here are some content ideas to get you started:
Writing & Editing Advice
Book Reviews & Recommendations
Marketing, Promotion and Advertising Tips for Indie Authors
Literary Agents, Submissions & Querying Guidance
Self-publishing & KDP Advice
Jump into lesson 4 where you will discover why all indie authors should be using Pinterest, and how Pinterest can help you succeed as a self-published author.
- Chelsea x
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ABOUT CHELSEA
Hey! I'm Chelsea and I'm a professional book editor at Stand Corrected Editing, my editorial business in the UK. If you need professional book editing services and are currently looking for a manuscript editor, please get in touch and we can get started today!
With my book editing and proofreading services, I hope to spread my knowledge and expertise on how to make your novel a success, and be a mentor to others who desperately want to pursue a fruitful career as an author!