Nowadays, the most popular online resources are social media platforms. Everyone, from your neighbor to your granny, have Facebook and Twitter accounts. However, if you are a writer, you can use social media in a more productive way than posting photos of your cat. These websites can serve you as places to find more readers, get acquainted with other professional writers, and publish your brilliant thoughts. Of course, you may agree that social media are great tools to grow your popularity, but what shall you do next? What type of content should you post? How can you engage with the audience in the most efficient way?
In this article, we will discuss a number of winning ideas for social media content. They will help you promote your books and increase the number of your potential fans.
Show the objects you mention in your book
Posting pictures of the objects that you write about is a great interaction tool. Let’s say, you have a scene where a character reads the Tarot cards. Just imagine how your book can come to life if you show your readers a pack of such cards, referring them to the particular scene you have described. You can also provide readers with pictures of scenery and locations you mention in your writings. If you add descriptions or even some legends to these pictures, you will reach a truly blast effect.
Questions and answers
Communicate with your readers in a personal way since they really appreciate it when authors support conversations and tell something interesting about their life, principles, and thoughts. You may start a Question/Answer session and give your audience an opportunity to post their questions online. Make sure that you answer them all and pay attention to every comment they leave.
Ask your readers’ opinions
People on the Internet really like to express their opinions online. So just give them what they want! Offer a theme for a conversation and encourage them to talk about it. This theme might be related to your book or anything else you may like. You should offer topics that are debatable and even controversial to let the discussion be constructive or at least active.
Show covers of your next books
Fans would really like to see how your next book will look like. The visual part of the story is important to most readers, therefore, if you have any illustrations or covers, post them to your social media account. This will also make your readers recognize the book in a store when it comes to the market. Authors like Stephen King and Susan Dennard promote their books this way, so why don’t you do the same?
Reveal some personal information about the writing process
Share something that inspires you with your audience. You can post anything you may like: from photos you make during your vacation to the early drafts or small notes you write. If you draw some sketches or schemes for your texts, they can become a perfect content to show your fans.
Show your workplace
If you don’t have any drafts for the moment or simply don’t want to show them to your fans, you can always switch the focus. It is a good idea to post a photo of your workspace to let your readers imagine you writing their favorite books there. This is very interacting, just like inviting them to your home. Only without any of those in-person distractions most writers don’t really like.
Inform your audience about the events
If you visit conferences, book festivals, tours, signings, and anything like that, your fans would be glad to know where and when they can see you. So make sure that you post information about events ahead to let them plan and visit. Also, if you know about some important events that are related to literature, books, and writing, you can inform your audience about them as well. Especially, if you are going to visit them, too.
Inform your audience about the updates
People may be waiting for your next book and you should inform them about the progress! They will appreciate to have a small look into the writing and publishing process. If they are waiting for a release, you can announce potential dates and make their waiting easier.
Post quotes and parts of the text from your books
Funny and engaging quotes from your writings can please your existing fans and attract new ones. Make them really amazing, so people will share and repost them, spreading a word about your talent all over Facebook. By the way, this platform even has a special feature to make your quotes look really great. There is a function of turning a quote into a catchy image on Facebook, so don’t forget to use it.
Discuss your favorite books and authors
People who follow writers on Facebook are surely fond of books. They will be glad to know about your favorite authors and books as well as some new releases that you liked. Provide your readers with small reviews on your favorite texts and tell them something only a writer can see in a text of another writer. We mean, just don’t focus on the plot, characters or anything. Talk about writing techniques and some interesting features a regular reader would rather have missed. Guide them through your favorite texts and show a professional angle.
Post content created by your fans
You can show your appreciation and gratitude to fans by posting and reposting their photos and content which is somehow related to you. It is important for both you and your audience to feel this special type of connection between you.
Support other writers
Promote writers you like on your page. We bet that cross-promoting won’t be long in coming and they will surely tell their audience about you. This is actually how social media ethics always works. Or maybe they will return this favor later. Even if they won’t, your fans will appreciate seeing useful recommendations provided by you since you are an authority for them.
So get inspired and keep writing!
About the author:
Jennifer Pauli graduated from Corvinus School of Management and finished the faculty of Journalism at Corvinus University of Budapest. Currently, He is an editor, business writer, and copywriter, working with different well-known companies, blogs, and personalities. Follow her on Twitter, G+ and read the personal blog
