5 Top Social Media Tips for First-Time Authors
/
Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Goodreads. Pinterest. Is your head spinning yet?
It’s true that social media is a powerful tool for authors to build and connect with an audience of readers. It’s also true that there are many, many platforms at your fingertips and only one you. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
For over 11 years, the FriesenPress Book Promotions team has provided thousands of authors industry-leading guidance on how to market their books. There are few better individuals to ask for marketing support, and that’s exactly why we asked them to weigh in on one of the most powerful (yet misunderstood) marketing tools available to authors: social media.
Here are 5 top tips for authors to put their best foot forward on social media:
1. Claim your name
Here is a practical tip you should consider before you set the world on fire with your social media marketing: claim the same username/handle across all social media platforms you’ll be using. We recommend you either use your author name or — if you plan on writing more books — your book title/series name.
This is an important first step in creating a consistent/cohesive brand identity for yourself as an author, which builds trust for followers and potential buyers. Creating a consistent social media presence also increases your searchability and makes it easy for your potential readers to [a] find you, [b] recognize that it is you, and [c] follow you.
2. Do your homework
One of the most frequent tips we give to new authors is that they conduct a competitive analysis of other authors in their genre, taking notes about their social media activity. A competitive analysis is exactly what it sounds like: analyzing your competition. If you’re publishing a romance novel, visit the profiles of some of the most successful romance writers on your favourite social media platforms. Note how they brand themselves and their content, what they use as a profile picture, cover photo, the hashtags they're using, and how they relay content.
This can give you an idea of what’s already working in the field or help you find a niche market that’s being overlooked or underrepresented — a gap that you're able to fill. You don't need to reinvent the wheel to succeed. A strong competitive analysis can be a great jumping-off point for finding your own tone and voice.
3. Focus your messaging by defining your why
Don't just tell the world that you have a new book, tell the world why they should be interested in it. Demand creation is key to book promotion. If your one and only post is "My book is published!" with a picture of the book cover, it’s a great start but it isn't necessarily enough to give potential buyers a reason to buy your book. (And without a link to your website or Amazon, how easy are you making it for them to buy it?)
Ask yourself: what makes my book unique? Who's in it? Why should readers care about them? How could someone relate to them or their experiences? What about the setting makes the book interesting? How will your book help people? Give people a little taste of who and what's in the book to get them curious about the story — real or fictional. Thinking about the characters or narrator, setting, and purpose of the book can help you create 1 or 2 sentence posts that get into the book a little deeper rather than simply letting people know it exists.
Start here: “I wrote [name of book] because [fill in the blank with your ‘why’].”
Give people a why, not a what.
4. Know that social media alone isn’t going to drive book sales
Social media is an amazing tool for so many things, but moving units isn’t near the top of the list.
This is perhaps one of the greatest misconceptions about social media marketing for authors, where the understandable expectation is that posting about your book will equal sales. That’s because social media is, first and foremost, a tool for building community. The key to building a following is the interaction with other accounts. On its own, posting on social media isn't going to be a source of revenue. Your social media presence is an extension of your author brand, not a shortcut to book sales.
5. Follow the 80/20 rule
When it comes to posting on social media, it's common to wonder what to share every day. That's where the 80/20 rule comes in handy: of all your posts, 80% should be sharing content that interests your audience and helps them engage in conversations; the remaining 20% should be content that promotes your book and brand. Post action statements that encourage people to visit your website, check out your other social media profiles, read your latest blog post (if you’re blogging), or to learn more about your book and how to get a copy from your FriesenPress Bookstore or Amazon page.
Promoting your book on social media might feel like an overwhelming prospect, but following these introductory tips will help you get it right, right from the start.
Please share any additional social media tips for authors in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.
