A wedding launched Jesus’ ministry. His mom was there. His friends were there. None of them could have guessed what would happen that day. Maybe not even Jesus—He said He wasn’t ready. But His mom was persuasive. She asked for help and Jesus responded.
Has a need propelled you to writea post, an article, or a book?
Has it seized your imagination and compelled you to act? How have you launched that response into the stratosphere?
Jesus saw the jars used for ceremonial washing and had an idea. (Sometimes all it takes is an idea!) From there, the idea morphed into action and action produced the result that rocked the world.
How will your idea lead to action and change the course of events for another?
The thing that’s so interesting is His choice of vessel. What was used for ceremony and ritual, held what represented His blood, sacrifice, and atonement. No longer needing religious ceremony, we now come in relationship as we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus!
What vessel will you use to launch your product?
Maybe it is an everyday object like a post on social media, or something set aside for special use, like a Launch Party where you sign your books.
You may feel like you’re not ready. Is it time to step out in faith?
Exercise:
Read John 2:1-11
Be where you need to be. John 2:2. Are you connecting with other writers who can take the journey with you?
Identify the need. John 2:3.
Confront your obstacles. John 2:4. What is holding you back?
Take a step to solve the problem. John 2:6-7. What tools are available?
Involve others in the solution. John 2:7-8. Do you have a Prayer Team, a Launch Team, or a Dream Team? Each group has a specific function to help in your quest. Let them be a part of the solution. They will feel needed and celebrate the results with you.
Test your project and get feedback. John 2:8-9. Book reviews and endorsements help others know about your Grand Idea.
Trust the results in God’s hands. John 2:11. Your timing may not feel right but God’s timing is perfect. May we be ready to step out in faith when God says, “Go.”
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. They help 8 people get hired every minute and host a range of freelance opportunities for every person and profession.
As a writer, you can use LinkedIn to land clients and connect with new businesses. LinkedIn can be particularly lucrative if you’re a newer writer and don’t have the portfolio you need to be competitive on sites like UpWork or Fiverr.
LinkedIn is also a generally trustworthy platform. Businesses that use LinkedIn are easier to find and research, meaning you can know your new client before you sign any contracts.
But, finding work on LinkedIn can still be a challenge. Here are a few tips to help you find and land more opportunities as a freelance writer using LinkedIn.
Optimize Your Profile
LinkedIn is a great way to connect with publishing people. Almost every professional uses LinkedIn to promote their services and you can use the platform to build your network. However, an incomplete or out-of-date profile is a major red flag to clients who are looking for the very best.
Complete your profile before you start responding to posts or looking for jobs. A complete profile should include:
A recent headshot;
A summary of your professional interests;
Recent client testimonials;
Links to previous work;
Your education and qualifications.
Clients who look over your profile should quickly ascertain that you are the “real deal” and have the skills and experience to prove it. If possible, foreground positive feedback that you’ve received from clients.
If you don’t have much experience yet, highlight the most impressive part of your profile and focus on being active. Being active on LinkedIn shows that there’s a real person behind the profile and can help expand your professional network.
Expand Your Network
LinkedIn is a great place to network remotely. As a freelance writer, you probably don’t go into an office and need to use digital spaces to make connections. Leave plenty of likes and comments on LinkedIn content, as this will show up on your profile.
LinkedIn can also help you find virtual networking events. Virtual events are usually designed to help put employers in touch with job seekers and can be a more personal way to make a digital connection.
Remember that LinkedIn isn’t like other social platforms. You can follow folks that you went to school with or have worked with without having to give them access to your personal life. You never know who needs a freelance writer, so go ahead and connect with former teachers, classmates, and coworkers.
Increase Your Skill Set
As well as being a useful social site, LinkedIn offers professional development opportunities that look great on your CV or resume. Taking advantage of these opportunities can be a great way to bolster your profile and show clients that you are actively increasing your skill set.
As a writer, pay particular attention to professional development opportunities that relate to:
Search engine optimization;
Grammar;
Social content;
Style.
LinkedIn offers a range of writing workshops like “Writing for Flair” or “Tips for Business Writing.” Taking full advantage of these opportunities will bolster your profile and help make up for lapses in qualifications or experience.
Strategize Your Posts
LinkedIn is a social media site that follows many of the same conventions as other networks like Facebook and Instagram. As a freelancer, you need to strategize your posts on LinkedIn to maximize your reach and engagement.
Start building a social presence as a writer by choosing your audience and creating content that is relevant to them. On LinkedIn, this may mean that you post relevant blog content like “5 Tips for Better Business Writing” or “What to Look for in a Copywriter.”
Make sure your post your content at the right time of day. The best time to post on LinkedIn is usually first thing in the morning or during lunch hours. Most potential clients browse LinkedIn during their breaks and downtime. So, keep track of potential clients’ time zones and aim to post regularly during the middle of the workweek.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is a great way to land clients and make professional connections. You can use LinkedIn to find more work by optimizing your profile, expanding your network, and strategizing your posts. Remember to make use of LinkedIn’s courses, too, as they can boost your resume and make your profile look that much more attractive to prospective clients.
Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.
Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Brow, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
Featuring…
Canva for Beginners with Norma Poore
In this episode, Norma, a member of the Writer Chat Admin Team, demonstrates how easy it is to use Canva to create Twitter posts, Instagram reels, and other social media content. Sharing her screen, Norma walks us through the steps of using templates, adding text and music, uploading our own photos and videos, and including our own personal watermarks. We also discuss hacks for resizing images for those who don’t have the Pro version, and Norma demonstrated how easy it is to purchase a single Pro element. For more information and resources, check out this week’s replay.
Watch the October 11th replay.
Norma Poore has lived through difficult circumstances, and now allows her journey to fuel her encouragement for those who are hurting. Her inspirational nonfiction is penned with honest transparency and filled with hope from God’s Word. As a respected member of the publishing community she’s an award-winning author, and editing manager of Almost an Author. Married for 40+ years, has six children, and eleven grandchildren. Connect with her on social media or at NormaPoore.com.
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Brow, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
Featuring…
Live Bio Critiques with Eddie Melson
Social media expert Edie Melson, co-author of the best-selling Social Media for Today’s Writer, returns to Writers Chat to do live critiques of several writers’ bios. This episode follows up on our previous episode with Edie, “Every Writer Needs a Bio.” This hands-on advice will provide you with additional tips and ideas for creating, revising, and perfecting your own bios.
Watch the August 23rd replay.
Edie Melson is a woman of faith with ink-stained fingers experiencing life through the lens of her camera. Her advice, “Find your voice, live your story.” Her bestselling eBook on social media has been updated, expanded, and re-released with co-author DiAnn Mills as Social Media for Today’s Writer. She’s the director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and author of numerous books.
Understanding Literary Contracts with Chip MacGregor
In this episode of Writers Chat, Literary agent Chip MacGregor shares insights on understanding literary contracts and answers questions about the publishing industry. He discusses the six elements of a literary contract. Plus, Chip answered questions about Query Tracker, contracts for illustrators, sci-fi publishers, and how to negotiate your contract if you don’t have an agent. Check out this week’s replay for more information and resources.
Watch the September 6th replay.
Chip MacGregor, the president of MacGregor Literary, a former publisher with the Time-Warner Book Group and Hachette, and has been working in publishing since… the Coolidge Administration, apparently. He is the author of several books and a blog that was routinely named one of “the 101 best websites for writers.” It turns out the guy has done more than a thousand book contracts, represented titles on nearly every bestseller list (including hitting #1 on the New York Times and USA Today lists). Chip and his writer wife, Holly Lorincz live on the Oregon coast.
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
You’ve poured hours into building a plot, developing characters, and revising. Now that your baby is written, how do you land a contract? One way is through platform because it makes your work more attractive to editors and makes marketing easier.
But what is platform? Simply put, it’s a network used to market books. This may include social media outlets, connections to organizations, blogs or podcasts, people who endorse our work, or paid advertising. While exceptions exist, in general, the bigger the platform, the greater the chance an editor will look at your manuscript. Two popular platform-building methods include social media outlets and networking through conferences.
Get Started on Instagram
Earlier, I posted on how to get started on Instagram part one and part two. If you’re new to social media, Instagram is a great place to build platform. Besides finding a target audience, you can also connect with other writers. Look for profiles of people who have successfully marketed their MG novels or accounts that feature/review MG books. Follow and interact with those accounts. For Christian readers, here are a few accounts to check out.
@hopebolinger–This prolific author/editor has over 14k followers and offers solid advice for authors.
@kristianasquill—This author shows some creative marketing ideas she employed for her award winning debut novel.
@mesontagauthor—This MG historical fiction writer has several posts and links showing how she markets her novels.
@kellimckinneywrites and @lori.z.scott—Hey, we’re both writing for A3 here, so you’ll see some of marketing ideas in our posts.
@endgamepress and @chickenscratchbooks- these small but growing publishers might be the perfect fit for your middle grade novel.
Throw in a Conference
Writing conferences were crucial to my publishing journey. Through them, I learned about writing opportunities, made friends with other writers who support my endeavors, found an agent, and landed a book contract. Outside the social aspect of these literary treats, each conference offers workshops to help aspiring writers learn the ropes and veteran writers hone their craft. Here are a few of the larger ones that offer strong faculties with multiple opportunities for attendees to pitch book ideas. The scenic locations allow writers a relaxing atmosphere to network with each other and leaders in the industry.
This brief look at platform doesn’t encompass all the avenues available to writers. That’s where you come in! Please post your platform building ideas in the comments below. Maybe together, we can create a supportive community of middle grade writers.
Teacher and author Lori Z. Scott writes fiction because she’s like an atom. She makes everything up. She also has two quirky habits: chronic doodling and lame joke telling. Neither one impresses her boss, but they still somehow inspired Lori to accidentally create a ten-title bestselling children’s book series and on purpose write over 175 other publications. She continues penning stories as an excuse to not fold her laundry. Find her silly drawings, poems, and whatnot on Instagram @Lori.Z.Scott and look for her debut YA novel Inside the Ten-Foot Line coming October 2022.
I’ve guest blogged on A3 (Almost An Author several times, and I’m happy to announce that I’m teaming up with regular contributor Kelly McKinney to explore writing for the middle grade audience.
A press kit may sound like something that only celebrities and big-time authors need, but that’s not true. Everyone who has a book, blog, or ministry to share with others can benefit from creating a press kit. It’s really not that difficult.
Here’s why you want to have one, and what you need to include:
Why do I need a press kit?
A press kit is a collection of information that helps others quickly and conveniently find key things about you and your work. It’s created to help media professionals and others, by providing them with the kind of information they need in one easy-to-find place.
A press kit helps you in several ways:
Makes it easy for journalists to find you and see what you’re about
Provides consistent and correct information for others
Helps you describe yourself and your work/ministry in a concise way
Helps interviews go more smoothly
Shows that you act like a professional
Who is a press kit for?
New media, from your local paper or radio to national TV
Event planners (Especially if speaking is part of your ministry)
Podcast hosts
Book Bloggers, BookTubers, etc.
Book clubs
Teachers (Anyone interested in school visits?)
Others who might want to interview for any reason
What items should I include?
Press kits come in all shapes and sizes, but these basic elements are all you need to get started.
Images
A high-res author photo. A professional-quality photograph. You want to include a high-resolution version (300 dpi) for print use in print media (newspapers or event fliers). If you have more than one, you may include several options.
A low-res author photo. The same photo in a lower resolution version for internet or social media use, when people want an image with a smaller file size.
High-quality images of your book covers or other key products. If you have lots of titles, choose the newest or most important ones.
Text
A brief author bio. Two to three sentences that provide a brief introduction to you and your writing or ministry. Don’t forget to mention your website.
Suggested interview questions. These help journalists, podcasters, and bloggers ask you key questions that will allow you to get your message out. They also give interested parties a better idea of what you’re about and if you’re the right person for their article, podcast, or event.
Contact information. Always make it easy for potential interviewers to contact you! If they can’t easily contact you, they may skip to the next person.
Optional things to add
An extended bio.
A list of awards you have received
Links to recent articles or interviews that feature you
Audio or video of you speaking or teaching. This proves to event planners that you are a proficient speaker.
Links to download relevant pdfs. For example, a pdf version of your press release, or a pdf version of a book for interviewers to access.
A list of your books with key info.
Where do I put my press kit?
If you have a website, create a press kit page. Include links to your press kit page in your About page, and on the footer, plus anywhere else that makes sense.
It’s also a good idea to create a pdf version of your kit, which potential interviewers can download. You can store your press kit in a dropbox or similar accessible place so users can easily download it any time.
Your Turn!
That’s all there is to it. Make it easy for people to find the correct information about who you are and what you do by creating a simple press kit. Do you have a press kit? If not, why don’t you begin creating one today.
An engineer-turned-mystery-writer, Lisa E. Betz infuses her novels with authentic characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her debut novel, Death and a Crocodile, won several awards, including Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021). Her second novel, Fountains and Secrets released January 2022, from Redemption Press.
Lisa combines her love of research with her quirky imagination to bring the world of the early church to life. She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in the Livia Aemilia Mysteries. Lisa sorts book donations at the library, directs church dramas, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes.
The American Thanksgiving falls in November, making now a great time for writers to count their blessings. I can’t resist adopting comedian Jimmy Fallon’s thank you note approach to pointing these out. Though Fallon employs irony or sarcasm in his remarks, this list is heartfelt.
Social Media
Thank You, Social Media, for being my friend.
Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other media outlets give authors an affordable way to build their platform. Besides connecting with their target audience, authors can network or promote their work through cover reveals, giveaways, and branding. Authors can even find representation through pitch parties like #pitmad or #faithpitch. Click here for an Almost an Author article about how to promote your book on social media.
Writing Tools
Thank You, Writing Tools, for taking White-out off my shopping list.
Many authors have dog-eared resource books on their shelves. But a growing number of digital tools have found their way into writers’ hearts. These tools make crafting a polished story faster and easier. Click here for an Almost an Author article about some of these handy tools.
Fiverr
Thank You, Fiverr, for your current merry use of the double r.
If you’re looking for a way to make money as an author, this freelance community is a potential place to find gigs. Writers can offer services, such as writing blog posts, press releases or articles, and set their own prices. There are pros and cons to consider when embarking on Fiverr, many authors use it as a source of income.
Writing Conferences
Thank You, Writing Conferences, the nerdiest sleepover party ever.
Whether online or face-to-face, attending a conference offers advantages for authors at all stages of their career. Beginning and intermediate writers can learn craft through workshops taught by industry experts, make appointments with publishers and agents to pitch their ideas, get feedback on their WIP, enter contests, and network with other authors. Along with those perks, seasoned authors can sell their books or join the faculty.
Writers Touch Lives
Thank you, Writers, for touching lives. It sure beats touching your toes.
As writers, one the greatest privileges we have is the ability of our words to make a difference in the world. What we write can inspire innovation, heal hearts, or challenge authority. The worlds we create can offer sanctuary, hope, or encouragement. What we say matters and can last well beyond our last breath.
Jimmy Fallon ends his weekly skit with, “There you go, everybody. Those are our thank-you notes.” Usually, I suffer a sense of disappointment when it ends, especially when other ideas pop into my head. Now, you’re in that position. What else are you thankful for as a writer? Caffeine? Comfortable chairs? Let me know!
Elementary school teacher Lori Z. Scott usually writes fiction. Her down time is filled with two quirky habits: chronic doodling and inventing lame jokes. Neither one impresses her principal (or friends/parents/dogs/casual strangers), but they do help inspire her writing. Somehow, her odd musings led her to accidentally write a ten-title bestselling chapter book series and on purpose write over 175 short stories, articles, essays, poems, and devotions. Lori also contributed to over a dozen books. Lori enjoys speaking, leading workshops, and visiting local elementary schools to share her writing journey. Follow her on Instagram @Lori.Z.Scott.
Ever since the lockdown of 2020, there has been a flux of self-published authors all over social media promoting their publications. Nowadays, it is so much easier to make the dream of being a published author a reality without ever hiring anyone to assist in the process.
From pen to paper, to paperback printing, to promoting and finally selling, here are five effective ways to promote your book on social media:
1. Post pictures with book blurb on all platforms
2. Promote a contest on all platforms giving the book away
3. Create a website and social media pages dedicated to the book
4. Go live and read a chapter from your book and do a Q&A
5. Grow your niche network
Being self-published also means you are your book’s biggest fan and promoter. Ensuring you have reached as many fans and potential customers is the next important step in getting your work noticed. Keeping reading for effective ways to promote your book on social media.
1. Post Pictures on Social Media
It is all about pictures when it comes to social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Investing in a good photo software app can really bring your book photos to the next level. Make sure to have a title that pops and a book cover that speaks for itself. Get a little more creative and showcase yourself holding the book or a group of friends lounging on the beach enjoying a read. Whatever the photo is, make sure to add links in the description and hashtag till your fingers bleed!
2. Have a Book Contest Giveaway
Everyone loves free stuff, and what better way to get your book out there than having a fun giveaway contest. You can generate a buzz about your book using social media to post blurbs or parts of chapters in the book and get participants eager for more. Creating a contest that involves a theme in the book, for example, cupcakes, get people involved like the first five people to comment on their favorite cupcake, get a free e-book, or the 100th person to like the post about my book gets a free copy.
Some good contest ideas include:
Random winner generator app
Scavenger hunt – winner gets a free book
Go live first X people get the first chapter free
Hashtag contest- the person with the best hashtag for the book wins
Writing An Email Blast
When promoting a book for marketing, most authors will use contacts on their already existing email list and do an email blast showcasing a personal statement from the book and details on when and where it will be available. Choosing to have a professional, like a write my paper website, is a really easy way to hire a writer at affordable prices to take the pressure off of coming up with content for marketing your book in an email.
3. Create a Dedicated Website and Social Media Platform
People often try to mix their personal platforms with their professional ones, and the problem with that is everything gets combined, and a lot can get lost. It is important when branding yourself as an author that your work has its own separate website and dedicated social media platforms. This way, customers know exactly where to go to get all they need about your product and not be inundated with pictures from a birthday party you went to last weekend.
Some items you may want to have on your website can include:
Links to social media
YouTube channel link – for any live streams of reading the book
Customer review tab for new reviews and old
Blog – let readers know what is new and upcoming
4. Go Live on Social Media Platforms
Going live on any social media platform is the best way to get your book promoted by far. Promote a go-live session where you read a chapter of your book out loud and then do a Q & A session with viewers at the end. This will allow your customers and supporters to get a glimpse into the book’s energy and some insider viewpoints on burning questions readers may have.
5. Grow Your Niche Network
Promoting your book to other authors in the same niche category is a great way to efficiently build a network that will work for you. Whatever niche your book may be, for example, thriller, murder mystery, sci-fi, and the list goes on, make sure you utilize social media to build a network of like-minded authors. Their people will talk to your people, and those people will talk to other people, and before you know it, the link for your book has been passed around a bunch of times throughout all social media platforms.
Summary
Social media is free; it is easy to navigate and just as easy to use for marketing just about anything. It can be the thing that boosts your book to be a bestseller or the tool that helps get your book noticed by legit book publishing companies.
Jessica Fender is a professional writer and educational blogger at Writeload. Jessica enjoys sharing her ideas to make writing and learning fun.
As you dive further into platform and branding it may be difficult to determine exactly what you want your brand to be. For instance, if you’ve written fiction but now you want to write nonfiction, knowing exactly how to brand yourself can be difficult.
Thankfully, it’s not as hard as you may think. With some careful thought and planning you can be a writer with many interests and one brand. Follow the three steps below to learn how.
Who Is Your Audience?
Your audience is you unique followers: the people who follow you because they love your content and want more of it. If you’ve built an audience around one genre or one target audience, how do you rebrand yourself as your interests grow? This can get tricky when it comes to branding or rebranding, but simply do your research: Know who’s following you.
We are much more adaptable than we realize.
Life is a journey and just as everyone else grows and changes, so do writers. Know your audience enough to know which of your interests they will benefit from and which projects they’ll jump on board with.
How? Research. Or literally ask. Post a question box on Instagram and see what answers you get!
Lead Your Audience
Once you know who your audience is, their likes, dislikes, and why they’re following you, you are better equipped to know how to lead them.
If your audience is made up of a loyal fan base who fell in love with your first middle grade book, its sequel, and the third installment, and suddenly you want to transition to writing cookbooks, they might have a learning curve. Understand this, and move forward accordingly. It may take you a little more time, but move forward with purpose and lead them into your new interests.
Show Your Audience The Full Aspect Of Who You Are
Creatives often have diverse interests. Don’t allow your online presence to hold you back offline. Yes, your online presence is a powerful tool when used rightly, but don’t let a free app on your phone hinder your creative potential.
If you have a large following on your fashion blog and Pinterest but want to try your hand at writing a novel, go for it.
Life is short.
It’s important to steward the talents we’ve been given and pursue excellence. While you may lose some of your audience, you will likely grow in other capacities (whether that’s your social media numbers, or as an individual).
As you move into the next stage of your personal branding journey, be cautious but be bold. The creative world is constantly evolving. Grow with it. Take your writing interests to the next level. Rebrand. Revamp. Present fresh content in a new way.
And remember, you’re more than a social media following or a singular interest. You are a person who grows and changes.
Enjoy the process!
Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.
There’s a reason that one day you sat down at an empty screen or in front of a blank sheet of paper, and started writing. Maybe you had a character’s story burning inside you and just had to write it down, or maybe you wanted to express your own story.
But for whatever reason, that one day when you sat down to write, you started an incredible journey. You had something to say, and you wrote it down.
Great branding is a huge part of platform, and for today’s writers, platform can make or break your writing journey.
You’re here because you love writing. You have something to say. Now it’s time to determine what exactly it is you want to say, and how you want to say it.
As a writer in 2021, you have multiple avenues for communicating via writing, and choosing the best one for you can help take your writing from your desk to hundreds, thousands, and even millions of readers.
So, what do you want to say?
When determining this, think big picture. If you write young adult books, there’s likely a theme you want to communicate. For example, let’s say your work-in-progress is about a teenage girl growing up during the California gold rush and the bravery she must learn traveling west with her family. You likely want to communicate the theme of bravery, resilience, teamwork, etc., to your readers.
Now, other than your book itself, how do you want to communicate these themes?
You may want to consider creating a Tik Tok account and using those short videos to continue communicating these characteristics. Maybe you love the outdoors and your Tik Tok is full of videos of your summer hikes and camping adventures. Perhaps revamp your Instagram and post photos of your camping trips with captions talking about these topics.
If you write adult Romance, the themes you communicate will likely be love and other similar topics such as sacrifice, service, loyalty, etc. You may want to continue communicating these themes through inspirational quotes posted on Twitter or paired with a graphic and posted to Instagram. You could refocus your Tik Tok or YouTube channel by creating video content that reinforces this theme.
Being a writer today doesn’t just mean sitting down at the keyboard and writing books. That’s a big part of it, but writing and communicating stretches to social media and public stages.
As you continue to pinpoint exactly what your brand is and grow your platform, focus on why exactly you are passionate about writing the genres and characters you write. Use these insights to help establish your online presence with clarity. Then post regular, quality content, and enjoy the process.
Building your platform is often a slow and steady grind, but the resulting ability to communicate your passions to your audience is worth it.
Best wishes out there!
Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.
As a book author, you must be able to market your book. It may be hard for you if it’s your first book because you don’t have previous experience, but it is not impossible. Authors either go through the route of a traditional publisher to get their books out, or they self-publish.
Self-publishing is a viable option for many authors who don’t have the resources to work with traditional publishers. Thankfully, it’s easier to self-market your book now with the internet and social media, and one effective tool to use is videos. Video marketing works like magic to market your book, even if it’s the first one. You need to know what to do and how video marketing works which is what we’ll be discussing now.
In this article, we’ll be dishing out tips for video marketing your first book.
1. Run social media video campaign
One of the best ways to get people on your video is to offer them something for free. According to some essays help online, the best way to accomplish this is through social media. This is because you’ll get people willing to share your post and put the word out about you and your giveaway. This will invite more people to you, and you’ll have a lot of traffic on your video.
2. Add a smile to your video thumbnail.
You may not take this seriously, but your video thumbnail is essential too. It’s one thing that can make people either play your video or pass it by. So it’d be best if you used a thumbnail that is appropriate for your video. Use a compelling image that makes the video play-worthy, and the best way to do this is by using a smiling image, especially one that makes direct eye contact. This is because humans relate to other humans.
3. Make sure your video has a share button.
Knowing how powerful social media can be and how quickly information spreads, it’s a wise decision to enable the share button on your video. Making it possible for others to share the video means that it’ll get to more people quickly. The more people get to watch the video ad about your book, the more buyers you’re likely to get.
4. Prompt people to share the video
Adding a share button is sometimes not enough for people to share the video. They could watch the video, get the information that you’re passing and then move on from it. That’s why it’s important to prompt your video watchers. Also, don’t leave out your friends and families. Stick your video to their faces and ask them to share it with their network of friends.
5. Use email marketing
Email marketing remains one of the cheapest and most effective marketing strategies. It doesn’t matter that you’re trying to market a book and not some commerce items. Combining email marketing and video marketing makes both even more effective. Create an email list, and be sure to send your book marketing videos to them.
6. Put your money where your heart is
It’s okay not to want to spend a lot of money marketing your first book. You probably made a DIY video for marketing and have spent very little in your marketing. However, according to professional essay writers, if you want to reach many people and have a higher chance of making many sales, you need to spend some money. Your best bet would be to promote your video on social media. This ensures that it reaches multiple times more people, and you have a higher chance of selling your book and making your money back.
7. Pin the video on your Twitter feed
Twitter allows its users to pin a tweet to their feed. The reason for this is so that the tweet isn’t lost in the sea of several others on your feed. The fact that you’re constantly tweeting and sharing other tweets makes it easy to lose an unpinned tweet. Pinning means, it’ll always be at the top of your feed and will help you drive more engagement to the video.
8. Post the video to online communities platforms
There are many platforms with online communities composed of people of like minds. If you’re on these platforms, then it’s likely that these people are on the same frequency as you and are likely to resonate with your book. So you’ll be doing yourself a disservice not to post your video on such platforms. It doesn’t matter if it’s a LinkedIn group, Twitter Chat, Reddit, etc. They’ll be more open to your book than you think they are.
9. Play it at events
If you have your first book to market and you’re speaking at an event, then you have the perfect opportunity to get your work out to people and convince them first hand. At events like this, playing your video is beneficial to both you and the audience. They get a break from listening to you give a long (probably boring) speech, and you also get to market your book and get the word out. It’s a win-win situation.
Conclusion
Video marketing is an effective marketing technique, especially if you’re a first-time author and are marketing your book. However, it’d be best if you found your way around it. The tips in this article will help you do this effectively. Remember that the more people that see your video, the more sales you can make.
Eliza Sadler is a professional journalist with extensive experience for four years. She also works as a freelancer, writes a lot of articles, and provides the best dissertation help. She always focused on doing quality work to achieve her goals and objectives. Eliza is fascinated by the ability to create original works that meet high standards. Feel free to connect with her by email.
TikTok is currently one of the most popular video sharing applications in the social media world. It’s filled with lots of videos such as dancing, lip-syncing, duet, performing stunts, and comedy clips.
Once you start to scroll TikTok videos on the For You page, you won’t want to stop. Because TikTok videos encourage users to watch videos again and again. Whether you’re relatively new to TikTok or already a member, the following tips will help you to go viral on the TikTok app.
However, whether you’re just a viewer or planning to upload videos yourself, you have a clear idea about how to use TikTok to become a famous person in time.
TikTok – Short Intro
TikTok is the combination of all social media content with short and long form videos from 15 to 60 seconds. It has an effective music library, comedy, dancing, and trending videos. You can find popular videos, follow people and explore hashtags on this platform.
There are two main reasons that TikTok is really unique:
Type of content you post
How posted content is reaching your audience
Set Up Your TikTok Account
Before you get the TikTok For You page, you need to create a TikTok account. Here are the steps to create a TikTok account:
Go to the google play store/ App store.
Search the TikTok app in the search bar and download the app.
Once downloaded the app, sign up for your account by using Facebook, Twitter, or email.
Otherwise, use your email to create a new username and password.
Once logged in to your TikTok account, you’ll get a TikTok homepage to access videos.
Optimize Your TikTok Profile
Are you ready to edit your profile?
A profile is a place to show your identity across the world. You can add your unique profile image, username, short bio with clickable links, and attractive emojis.
To edit your TikTok profile,
Tap the ‘Me’ profile icon in the bottom of the screen.
Click edit profile.
Here, you can change your profile picture. TikTok allows you to choose either a static image or a video.
Next, you can add a unique username that easily remembers and identifies your audience.
Add a short bio to your profile, and it will appear at the forefront of your profile.
You can add your website link, Instagram, and YouTube profile links in the bio section. It will display at the bottom of your bio, so people can directly visit your website.
Create And Upload Your TikTok Videos
TikTok is the best social media platform to create amazing videos and engage people to follow your profile. Here are few ideas to create your TikTok videos:
Click the + icon at the bottom center.
The camera will open, and you can start to film your videos.
But before starting to record videos on TikTok, you need to choose your song.
However, if you want to capture videos at the moment, you can skip the option and start filming videos without music.
Like Snapchat, TikTok provides AR filters and effects, which helps to change the look and color of videos.
Click the effects option on the left-hand side to find more features.
The world tab includes options like environment and the effective background designs.
On the right side of the recording screen, you can see a beauty button to change the look of your face.
TikTok allows you to create videos from 3 to 15 seconds, and you can also merge multiple clips together for up to 60 second videos.
Once you start to post videos regularly, try duets, dance, and lip syncing features because these videos are more popular among the TikTok audiences and viewers.
TikTok For Marketers
Nowadays, many applications have helped businesses to promote their products and services and reach target customers. TikTok is undoubtedly a fast moving platform to get maximum reach and reach your message to the viral audience. Marketers use different strategies for brand awareness and increasing sales growth.
Here are some most effective strategies to brand a particular product or service on TikTok:
Make a Trend
TikTok is the best platform to find trendy content and hashtags. One of the best ways to increase brand awareness and drive traffic to your website is by making the most recent content and using a perfect hashtag to get your content in front of the exact audiences.
Engage With TikTok Users
Engagement is a two-way process! Uploading engaging content for your TikTok followers is important. Additionally, spending some time to see your post comments and commenting back to the audience is also needed. You can also comment on other users while watching trending videos, which helps to create good conversation and build strong relationships.
Promote Hashtag Challenges
Hashtags are the most popular and inspired activity on every social media platform. It will help you to generate audiences and spread your message organically. Hashtags challenges are a non-sponsored method to reach potential customers. Even you can grow organic TikTok viewers by using trending hashtags that may help you achieve immense growth.
Partner With TikTok Influencers
Like other social media platforms, TikTok’s influencer presence and growth are huge. Partnering with TikTok influencers to promote your brand is a great way to increase brand awareness and generate sales.
In fact, people are more likely to trust a brand and buy products based on their influencer recommendations. That’s why influencer marketing helps to improve your marketing growth and establish your brand to loyal followers.
Conclusion:
TikTok provides endless opportunities for users to create TikTok accounts and become more popular among younger audiences. Incorporating TikTok into your marketing strategy is a long process. But, with a perfect guide, you’ll be able to create awesome content and attract many people to visit your TikTok profile. Therefore, don’t miss this amazing platform for your business success!
Alison Williams is a social media content writer who works at Flatfitty, she is an experienced social media analyst, and her passion is to contribute to engaging content for authority blogs and websites. You can also visit her online at Twitter.com!
Part one of this two-part article covered how to get started on Instagram. This second part explores growing your audience. I offer my advice from my own experience—as one who is not particularly proficient in technology and approached Instagram with trepidation.
Growing Your Audience
In a year and a half, my followers went from zero to over 8,400. Some authors build faster using Reels, but I’m happy with my progress. Here are some tips I learned.
Remember, in the end, social media is about relationship and community, not about you. If you support, love, and encourage others, they will, in turn, do the same for you. So be real. Share your hopes and dreams, triumphs and disappointments, fears and hobbies. Besides making new friends, you’ll discover people who will root for your success.
Post great content. Although this was covered in the last article, it cannot be emphasized enough. Stay true to your brand with your posts. You can use the stories feature of Instagram to put out information that your followers might find interesting but does not fit into your overall brand you want your profile to promote. Like Snapchat, it disappears in 24 hours.
Post consistently at a regular time. In general, the best time is between 10:00 and 3:00 during the week. I post at 7:00 a.m., prior to the start of my workday, and during my lunch break. My followers know this and are more likely to look for me at those times. Many authors plan media in advance using an Instagram scheduling tool. Or this video shows you how to schedule from your desktop for free.
Interact with people. Liking their post is great but leaving a comment of at least five words has more impact. Always respond to those who comment on your posts and return the favor by commenting on one of their posts. Sometimes these interactions help build a relationship. Sometimes they give you a chance to promote your book. Sometimes it’s just plain fun. No matter your motivation, this small investment can reap big benefits.
Join an author challenge—daily writing prompts on a variety of topics, such as science fiction, poetry, romance, and other genres. It provides you with material to post. Plus, if you follow the challenge hashtag, you will find like-minded people to connect with. This mutual interest builds community.
Follow trains can bring in a large number of followers very quickly. Anyone can create a one. Most include specific rules, such as following the host or certain accounts, in order to join. Select one that fits your audience profile. If you follow someone on a train, let them know by leaving a comment. Otherwise, it’s easy to get overlooked, and they might not follow back. Take a snapshot of the accounts you follow too. Then check on them in week to see if they followed back. If they didn’t, feel free to unfollow them since they did not, in good faith, fulfill the purpose of the event. (A good train host will be alert to this abuse, but many rely on you not to be fooled.)
Use hashtags reach your target audience. For example, if I use the hashtag #embersgram, which is geared for Christian writers, I can find posts by anyone using it and, even better, they can find me. Instagram automatically provides hashtag choices when you start typing, similar to how a search engine operates. Here are some middle grade book and writing tags to get you started, but research to find more: #middlegrade #bookstagram #middlegradebooks #middlegradefiction #mglit #middlegradereads #middleschool #authorsofinstagram #middlegradefantasy #mgbooks #middlegradeauthor #middlegradebook #mg #christianwriter #christianauthor #authorlife #writersofig #writinglife #writingcommunity #igwriters
There is much more to learn about this fast-growing social media tool. Now that you know how to get started, you can grow the platform you need to improve your chances of getting published. Follow me too at @Lori.Z.Scott. I’ll follow you right back!
Elementary school teacher Lori Z. Scott usually writes fiction because, like an atom, she makes up everything. Her down time is filled with two quirky habits: chronic doodling and inventing lames jokes. Neither one impresses her principal (or friends/parents/casual strangers), but they do help inspire her writing.
Somehow, her odd musings led her to accidentally write a ten-title bestselling chapter book series and on purpose write over 150 short stories, articles, essays, poems, and devotions. Lori also contributed to over a dozen books, mostly so she would have an excuse to give people for not folding her laundry. (Hey! Busy writing here!)
Lori loves speaking and leading workshops and enjoys visiting local elementary schools to share her writing journey. Follow her on Instagram @Lori.Z.Scott.
Taking the focus off of ourselves and placing it on our audience changes everything. Everything. That’s exactly what a Facebook Live program does. You already focus on others as you serve in your community, church, and at work. Take that same caring spirit and passion to serve online with Facebook Live, and watch your audience grow!
Since I’ve hosted over 500 60-minute Facebook Live programs, I’m often asked a broad range of questions about it. Here are three regarding the schedule and length of a live program:
#1: Can I hop on a Facebook Live whenever I feel like it?
#2: What’s the ideal length for a Facebook Live?
#3: I don’t have a Facebook page yet, so can I go live on my profile?
#1: Can I Hop On A Facebook Live Whenever I Feel Like It?
Uh, nooooo. Well, technically you can, but you’d miss the main reason for using Facebook Live: your audience. Without knowing when you’ll be live, viewers can’t add your program to their schedule, and without them, you’re simply a talking head, speaking into an empty space. Ugh!
Choose a specific day and time for your program. This allows more viewers to join because they’ll know when you’ll be on. Dependability is a hallmark of a professional.
Some think, “I’ll just hop on for a few minutes, say what I want to say, and get off,” but your audience needs time to 1) remember your program is coming up, 2) disengage from whatever project they’re working on, 3) pour their favorite beverage, and 4) get their notepad (assuming your previous programs offered worthwhile content).
If your program only lasts a few minutes, you’ll be offline before they’ve gotten themselves together. A few go rounds like that and they won’t be back.
Choose a day and time and commit to it, just as you would any other “can’t miss this!” appointment.
Most people go live once a week. Less often and people tend to forget you, which means you’ll have to attract a brand-new audience over and over, instead of building a program with regular viewers, plus occasional new faces that stumble upon you, like what they hear, and come back for more.
#2: What’s The Ideal Length For A Facebook Live?
I suggest a minimum of 15 minutes, though 30 is better. Thirty minutes gives your audience time to join you before you deliver the heart of your message. That allows them to participate in the conversation. (You know that Facebook Live is a two-way conversation between your viewers and you, right? That’s why people love it so.)
Thirty minutes also gives Facebook’s algorithm time to notify those chosen few viewers mentioned above. Plus, it allows you to dig into a single point without rushing. Cramming 30 minutes of content into 15 minutes is no fun for you or your audience.
Facebook loves organic video (video recorded live on Facebook). They give it “artificial reach,” meaning that they notify a small, random percentage of your followers each time you go live, so those followers can join you quickly. It’s only a small percentage, and you have no control over who’s notified. Still, it’s a nice perk. And it’s only available if your program lasts long enough for it to kick in.
#3: I Don’t Have A Facebook Page Yet, So Can I Go Live On My Profile?
It seems like a no-brainer to present your Facebook live program on your Facebook profile. After all, that’s where all your friends are. But I caution against it, for two reasons.
One, while your family and friends support you, it’s highly unlikely that they’re in your God-given target market. So you won’t attract the audience that needs your book, and vice-versa.
Two, sooner or later you’ll want to invite viewers to purchase your book, pay for your online speaking event, or something else. But that’s not allowed on profiles, according to Facebook’s Terms of Service.
You’re better off to start where you can grow long-term, which, on Facebook, is your page.
Everyone I’ve known who’s gone “live” has been surprised how much they enjoy it. Yes, there’s tech to learn, but once you’ve learned it, it becomes automatic. Yes, there’s content to create, but haven’t you been longing for a group who’s hungry for your message?
The most delightful surprise? The people on the other side of the camera. They’re the ones you’ve been trying so hard to reach, and there they are, eager to improve their lives…and you can tell them how. There’s nothing like that feeling, is there?
And it’s free for everyone! Unbelievable!
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
Today’s authors must have a platform to market their books. In addition to a personal website, email lists, speaking engagements, and traditional book signing events, publishers expect to see your presence on social media. The bigger the numbers of people you have following your account, the better chance you have of a publisher considering your proposal. They want those contacts to turn into sales.
One of the top places to develop platform is Instagram, a popular photo and video networking service. Instagram has millions of active users across the globe on a daily basis. Many of those viewers make purchases based on someone they encountered on Instagram. Those are two compelling reasons to get started!
I’m not tech savvy, so I approached the whole project with trepidation. However, knowing the role it played in my overall writing journey, I kept at it. Step by step, I learned mistakes to avoid and techniques to succeed.
I came to love my Instagram community. And I’ve enjoyed benefits from it. I got hired as an article writer for Story Embers through an Instagram ad. I conduct interviews with authors through Instagram. I’ve paired with other authors to promote their books. I even met Kelli McKinney, the writer I’m guest blogging for today, through Instagram! Best of all, when I put a book proposal together, my followers are a cornerstone for the marketing section.
But what if you don’t know the basics of Instagram? Where do you start? And how do you build momentum? In this part one of a two part article, I will explore how to get started.
You’ve Got to Actually Sign Up
This seems like an obvious first step, but for those not familiar with the service, the whole process can be intimidating. However, YouTube provides many practical ‘how-to’ videos to guide you through the sign-up process. I used this link. Just remember, authors need a public business account. It provides a breakdown of statistics, including new followers, profile views, number and reach of your posts, and more.
Your Username and Bio
When you sign up, you’ll need a username. And writers, YOU are the brand, so using your name is perfect. If possible, keep the same username across all your social media platforms.
Next, create a short bio. Instagram limits the word count. Many authors use a catchphrase that sums up what they are all about. Mine is love, laugh, learn. That makes sense since I post positive affirmations, write humor, and teach. Along with the catchphrase, you can include who represents you, what you write, or book titles. Always include a link to your website.
Engaging Posts
Engaging posts will do much to boost your followers. But a word of caution: don’t push your product too much. Instagrammers often lose interest in authors who post picture after picture of their book. Instead, share more authentic posts—your crazy pet, a funny poem, a favorite Scripture verse, or an emotional hardship/victory. Be real. That’s what readers crave.
But I’m an author. That is true. So of course, you want to share projects you’re working on or the good news about an award you won. But couch that in the broader picture of the everyday you. Because if your audience doesn’t know you, they won’t be interested in what you have to sell.
What else?
Post an attractive feed. Use quality pictures with your brand in mind. Try free photo based apps like Unsplash or Pixaby.
Put words on your image. I use an app called Phonto to add text to my images.
Use filters to create a custom color scheme for your posts. Think branding.
Videos (Reels). Readers have short attention spans. Cater to that by recording and posting a Reel, which is a 15-second multi-clip video with audio tracks and other features. This short guide on YouTube might be helpful.
Stories. Like Snapchat, the images disappear after 24 hours. Interested follows access your stories by clicking on your profile picture. Here is a how-to guide.
Now you know enough to get started on Instagram. In part two of this article, I will tackle how to grow your audience.
Elementary school teacher Lori Z. Scott usually writes fiction because, like an atom, she makes up everything. Her down time is filled with two quirky habits: chronic doodling and inventing lames jokes. Neither one impresses her principal (or friends/parents/casual strangers), but they do help inspire her writing.
Somehow, her odd musings led her to accidentally write a ten-title bestselling chapter book series and on purpose write over 150 short stories, articles, essays, poems, and devotions. Lori also contributed to over a dozen books, mostly so she would have an excuse to give people for not folding her laundry. (Hey! Busy writing here!)
Lori enjoys speaking, leading workshops, and visiting local elementary schools to share her writing journey. Follow her on Instagram @Lori.Z.Scott.
As a writer, you need to know how to act and what to do in order to get more people to hear about your work, read your books, and start following your career. It’s not enough for you to have brilliant books if no one knows about them. That means that you need to build a personal brand and become more active in showing it, especially online. And, the best place to do it is on social media.
Social media is the most powerful tool you can use to build a personal brand as a writer. If you’re not sure how to do it, but want to learn, just keep reading. Below, you’ll find a list of 7 best tips for writers to build a personal brand on social media.
Let’s get started.
1. Build Strong Profiles
Let’s start with the essentials. To build a strong personal brand on social media, you need to make sure your social media profiles are fully updated.
Here’s what that implies:
profile and cover images
personal information
business information
short bio
fun facts
contact information
You want to make sure that your social media profiles are professional, informative, and complete. Also, make sure to delete any profiles you might not be using anymore to avoid having them ruin your online presence.
2. Get Personal
People love to see the non-business side of their favorite writers, so you’ll need to get personal. This doesn’t mean you’ll need to reveal your private life completely. It just means you’ll be giving them a sneak peek into who you are when you’re not an author.
That means you’ll share:
pictures of you with your dog
your family holiday photos
your thoughts on global or local events
your favorite musician
etc.
You need to let the people get to know you and start feeling like they’re your friends. The closer they feel to you, the more they’ll be interested in your work as a writer. Share the content that shows who you are as a person and allows them to learn about you every day.
3. Communicate
People following you on social media will love communicating with you and getting feedback on their comments, messages, or remarks. This is why to build a personal brand, you need to be active in responding to your followers.
That includes:
replying to the comments that ask a question or deserve your attention
thanking people for their nice words or support
answering DMs
reposting stories of people reading your book or mentioning you
Apart from giving feedback in this form, you should also try and inspire people to talk to you. You can ask questions, ask them to leave a comment, and share their thoughts. This way, you’ll be able to see how they feel and what their thoughts are on your new book or anything else you’d like to discuss.
4. Be Active
To build a personal brand, you need to present in people’s lives. And, every now and then when they’re scrolling their social media feed, they need to see or hear from you.
This will create a habit of checking your content and staying interested in what you’ll post next. To make this happen, you’ll need to:
post regularly (at least 3-4 time a week)
create engaging content that your audience will like reading or seeing
be innovative and post something fresh and different
Since you’re a writer, it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with interesting new ideas for your social media posts. Try making them fun, unique, and creative.
5. Show Consistency
Consistency is another super-important ingredient in your mixture for a winning personal brand on social media. Why? Because it makes you relatable and authentic.
Consistency means following a set of rules you created that define you as a brand. Those include:
your personality
your style of writing
your tone and voice
the colors you’re using
the type of visuals you’re posting
You should try and come up with a unique style, and use it in all your posts on all your social media. This comes through trial and error or, if you don’t like to risk, an editing company can do the work for you. This way you will help people recognize your posts before they even read it’s you.
This way, your brand is becoming truly powerful.
6. Understand Who’s Reading
As a writer, you can have a colorful audience of different people following you for different reasons. Understanding and knowing your audience is the key to successful brand building. Your audience can consist of:
young writers looking up to you
people who have been following your work from day one
new followers who only read one of your books
Learn who they are and create content for each of these target groups. Make sure there’s something for everyone.
7. Talk Work
Just because you’re trying to build a personal brand doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to talk about your work as a writer. On the contrary, your social media is supposed to help you build awareness about your latest work and overall career.
This means that you should include updates from your professional life on your social media. You should post about:
your work in progress such as a new book or switching to a new genre
the release date of your new book
promotions and events
behind the scenes of a writing session
announcements and big revelations
Your social media profiles are there to support your professional career and make a connection between you as a writer and you as an everyday person.
So, don’t be afraid to talk work, but make it fun, genuine, and authentic.
Final Thoughts
Building a personal brand on social media is a great way for writers to gain more attention and expand their readership. When you’re present online the right way, people have a chance to get to know you, like you, and develop an interest in your work.
Hopefully, the 7 tips we’ve shared above will help you build a strong personal brand on social media so use them to reach new career heights.
Jessica Fender is a professional writer and educational blogger at Bestwritingadvisor, an aggregator for useful college resources and websites. Jessica enjoys sharing her ideas to make writing and learning fun.
Raise your hand if you’re a writer on Twitter! Same. Twitter is a great place for building that writing community and growing your visibility. However, simply building your brand through a follow-for-follow plan can cheapen not just your brand, but your writing.
So how do you build your platform and build the credibility of your writing?
As I’ve mentioned before, personal brand is not just what you write. It’s who you are. Your public, personal brand is what you decide to portray of who you are to your audience. Who are you impacts what you do or don’t write, how you engage with others on social media, and what you do or don’t post.
If you scroll through writers on Twitter, you’ll quickly see users who are there to promote their work, gain followers, and call it a day. Other than linking their book or blog, they don’t appear to be there to bring you, their potential reader, quality content.
Then you’ll see the few diamonds in the rough. The users who post quality content over and over, engage with other users, and work at pouring into the writing community, not just build their platform.
The great thing is, when you post quality content and genuinely engage with other writers, they’re apt to follow you. Thus, you build your platform.
So how do you bring your brand to Twitter? Ask yourself some questions:
Are you on Twitter to share what you’re learning from a come-alongside perspective, or to give writing advice from the standpoint of an expert? If you choose the come-alongside approach, you can share anything writing-related that you’re learning. If you choose the expert approach, to maintain brand integrity, only share advice you are an expert in. Do you write YA fiction in a specific genre, and have you sold thousands of books? You’re probably on your way to becoming an expert. However, you probably want to steer clear of handing out nonfiction advice.
Next, there are countless ways to engage with the writing community on Twitter. Choose what group you want to invest in, and go all in. Retweet pinned tweets, offer retweets on pitch fest days, jump into the comments to offer your expert advice, or share your own tweets as you progress through the writing journey.
Twitter is a sea of advice, book and blog promotions, writers’ lifts, etc., so choose carefully where you want to invest.
If you choose the expert sharing advice approach, writers’ lifts probably aren’t the best place to jump in. Twitter users who almost only engage in writers’ lifts, follow-for-follow trains, and endless promotions of their work are going to be viewed differently than those who genuinely engage, share writing advice, and provide great content every day.
Yes, follow writers, tweet, retweet—do all the things! Just choose how you choose to engage. What does what you tweet, retweet, and promote say about your writing brand?
With that in mind, happy tweeting!
Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.
Are you looking for the perfect guide to improve your marketing strategy on Instagram? Follow these 7 effective steps that will help you to enhance your business.
Before we enter into the main topic, a quick look about Instagram marketing.
Instagram is one of the most popular and influential social networks in the world. As more and more people use Instagram to update their valuable information. Instagram is an excellent platform for publishing your visual thoughts.
Instagram marketing is the process of promoting your brand among Instagram users. It helps you to reach a large & new audience, increase brand visibility, build strong brand & customer relationships, and generate more sales and revenue for your business.
Okay, shall we move to our main topic: 7 unique Instagram marketing tips for beginners:
Tip 1: Make A Great Profile
When someone enters your profile, the first thing they see your profile picture, short bio, and your most recent posts. Your Instagram profile clearly explains who you are and what your business does. It can help to show your brand personality and get people to notice your actions.
Here are some important parts of your Instagram profile:
Profile Image: The image that you use should be relevant to your brand or business.
Username: Add the right username that is searchable.
Bio: You have 150 characters to write an effective bio. So, spend some time making the right impression.
Clickable Links: Bio is an excellent place to take people to your product page directly.
Call to action: You can insert additional call to action buttons such as call, email, etc.
Tip 2: Follow A Unique Content Strategy
A solid content strategy is essential to succeed on Instagram marketing. Without useful and relevant content, it is hard to grab the attention of your target audience.
So, you should analyze what type of content is best to gain more potential followers to your account.
But, how to find & improve your content strategy?
You should upload more photos and videos that are relevant to your brand/products.
You can make videos that show your company culture and give a behind the scene look.
Create a mixture of contents with different formats.
Focus on high quality and subject matter contents.
Post one or two times per day when your followers are more active.
Tip 3: Collaborate With Target Influencers
Influencer marketing is the best strategy to reach out to your potential customers and gain followers on Instagram within a short time. Partners with the right influencers can show your brand in front of a wider audience.
According to the research, more and more people purchase products based on the content of influencers.
Usually, Instagram influencers have a large and loyal follower base. So, most people trust their recommendations to make a successful campaign.
Ensure that you should choose to partner with those who have a highly relevant audience based on your product and services.
If you partner with the right influencers, you can easily build strong brand awareness with your target audiences.
Tip 4: Take Advantage Of Instagram Stories
Instagram stories are similar to Snapchat posts, and it is a great way to keep your followers engaged and get more engagement.
Instagram stories are easy to create and get more user attention when compared to Instagram photos. Because Instagram stories appear at the top of your followers feed. So, your followers can easily notice your stories and expose your content to a lot of people. Moreover, stories are a great feature to get more views on your profile page.
When you boost Instagram story views, you get a chance to increase organic views for your stories. It can also help to drive traffic to your profile and expand popularity within a short period. It even encourages people to share more of your content with others.
Tip 5: Use Powerful Hashtags
Hashtags play an important role on Instagram, and you can use up to 30 hashtags per post. Hashtags can help you get more people to see your content and connect your brand with a wider audience.
There are two types of Instagram hashtags that can get more visibility:
Brand Hashtags
A brand hashtag is basically your company name or the name of your marketing campaign. You can create branded hashtags to promote your business on Instagram easily. But, make sure your hashtags are easy to remember, unique and trending.
Content Hashtags
The content hashtag is essential for getting more and more people to discover your content. You can use these hashtags within your content when it is relevant to it.
If your content wants to become popular on Instagram, using a content hashtag can help you to show your content in front of your target audience.
Tip 6: Leverage Instagram Ads
Most marketers use Instagram advertising to enhance their brand to a huge audience. On average, there are 2 million users who use Instagram as an advertising platform.
Here are few strong reasons for you to use Instagram advertising:
You can introduce your brand to a target audience through Instagram ads.
Instagram ads are more engaging, which can help you to get a better conversation rate.
It provides huge creative features for both images and videos when promoting your products.
Instagram ads increase the chance of generating more sales and getting revenue.
Tip 7: Access Right Metrics
Understanding your metric performance is the first step to improve your marketing strategy. Instagram provides a free inbuilt analytics tool to measure the success of your profile, content, audience demographic and more.
These include:
Follower Growth Rate: The number of followers you have in the last 7 days.
Engagement Rate: It includes likes, comments, and shares per post.
Click Through Rate: You can know how many people are clicking through to your URL.
The above metrics will help you to market your business more effectively on Instagram.
Conclusion:
Instagram marketing strategies are the best marketing strategies in the digital world! You can use the above mentioned 7 marketing tips that can develop your marketing level and help to move the next! As a beginner, you must know the importance of Instagram marketing and their stats.
Good luck for your business!
Caterina Taylor is an experienced social media marketer and writer who works at PlanYourGram.com. She loves to work on content creation for social media blogs and has the potential to deliver engaging content on various platforms and networks.
Allison Pittman, writing as A. K. Pitman, has a brand new book out, and it’s a YA P & P retelling, Pudge and Prejudice, set in 1984 North Texas.
February is Body Image Awareness Month, and the timing felt perfect to ask Allison a few questions about her book, which deals with body image.
I love the idea of mingling one of my favorite Austen novels with a more recent historical setting.
I love the idea, too! It really showcases the timelessness of Austen’s story. Human emotions and motivations and desires are so transcendent, even if our surrounding society changes.
What was the strangest thing you had to research or the most surprising thing you learned when you were researching for this project?
Well, I learned that high schools outside of Texas don’t do homecoming mums. They are huge in Texas (literally and figuratively).
As a fellow Texan, I can attest to the hugeness of mums.
What are some of the unique challenges you faced when writing Pudge and Prejudice?
I was always surprised when I learned that something—some TV show or song—that I clearly remember from that year (1984) actually hadn’t happened yet.
Time passes, I guess, and everything gets mixed up. Over and over I was “redirected” by my lovely editor who hadn’t even been born yet! Quite a humbling experience.
Your novel is set in the 80s. How do you feel the landscape of the current high school culture has changed since then? What are the main things that have stayed the same?
It’s much easier to mention what has stayed the same: Kids still group themselves and establish crushing hierarchies within their ranks. What has changed? There’s such a lack of naiveté and innocence. They are exposed to so much, and with cellphones, they are never more than a click away from hurtful messages.
If you had fifteen minutes to talk to a young person who was struggling with body image, what is one main thing you would want them to understand?
I would want them to understand that, right at this moment, they are exactly what God intendeds them to be.
That’s hard to understand and accept, especially if they are unhappy, but that unhappiness can be channeled into something positive.
And then, I would emphasize that they need to compare themselves with themselves, not other people. You have to accept yourself, but you don’t have to accept your habits. Find out what is best for you, and don’t allow anything less.
Do you have any resources you’d like to share for young people struggling with body image issues?
As a blanket answer, I would say to step away from social media and develop good, in-the-flesh friendships where you interact outside of a tiny screen. That said, I would caution against any resource that promises anything other than restoring health in mind, body, and spirit. In fact, stay away from outside promises, period.
A healthy body image comes from within. You’ve made the decision to eat healthier? Study up on healthy cooking. You want to exercise more? Test your body to see what it can do and go from there.
Finally, there is no greater resource than God’s word—for anything, but most of all for inspiration about just how beloved and valuable you are.
Psalms 139:14 says, “I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. Part of that “wonderfulness” is how our outer appearance reflects our inner care. We need food, water, sleep, rest, and purpose—all in balance.
Find the best of those things, and you will find the best of yourself.
Allison K. Pittman is an award-winning author of thirteen novels. An enthusiast for all things writing, she leads two writing groups where she gets to blend her two passions: writing and teaching. (She gets to teach every day, too. Middle School.)
You can follow her around on Instagram (@allisonkpittman) or Twitter (@allisonkpittman) and keep up with the latest writing news on her Allison Pittman Author Facebook page—all of which will keep you up-to-date on not only her books, but also life with her husband, Mikey, and Snax, the world’s worst dog.
Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.
Now more than ever, personal branding is important. Whether you’re scrolling through Instagram looking at the latest influencers’ posts, or on Twitter engulfed in a sea of book promotions, it may seem like everyone is pushing their personal brand.
Maybe you attended a writing conference and were declined representation due to your lack of platform. Maybe your book made it through pitching and garnered the interest of a publisher, only to have the marketing team squash your hopes of landing a contract. I’ve been there too. If you’re only here for writing, that’s ok. We have numerous articles on the writing craft. If you want to write for yourself, you can skip this article and go read another. However, if you want to write and build a careerthen keep reading.
Branding is a cornerstone to a solid writing career. That’s why we need to talk about it.
Writers embody their writing. Think of J. K. Rowling—a giant in her genre. But she is both known for what she writes and also who she is. The character of Harry is so endearing partly because we know Rowling’s past. To be an author with a career is to open yourself up to the public and show who you are.
That’s where branding comes in.
We don’t need to share every detail of our lives to get published, but we do need to share select details.
Notice the word select there. Brand comes down to what you choose to share.
What are you passionate about? What colors do you love? How do you decorate? Believe it or not, this all influences your brand. As a writer you will likely do some speaking and promoting. What you talk about hopefully comes from what you’re passionate about. How you dress when you speak hopefully is inspired by the colors you love. How you decorate will likely influence the type of photos you post on Instagram or your author Facebook page, or what you pin on your author Pinterest board.
We’ll continue future, in-depth discussions of author branding (as well as platform) but for now, can I assign some homework?
Look up your favorite authors and notice what they’re posting, tweeting, and blogging about. Notice trends. Notice recurring themes. Colors. Topics. Questions. Ways they engage with their followers.
Then look at your own social media and writer website. Notice trends, recurring themes, colors, topics, questions, and how you engage. Take note if there are discrepancies between your social media bio and what you’re posting about.
For now, that’s all you need to do—notice. Next time we’ll take it a step further.
Until then, happy writing!
Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.
It’s a complicated time to be an author trying to build your platform on social media. It’s a weird time to be a human, much less one that spends large chunks of their days creating imaginary realms for their readers to enjoy. The various online spaces feel like they’re filled with people weighing your every word to determine if you fit into their box, or some other. Those who they find agreeable are loved, accepted, and promoted. Those they deem to exist in the other box are ignored, ridiculed, and discouraged. We need to build a platform to connect with readers, but the these days it feels like trying to clear a minefield in a TIE fighter.
The disagreements don’t even have to be about deep political viewpoints. Something as simple as a sports team allegiance can lose you followers. Some of the worst online battles happen between different parts of the same fandom particularly in the speculative fiction space. Whether its SciFi versus Fantasy, or Original Trilogy versus Sequel Trilogy, the intensity of the rhetoric would make even the politicians blush.
I’m an ambitious writer. I want my stories to have a wide appeal. I don’t want to post anything that might alienate someone from giving my books a chance. So how do we navigate these treacherous minefiled?
I’ve found the key is discernment and empathy. Empathy is your superpower as a writer. Designing a great antagonist is the hidden key to unlocking this superpower.
“Fiction gives us empathy: it puts us in the mind of other people, gives us the gifts of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.” Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker award-winning author Neil Gaiman.
Develop empathy with people by making them great antagonists
Antagonists are critical to your story. They need to be every bit as fleshed out, multi-dimension and real as your protagonist. They need to have complex personalities, and deep motives. Sometimes what drives your antagonist is a good good quality taken too far. It morphs into something darker. Someone with a strong work ethic becomes a workaholic. Love turns to jealousy. High self esteem becomes conceitedness.
Ask the same sort of questions about the people you struggle to have empathy for that you ask of your antagonist. Who are they? What life experiences have shaped them into the person they are today? What are they listening to, or reading that is forming their core belief system.
You don’t have to agree with their positions or their actions. They may be wrong, completely wrong, but you can still have empathy and show them kindness.
Is this a hill to die on?
One of the defining phrases of my twenty-five-year marriage has been ‘a hill to die on’. This is a military phrase which refers to capturing or holding the high ground, usually a hill. As Obi-wan showed us, holding the high ground gives you a military advantage. But not all hills have equal strategic value. Some hills are the key to victory and must be held no matter the price. Others aren’t worth the cost in men, or ammunition. It’s not a ‘hill to die on’.
Here’s a lifehack for you. If you don’t argue with people, they assume you agree with them. This isn’t to say you must agree with anyone. We all have deeply held beliefs and convictions. But what’s required is for you to do a cost-benefit analysis.
A biting quip or a brilliant reply to an argument may feel good in the moment, but you probably haven’t changed anyone’s mind, and you might have lost a future reader. No matter how clever or persuasive our arguments, we are unlikely to change anyone’s mind in a quick, online interaction. Real change only happens in the context of deep relationships. You may have instead earned yourself a long time enemy.
As hard as it is to do, simply not replying is often the best answer. I recently had a tweet get far more engagement than I thought it would. Many responses were supportive, but some of them were not kind. There was an emotional sting that will now form into a callous to develop that thick skin so critical to success as a modern writer. Rather than get into an argument, I simply ignored them.
Best social media advice still holds true
The core advice, communicated to me by writing coach Janeen Ippolito still stands. Have one social media platform that you are consistently posting to and interacting with people. I’m better at Twitter than IG so that’s where I do most of my interactions. Be at least findable on every other major social media platform, if only to funnel traffic back to the ones you find most comfortable with using.
I hope as we move into the new year, there’s less of trying to make every issue a binary choice, and forcing people into one of two boxes, mostly so we can dismiss or denigrate those people not in our box.
Ted Atchley is a freelance writer and professional computer programmer. Whether it’s words or code, he’s always writing. Ted’s love for speculative fiction started early on with Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, and the Star Wars movies. This led to reading Marvel comics and eventually losing himself in Asimov’s Apprentice Adept and the world of Krynn (Dragonlance Chronicles).
After blogging on his own for several years, Blizzard Watch (blizzardwatch.com) hired Ted to be a regular columnist in 2016. When the site dropped many of its columns two years later, they retained Ted as a staff writer.
He lives in beautiful Charleston, SC with his wife and children. When not writing, you’ll find him spending time with his family, and cheering on his beloved Carolina Panthers. He’s currently revising his work-in-progress portal fantasy novel before preparing to query.
When it comes to building a platform, numbers fly around conversations like flies on leftovers. Some may say you need 50k followers on a single social media outlet to have a platform, others may say platform isn’t as important for fiction as it is for nonfiction. Others may say 30k on one platform is sufficient.
For a moment, set aside those numbers and listen to one freeing reality: Where you want to be is not where you need to be right now.
Yes, you need a platform, but if you write fiction crime novels your platform in this moment does not need to consist of fiction crime novel readers.
In some capacity, everyone is more talented in one area than another. When you’re looking to build your platform, start with where you are, not where you want to be.
Let’s say you are a stay-at-home mom and love cooking healthy dishes. Recently you’ve taken to learning the craft of writing—you’re working on your first romantic fiction and trying to build a platform.
You might think you need to start a blog on your romantic fiction, but I would urge you to think again. Instead, start using Pinterest to share your favorite recipes, or start a blog with a similar focus. As you naturally build a following around this passion, you’ll gain loyal fans.
How does that translate into a following for your book?
During the time it took you to write your manuscript and land your first contract, you’ve shared quality content on a regular basis for your followers. You’ve shared the best recipes you have and other than the usual requests of subscribing, sharing, and liking, you’ve never asked for a thing from your followers. You’ve provided free, quality content again and again.
They know all this time you’ve loyally provided what you said you would, and they’ve benefited. You’ve built a loyal following. At this point, they most likely won’t mind if you mention you’ve written a book and just signed your first contract. In fact, they’ll likely want to know!
And as an added bonus, maybe one of your characters loves cooking and you can mention he or she uses your most popular recipe as a second-date dinner in your romance novel. Now they’re really intrigued!
Whatever your current passion or talent, focus on building your following there. Once you have a loyal fan base and your book is about to be published, let them know. You’ll probably be surprised how many fans of your cooking blog turn into fans of your book.
With this type of platform, you don’t need to overmarket yourself or spam your followers with promotional material. They’re loyal to you, and if you have a new passion, they’ll likely want to support it as well.
Best wishes out there!
Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.
New authors often call me. They want my help to build their platform in time for their book’s release the following month. I ask, “What have you been doing to serve your audience this past year?”
They reply, “Nothing. I’ve been writing my book.”
Me: “Who do you expect to buy your book?”
Them: “My family and friends.”
Me: “Eventually, those people will be saturated with your message. Once thathappens, who will buy your book?”
Them: “Hmm…I never thought about that.”
The hard truth is that no one can build a platform in a month, especially not from scratch. And what does that phrase even mean, really?
What is an “Author Platform”?
Your author platform is your ability to sell books to people you’ve never met. Celebrities, politicians, and megachurch pastors do this effortlessly because they developed a loyal following long before they became an author.
How can you get that same result? Reaching people beyond your family and friends comes first.
Offering your message for free via a Facebook Live program comes second. As you serve your audience with excellence, more audience members—who don’t yet know you—will be drawn to you, growing your audience base. Staying in touch with them comes third.
What does it take to start?
You don’t need any followers in the beginning, because you earn them as you help them. You will need a computer, camera, and microphone. Plus the message you’ve been sharing for years, formally or informally. That’s it!
As you “go live,” the Holy Spirit will draw the very people who need your message.
They’ll return. Some will bring their friends. And your platform will grow deeper. When you serve your audience well, it builds naturally. And supernaturally.
What if I need to polish my message a bit more?
Even if you’ve been delivering your message for decades, hosting a Facebook Live program will refine it. How? Your audience will ask follow-up questions during the program, bringing up points you haven’t considered before. Two-way conversations with a live audience are so much better than writing to unseen readers who don’t respond!
The flexible, back-and-forth flow of a Facebook Live allows the conversation to take unexpected and delightful turns, making your message richer, fuller, and more effective.
Don’t I have to be an expert to host a Facebook Live program?
Even if you don’t start out as an expert, you’ll become one, and be recognized as such. This will open doors you never dreamt of, expanding your audience reach even further and creating opportunities for new personal and professional relationships.
Many Christian communicators balk at “going live,” preferring to write blog posts and share memes instead. And those are good ways to get your message out.
But if you want to develop solid relationships with your audience so they’ll become loyal followers, advocates, and buyers for years, Facebook Live is the faster choice. Though, like any worthwhile project, it doesn’t happen overnight.
When should you begin?
No matter when your next book will be published, I encourage you to begin building your audience base now. Intentionally reach beyond your family and friends.
Some writers worry they’ll give away everything they know, then their audience won’t want their book. On the contrary, sharing your best in 15-30 minute segments via Facebook Live showcases your message, making your audience hungry for more.
First one viewer, then another, then still others will recognize not only the value of your message but they’ll get to know YOU: your personality, your laughter, and your wisdom. You’ll be in relationship with them. These are the people who will be first in line when your book is released. They’ll become your advocates, encouraging their friends to purchase everything you create, helping your platform grow without any extra effort from you. And all because of the connection created as you serve them.
Will 2021 be your year to build a strong author platform using a Facebook Live program?
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
Twitter is a major social media platform, which holds 330 million monthly active users, and 450 million daily active users. People see Twitter as the mini entertaining channel; you can find all kinds of updates and trending news. On Twitter, you can notify lots and lots of marketers, business professionals to grow their business in their way. It is the right place for startups or beginners to develop their brand or platform quickly on social media. Through Twitter, beginners can introduce their brands or products to millions of people worldwide.
Let’s start with some specific tips and tricks for beginners on Twitter.
Construct an Impressive Profile
Once you decide to start your business on Twitter, your first and foremost action is to create a Twitter account for your business. Creating a Twitter account is not enough; you need to build an impressive profile. When people identify your tweet or account, their first action is to visit your profile. To build an impressive and useful profile, you must concentrate on certain items.
Choose Your UsernameWisely
Your username must belong to your business name (brands, products). Suppose if your business name is already taken, you can try adding your location with your username. At Least you can pick a name that specifies your business. Don’t use an underscore or hyphens, which may look unprofessional. If you have accounts on other media, then use the same username here you have used there. It helps to bring your existing followers to other media. Avoid changing the username often.
Add Necessary Details in the Bio Section
Did you know a bio with a link receives more followers than those who don’t have one? At the same time, don’t overload it with lengthy words; keep it short and sweet. If you cannot express your business within two lines, think over what you are doing. How can you express the benefits of your products?
Display Picture & Background
Your brand or company logo will be the best fit for your profile pictures. It helps to make your people think about your brand image. It must be clear and easily recognizable. For your background cover photo, select photos that are unique and styled. Twitter branding is the most crucial thing to make your brand famous and trendy. You can keep your brand or product image as your background.
How to Engage on Twitter
Once you have a good profile with sufficient information, what next? Of course, you need to start the real work. You begin to build engagement for your account. Start to grow your followers . Use search tabs to find relevant accounts and people who are interested in your topics or genre. Once you find those accounts, follow them, and engage with their tweets. Respond to their tweets by liking and commenting to them. Engaging with others helps them decide to follow your account.
Know What To Tweet
You need to offer engaging and fascinating content on Twitter to grow your audience engagement rate. Use multimedia and visual content in your tweets to catch your audience’s sight. You can share any beneficial content that will be useful for your audience. Asking questions will help to know your audience mindset and preferences, so concentrate on increasing your poll votes to see how your brand works. Moreover, you can use Rousesocial Twitter poll votes to gain lots of attention and engagement from your audience. On the other hand, you can try giveaways or contest to expand your brand reach and visibility.
Listen To What’s Going on
Once you start to grow your follower’s rate, you have to increase your engagement rate by posting exciting and attractive content daily. Use the search tab to discover the trending topics and discussions on Twitter. Your primary intention is to increase your retweets counts, as it automatically maximizes your engagement rate. Through keywords on the search tab, you can spot many conversations and chats belonging to your genre or themes. When you identify those conversations, don’t promote your products directly. Rather, offer content that is more valuable to others.
Like worthwhile posts
Provide answers to people who need your help
Give your suggestions to people’s questions
Solve people’s problems
Always remember to go with the trend, retweets to trending tweets, content. Keep an eye on viral tweets, talk about them, think about how to make those viral tweets connect to your content.
Post Regularly
Consistency is the key to success not only for Twitter but for all businesses. Maintain your active presence on Twitter by posting the content regularly. Avoid posting too much promotional content. Connect with your followers, ask them instant replies to their questions.
Conclusion
Posting frequently is essential but posting the right content at the right time matters most. Try to find your audience’s active time. Statistics from third party sites may help you. You may benefit from Twitter ads to grow your followers rapidly. Influencer marketing is also powerful. You can partner with them to enhance your recognition on Twitter. We hope this article is useful to beginners who want to develop their platform on Twitter.
Kaira Ralph works at Rousesocial as a social media strategist and a content writer. She contributes a lot of articles focusing on the latest social media trends to many blogs across the web. Her passions involve reading, painting, and traveling
Personal brand is a big factor for writers today. Do you have one? If so, what is it? And how do you, through your brand, portray yourself to the world? These are some questions to ask if you’re newer to this thing called writing or simply focusing on your platform for the first time.
First things first: Do you have a brand?
I put brand into two categories, active brand and passive brand. Passive brand is the brand you don’t think about. It’s what you wear to buy groceries, the posts you share without considering your writing platform, the people you follow because you just like seeing their posts. Active brand is much different. It’s what you choose to wear to the writers conference, it’s the blog you work on for a week before sharing on Twitter, it’s the people you follow on Instagram so you can work on your platform.
Whether you realize it or not, everything you say, share, do, wear (the list goes on) communicates something to your followers. When considering your brand, focus on a few key areas.
I can’t tell you what areas those should be for you, that’s up to you as the writer, but here are some bullet points to get you thinking:
Social Media — Are you always consuming or do you engage and give away good content? Neither is right or wrong, but one establishes you as more of a student in the industry while the other establishes you as an expert in your field.
Style — When people meet you for the first time, what does what you wear tell them about who you are? Are you a casual person? A professional? Again, neither is right or wrong but it is important to be aware of how you come across.
Website — Is your website about you or your reader? Are you inviting your target audience to read about the topics you enjoy, or are you bringing fresh content that will help them in whatever niche you’ve chosen to write in?
Writing — If people follow you on social media or subscribe to your site and then go read your books, they expect it to align with the rest of your brand. Ask, does my writing align with who I’m showing the world I am? (Imagine if Stephen King had a blog strictly focused on cat memes. As amazing as that would be, it would be rather confusing for the reader.)
If this feels like a lot, don’t be discouraged. Start small and grow from there. The good thing about a personal brand is it grows and changes as you do. Enjoy the journey of discovery and connecting with your readers along the way. If you’re a writer, you’re here for the long game. Personal brand is part of the process. And if you can write a book from scratch, you can definitely build your brand from what’s already started. You got this!
Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.
