I sat down with Bookstr CEO Scott Richmond to discuss the importance of social media for authors. We know social media marketing isn’t what you originally planned when you started your writing journey, and we understand that, so Scott provides comprehensive key tips and ideas on how to tackle this essential part of connecting with readers and growing your presence.
“Should I or shouldn’t I?” “What do I post next?” “Is this really worth it?” These are all questions many authors ask themselves when thinking about how to tackle social media. The quick answer to those questions is (as you can imagine) the title of this article.
The essential tips and questions below will simplify your approach to social media and lessen the burden. Here, we will discuss the various ways authors can enhance their social media presence without the stress. We will not only give you detailed explanations on how to turn your social platforms into a fulfilling and fruitful endeavor, but we will also provide examples of how to go about these steps. In this article, we will cover the following important topics:
- Consistency Is Key
- Give Your Audience Value (No Matter What)
- Have Topics Ready (and a Little Bit of a Plan)
- Always Provide Context
- In a World of AI, Human Connection Is More Important Than Ever
- Being Searchable and Known Is Crucial
- Connection and Then Commitment
- Client Examples
1. Consistency Is Key
You might look at some author’s social media accounts, see that they post every day, and think, “How do they do that? It’s just too much.” However, social media isn’t about posting every day; it’s about consistency.
Consistency ultimately means that your audience and the platforms you’re choosing to use know how many posts to expect each week. If you can only handle one post a week, do that, and try to do it at the same time and day each week. Many successful profiles consistently post twice a week. Every day is not required. Posting every day for one week, then not posting at all for a week, is counterproductive and reduces your results.
Everyone—from advisors at Meta and TikTok to the CEO of Instagram—has emphasized that the algorithms themselves are built to recognize and support profiles with consistent scheduling and frequency. To maximize your audience, you must stay engaged by posting on a predictable, regular basis. This may seem hard or overwhelming, but the rest of this article is all about techniques and tips that will help make creating content easier.
Ellie Yang Camp, the author of Louder Than the Lies, is just one of the many examples of writers who post once or twice a week for the release of her novel. Her 2,000+ followers cheer along as she features her book tours, reviews, and more.
Kat Singleton, the author of In Good Company, posts once or twice a week about her books and maintains a large, engaged audience.
2. No Matter What, Give Your Audience Value
If you remember to ask yourself, “Am I giving value?” This will become a key component in building an engaged audience, as well as having a pipeline for being inspired to make content. Value doesn’t mean something heavy or significant. Being funny, teaching something about topics you are passionate about, or relating to your book about topics you are passionate about, or relating to your book, giving a writing tip, and even posting a picture of your cat gives value, because who doesn’t like cats? Value really just means, for that moment, you enriched that person’s life in some way.
One thing to always remember, though, is to be consistent, as mentioned in the point above. If a writing tip is part of what you’re posting, then it should not be posted randomly; it should be something you post regularly every week or every other week. This applies to any topic. If you wrote a romance novel and are posting about your favorite romance tropes, it’s giving value to the audience in the genre in which you write.
Diane Richards wrote a historical fiction novel about Ella Fitzgerald. She gives the audience value by teaching her followers who Ella truly was and providing additional insights into the Harlem Renaissance.
3. Have Topics Ready and a Little Bit of a Plan
One surefire way authors sabotage their social media is by forcing themselves to think of what to post on that very day. They get on their social media channels and think, “Ok, what do I post now?” Often, they get overwhelmed or trapped in wondering what is right. It’s exhausting thinking about what to do or how to do it over and over again.
If you create 2, 3, or 4 topics to have in mind that are your “go tos,” then you’ll never feel that way again. If you’re a fantasy writer and one of your topics is your passion for fantasy, you could have a weekly review of a fantasy book you loved. This will connect you to the audience and other authors at the same time! If you like helping other writers and connecting with readers who are aspiring writers, you could have a weekly writing tip. If you want to show people the behind-the-scenes of your creative process, you could do that. There are so many topics to pick from, just find the ones you’re passionate about that also connect to your life as a writer.
4. Always Always Provide Context
Not just authors, but almost everyone, has some level of assumption that their audience is following along or at least familiar with their posts. Chances are, the audience you do have has seen 1,000 other posts since your last one (even if it was yesterday!). In a world full of content, even your closest friends and fans may or may not remember what you last posted. Context and consistency are how you build new audiences; this happens through social platforms suggesting your content to followers who might enjoy it. This is how profiles grow and how social media platforms determine who is valuable to their platform. That means it may be the first time they are ever seeing what you post or who you are!
This may sound intimidating, but it’s actually a huge opportunity. By consistently providing context in your posts, you provide “why” people should care about the post and care about you, but most importantly, follow you and become a fan. Now they know that you’re a certain type of author, and this is what you care about and why you are presenting it. This is what they can count on from you. They will be able to jump into your profile and get a real sense of who you are, what your books are about, and what value you provide.
For instance, in this post, Rande Brown discusses the famous art installation in Central Park called “Christo’s Gates,” where she helped lead a meditation. It provides an interesting story that follows parts of history, and in the caption, she provides context about what ties directly to her book.
Here we have an example of author Laura Wood promoting her new book, Let’s Make a Scene. In the photo, she provides context about the book being released in the United States and the United Kingdom. In her caption, she provides context on what her book is about as well as her writing experience during the production of the story.
5. In a World of AI, Human Connection Is More Important Than Ever
While many might feel threatened or disadvantaged by AI, it is actually creating an important, almost unpredictable opportunity. The value of “realness” has increased today more than ever as people want to connect to an actual human. People want to experience an author — to see their face, understand how they think or how they might do something, and hear what they care about. Insight into a real human life has more value than you think, especially as it helps grow and broaden your market.
Ironically, this has now opened the door to people looking for imperfection — that’s right — they don’t want you to be perfect. So stop worrying about looking perfect on camera, saying “um,” or not being able to take a picture with the angle or lighting. People want to see and connect with the real you!
Be as open as you are willing, show your face, and let the readers in.
6. Being Searchable and Known Is Crucial
The first thing people do when they hear about you is Google you. When they hear your name or read something about you, it is then time for them to see who you are. What can they learn about you? Author websites can be a great anchor to who you are and what you do, but many authors don’t have the resources for the upkeep. Social media is a much easier process to show who you are and what your books are about. When people Google you, your social media will immediately show up. If it’s thorough enough, Google picks up some of the data points from your social profiles and presents them on the results page.
Dynamically, it fills in and helps prioritize the latest information and news about you. It is also a fantastic way to consistently refresh your latest press hits, reviews, opinions, and life. You get to magnify what is being said and provide further value to those who said it. Social media provides the anchor to all your endeavors — book tours, podcast appearances, reviews, and more — all in one place without the hassle of managing a website, which is a project unto itself.
When an author such as Bonnie Wan is listed in Google, her social media profiles are often displayed under her name. This provides further publicity for her brand and name, informing viewers about her latest updates.
Another example is Diane Richards’ Google search. Her social media, Instagram specifically, shows up when you look her up, as well as other links that her name falls under.
7. Connection and Then Commitment
Social media is a fantastic way for new fans to find you on the fly. Maybe they haven’t bought your book yet, but their friend mentioned you, they read a review, or they saw you and your books suggested on their feed.. Once someone is interested in you and compelled to follow you by being engaged in your content, you get many, many chances to touch their life. Through keeping them as followers and giving them value, you can turn them into long-term book buyers. A website visit doesn’t create a continuous bond. It’s more of a one-and-done situation. However, with social media, you can convert them from being a stranger to someone who advocates for you and shares you and your books.
8. Client Examples:
Bookstr collaborates with authors to offer engaging and easy-to-navigate tools for maintaining social media profiles. With our unique understanding of what readers look for, we’re able to tailor your profiles and garner new followers. Here are some of Bookstr’s client examples of captivating and engaging captions, posts, and media:
In this video post, presented on her Pub Day, Bonnie Wan distills what her book is about in a clear, concise way. The rest of her content revolves around different aspects of the book.
This collaboration post features and highlights the Publishers Weekly review of Derrick Barnes’ latest book, I Got You. Not everyone will be featured, and some may not know what it is, but it does earn potential readers who may not have heard of it otherwise.
Promoting Book Talks and events is always a captivating way to engage your audience. Use the caption to contextualize the event. Don’t forget, even if 90% of your audience can’t make it, just knowing what you’re up to and these things happening can help promote you and your book, bringing further credibility.
To promote Howard Lewis’s book, Leave Your Phone at the Door, we created a weekly video in which we interviewed people about when they last left home without their phone. All the videos on this topic have garnered 4000-10,000 views organically.
Final Thoughts: Why Authors Should Prioritize Their Social Media
We hope these tips helped you demystify social media and empower you to use it as a powerful tool to promote yourself and your books. Bookstr is one of the leading companies that connects authors, publishers, and social media. You can find guides and tips right here on our website.
For more tips on navigating your literary career on Social Media, check out our blog on How Content Partnerships on Social Media Can Elevate Your Book Promotion Strategy.
Take a look at our Author Services to learn how Bookstr can help promote your book!
