Growing a Social Media Presence
It’s 2019, which means most people are scrolling through various forms of social media all day. If you don’t have at least a few of the following: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or a Personal Blog – you are holding yourself back as a creator. Without a social media presence in this day and age, your writing can only go so far, and I’m here to tell you how to grow a base that will take your social media presence to the next level.
You’re probably wondering who I am, and how I’m qualified to be writing this blog post. I’m an intern at Metamorphosis Literary Agency and I completely transformed the agencies Instagram account in two months. When I started, the page had about 650 followers. It now has 1300, and counting!
Here’s what I did to make it happen:
Post interesting content.
This one should go without saying, but posting things that will actually make people want to follow you is a huge part of the battle with social media.
Tips on Writing. Such as what writers should avoid doing that you had to learn the hard way.
Giveaways. Hosting a giveaway is a great way to up your follower count. Always make sure you make your rules clear. Have your followers favorite/like your post, and then tag extra people for additional entries. This will put your giveaway out into the social media world further – and should get you a few more followers.
Be consistent with your postings.
When you start out, you’re going to want to be more frequent with your updates. At least once, but preferably twice a day you will want to post something: whether it be about your writing, writing tips, or just an inspirational quote that you like. This will help your followers know what kind of content you are going to be sharing, and it is crucial when you’re first establishing your presence that your followers can take one look at your page and know what they’re following you for.
Adding relevant hashtags to your posts will stretch your reach on social media. Two of the most common writer hashtags on Twitter are: #AmWriting and #WritingCommunity.
Follow other writers in your genre, or maybe in a genre that you hope to write one day.
By doing this, you’ll expand your knowledge of the genres that you write. Often, writers will post tips or things that they’ve learned along the way that will benefit your writing. Absorb this knowledge and apply it to your own work.
Give back in this department by sharing the knowledge you come across.
Interact with your followers.
Be active. With social media, you get what you give. If you put time into others, they will also put time into you.
Encourage your followers when they’re having a bad day. Every writer at some point is going to have a bad day, and if you’re a writer that hasn’t tell me how you do it. But most people are going to have a day when the words just aren’t flowing as one would like. We’ve all been in this boat. Send them an encouraging message and boost their self-esteem. They’ll remember this – trust me.
Be Y O U R S E L F
Your social media is the virtual version of you, so it should look like that.
A lot of people feel the need to have separate social media accounts for their writer stuff – but I don’t. Creating a well-rounded social media page shows not only your followers but yourself that there is more to life than just your writing. You have to be inspired somewhere in order for those words to come out of you in the first place, so share what inspires you. Whether it’s reposting something about a hockey game, a television show that you just binge-watched for the last ten hours instead of writing, or a book that’s not yours that you loved.
Social Media should be fun.
Don’t stress yourself out too much over it. It should be a place for you to go and rewind after a long day of writing, or on a day when you just can’t write to save your life. Have fun with it.
It’s important to remember that all kinds of people are going to be looking at your various forms of social media: potential agents, editors, and especially your readers, so always remember to keep that in mind when you’re posting. If you’re not on social media yet, you should get started when you feel comfortable to do so. Use the tools above to gain traction to your page, and share this post with your friends so their media pages can grow as well. Happy Posting!
