by Cat Michaels
Writing is a solitary experience, but it needn’t be a lonely pursuit. In addition to discoverability, writers use social media to share ideas and find support. First, however, they must be R*A*R*E and learn the unwritten ‘rules’ of virtual interaction.
Whether you’re an author, blogger, or budding entrepreneur, read on to find how you can be R*A*R*E and establish or strengthen your online connections. Be sure to scroll down to the end of the post to find links to more community-building wisdom from social media gurus
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START SLOW
You need to go slow in order to go fast. Be clear about your goals for succeeding on social media. In addition to finding followers and being discovered, do you want support from other writers? Advice on marketing? Looking for niche groups to learn from and share ideas?
Take time to explore and research. Find where your readers and fellow authors hang out online. For instance, LinkedIn is great for non-fiction and business. Books about food and decorating are Pinterest’s most-popular board content. Goodreads and Facebook offer hundreds of genre and sub-genre interest communities. Twitter is full of short, breezy messages about almost anything.
To keep from being overwhelmed, start with a single platform that appeals to you and has a presence in your genre. Do a key word search to identify groups in your niche, such as most successful romance writers, best author website, or most popular children’s books. Hang out where your readers are, and let your research guide you in identifying those communities. As a children’s author, I visit mom blogs and sites about parenting and education. I look for groups that offer dynamic interaction and frequently post fresh content with a positive spirit.
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ESTABLISH A PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNT
Set up separate social media accounts to share information about your business (yes, writing IS a business!) to differentiate from your family life. Aunt Suzy will appreciate her vacation pictures staying private, and you can still boast about your silly pet tricks to Cousin Ed while preserving your authorly persona.
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HONOR GROUND RULES
Most groups have guidelines in the ‘about’ section that summarize their purpose and define how they operate. Some are devoted completely to book promotion. Others share resources or tips, banning self-promotion completely. Find out what they are, so you can tailor your comments and posts accordingly.
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“ENGAGE!”
Begin interacting on social media by liking, retweeting or favoring posts that appeal to you.
As you become comfortable, follow Captain Picard’s dictate: take interaction to the next level by asking questions or commenting on posts that resonate. Build confidence this way, and you’ll be ready to write your own posts in no time. I was so nervous writing my first Facebook and Twitter posts! I spent 10 minutes writing a draft. It got easier each time. Now, I whip ’em out using native tools or apps like Hootsuite and Buffer to write and schedule posts in advance.
Since you’re building your brand, your actions should reflect a genuine interest that shows who you are as a person and a professional. I also make sure my choices reflect my genre. While I personally read thrillers and fantasy having content beyond a PG-13 rating, I confine endorsements from my professional account to topics aligning with my family-friendly books.
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BE SOCIAL WITH CONTENT
There are all sorts of theories about what percent of content type you should post. The important thing to remember is that social media is all about, well, being social. It’s not all about you and your books. The majority of posts should be sharing and commenting on other’s content. Fast Company offers Gist.com’s 5-3-2 rule of social media sharing, based on a ratio for any group of 10 updates posted over a given time:
5 should be content from others
3 should be content from you
2 should be personal status updates
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OFFER VALUE; SHARE CREDIT
I see you shaking your head and thinking, What can I offer? Yes, there are a gazillion people in cyberspace today, but no one is YOU. What are your unique expertise and interests? Use those talents as differentiators to demonstrate how you’ll add to the conversation.
When author Stephen King (who has more than 4M Facebook followers) posts a cute photo of pooch Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, and points out she can unleash a battalion of zombie Irish Wolfhounds on Vermont, he gets 54K likes. So, he shares something of himself and ties it to his genre. The man is pure genius.
However, you needn’t have legions of followers. Because I love photography and puttering in my North Carolina garden, I share my nature photos, especially those I can tie to book quotes or settings from my stories and literature. I also let readers know that nature and gardens are my happy places for writerly inspiration.
Another way to add value is by subscribing to newsfeeds to get updates in your areas of interests. Then share those wise ideas to demonstrate how you can add value. Be sure to generously credit other’s ideas. That’s easy to do on Facebook and Twitter: adding @ in front of someone’s name automatically tags them and alerts them to your post. I discovered early on that the more I share, the more others respond to and support me. How cool is that!
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GET VISUAL
Studies show that posts with good visual images or videos get tons more clicks and likes than straight text. Try uploading free-use photos in the public domain from online sites like Pixabay, UnSplash or pexels. Or use your own, if they’re good quality.
Take advantage of free online editing and design tools, like Canva and PicMonkey. They turn plain posts into dazzling visuals with the click of a mouse.
Recently, I created a graphic for my blog with Canva to highlight an inspirational quote from Mitch Albom’s The Timekeeper. When I repurposed that graphic on Facebook, it received one of my highest organic reaches. The quote alone was great, but the free image from UnSplash nailed that boost.
Plus, I share credit when finding great visuals …. Or any content that others post (See #6 above.).
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REPLY WITH GRATITUDE
As people interact with you, respond to them as soon as possible. Bonus points for personalizing that communication by using the individual’s name. Extra points for thanking people for their opinion, even though you disagree.
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EWWWWW…..GET OUT OF MY DIRECT MESSAGE BOX!
A final tip…..don’t direct message in reply to a friend request or tweet with a buy-my-book or please-like-my-INSERT SOCIAL MEDIA SITE plea. That’s the virtual equivalent of a plaid-suited salesperson hawking something that sells for $19.99. It’s a huge turn-off.
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SLOW PROGRESS IS PROGRESS
Building your online presence is like building a wall. The foundation must be firm, and the rest is assembled from there with care and precision. Cutting corners could bring the whole structure crashing down. Sometimes, I want to tear my hair in frustration because establishing a social media presence takes so much time and effort. When I first started, it seemed like eons before I got traction, no matter how much time and sweat I put into it. It’s way easier since I began my social media journey three years ago.
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BE R*A*R*E:
Now you’ve got it! Try these guidelines, and people will naturally follow you as they experience the R*A*R*E online voice that is Y*O*U as you demonstrate
R respect
A authenticity
R reciprocity
E expertise
Photo credit: Fairy Tales Imagery
Good luck on your social media adventure! And please let us know how you’re progressing and what strategies work for you!
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EXPLORE MORE
Find more ideas for community-building from these wise social media gurus.
Anne R. Allen
The 10 Commandments of Social Media Etiquette for Writers
Buffer:
Complete Social Media Checklist for Writing Winning Posts
Fast Company
Here’s how to walk the line between gaining a following and becoming sickeningly self-promotional
Frances Caballo
15 Tips for Posting on Social Media
Kevan Lee
The Science, Tools and Strategy of Creating Killer Images
Kissmetrics
The 10 Elements of a Successful Social Media Profile
Sandra Beckworth:
3 Social Media Mistakes Authors Must Stop Making Now
by Cat Michaels (@catmichaelsBook) April 17, 2016
Blogger and children’s book author Cat Michaels has more than 25 years’ experience as a resource development manager in the private sector, special educator in public schools, and college writing coach supporting students with learning disabilities and Asperger’s Syndrome. She is completing her third book in the Sweet T Tales series for beginning readers, where kids use their imagination and problem-solving skills to decide how the story ends. Find tips to support an Indie writer’s journey and child literacy at catmichaelswriter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catmichaelswriter
Twitter: @CatMichaelsBook
What about you, Scriveners? Have you used any of the tips Cat talks about here? What do you find easiest (or hardest) about using social media? How do you feel about those Direct Messages?
News from Anne and Ruth: Anne has a post on her book blog this week about the bad boyfriend and juicy Hollywood scandal that sparked her novel, The Gatsby Game. And Ruth has a fun post on her book blog especially for Boomers. We’re still working on moving the blog, with a new team now. Expect the move soon. There shouldn’t be any disruption, but the look will be a little different.
OPPORTUNITY ALERTS
Literary Death Match 250 word Bookmark Contest. Judged by Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket). Must be under 250 words. $1000 first prize. All finalists will be invited to read at LDM events near where they live. $15 for one entry $20 for two. Enter via submittable. Deadline May 16th, 2016
Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Contest. First prize: $5000. Entry fee $15 poetry $25 prose (Early bird prices) Enter your poem, story, essay, magazine article, play, TV or film script. Lots of prizes. Early Bird Deadline May 6, 2016
FINDING MR. RIGHT an upcoming anthology, is seeking true story essay submissions from female writers worldwide. Entry Fee $5. In addition to paperback publication, cash prizes of $200, $100 and $75 will be awarded to the top three authors that win our judges’ hearts in the categories of “Love At First Sight,” “Near Mrs.,” “Stupid Stuff I Did For Love,” “Were You There Along?” and “Table For One.” Deadline May 15, 2016.
Strangelet is a paying journal of speculative fiction that is looking for flash fiction, short stories and comics for their September issue, edited by Bill Campbell of Rosarium Publishing. They pay .01c a word, with a minimum of $5. Deadline for the September issue is April 30th
Sequestrum Reprint Awards. Finally a contest that actually wants previously published short stories and creative nonfiction! Entry fee $15. Prize is $200 and publication in the Fall-Winter issue of Sequestrum. The runner-up will receive $25 and publication. Finalists listed on the site. Deadline April 30th, 2016.
200 CCs. A new publication is seeking 200-word Flash Fiction. 200 CCs are short stories of around 200 words: you can err about 15 words on either side. Accepting submissions year-round. Any genre. Pays $2 per story. Stories will be considered for an anthology. Looking for holiday themed stories as well. Deadline for Mother’s Day is April 22.
Can, what great advice! I wish EVERYONE would read and heed. What is it with people I don’t know who DM me to a) pimp their book and b) like their FB page? Clueless and tone-deaf as they blunder along annoying people. It’s sad.
Sighing here. I hear you loud and clear, Ruth. Here’s hoping more people will learn and pay heed.
An author from my neck of the woods!
Gratitude and interaction are so important. It’s all about being generous with your time, knowledge, and words, especially praise.
Hey, Alex. Lovely to meet another Tar Heel. Being generous is majorly important. I am ever grateful to all those who helped me and pay it forward whenever I can.
Excellent tips for using social media. I especially liked the tip to be RARE. I read a lot of blogs. The ones that I return to offer some special knowledge or entertainment value.
In writing, I have started to have opinions more. However, my old standby of listening to everyone and saying very little about politics, et al is useful in social media as well as in my former life as a teacher.
Mercy, Ann! You hit the nail on the head about listening. Thanks for listening AND stopping by on Anne’s blog.
I love your approach, Cat! And it’s smart to call it “building community” rather than “building platform.” It really is all about making friends, isn’t it? Most authors see social media as a burden, but it really does protect you from the isolation that can plague writers. Thanks for a great post!
As Yoda might say, Anne, “Building *community* we must.” Appreciate the opportunity to share my RARE approach with your readers -:D.
Great advice as always, Cat. You outline content of value concisely, of benefit to authors and bloggers starting out on their adventures, especially. RARE indeed!
It’s tough starting out, Eiry, so whateverwe can do to lighten the load. Appreciate your feedback.
Excellent idea and timely, as my publisher just mentioned a need to try new things to get the next book up a notch in visibility. I enjoy the social media et al I’ve done, but maybe I’ve become too comfortable with it. I shy strongly away from setting up a separate “me” as a “pro”, it doesn’t feel right. But I have to admit I’m likely not getting as strong a focus on interested readers; I even comment about politics (gaspity-gasp). Definitely good food for thought here.
Will, I struggled with the notion of having a professional v. personal side. Took the plunge and found I could share bits of both of me on every site while laser-targeting specific content to interest readers of that community. Good luck with your community-building! If you can, gasp-gasp, do politics, creating a writerly platform will be a snap for you.
Great tips and easy to follow–that’s for me! I especially love the “using visuals” idea. Thanks, Cat for making this seem less daunting!
It is daunting at first, Jan. But you’re not alone in starting out. Plus, visuals are kinda fun once you get the hang of them.
Anne, thanks a ton for inviting me to guest on your blog.
It’s a great post, Cat. I agree with everything and you’ve put it so well.
How funny. I had to deal with #9 right before reading this. If I follow someone on Twitter and get a DM pushing their book, guess what my next step is? Immediately unfollowing them, of course. Thanks for sharing, Cat!
Ah, those pesky, DMs Tom. There seem to be more of them lately. Let’s hope more Tweeps get the message and un-DM.
This is excellent advice. Thank you so much. So many of us get overwhelmed and want to throw EVERYTHING against the wall to see what sticks…NOW! This is a great reminder to slow down and focus.
Oh my! When I began blogging and writing, I was guilty of throwing everything at it, Laurie. But we learn that route usually leads to burnout and time wasted. Going slow is tough, but that’s the norm, especially when starting out.
Hi Anne and Cat (what a purr-fect name). I love your acronym RARE. I seem to be following your wonderful advice. Establishing an online presence sure is a ton of work. Thank you for sharing. And now I take my leave to share this post. Thank you! ?
Hey and meow, Tracy-:D You’re spot on — Building community IS a ton of work. Wish there were an easier way but haven’t found one yet! Thanks for being RARE with your comments here and sharing.
I go through these bouts of anti-socialness that make being on Twitter and stuff hard. I try to make up for it when I finally have the energy to deal with people by sharing and talking.
Bless your heart, Patricia! While I’m an extrovert, I, too, have times when I need to take a break from Social Media. We’re only human. Not machines that can be at it 24/7. It helps if I plan ahead and schedule posts in advance using So Me tools and apps. Kudos to you for persevering.
I’m in the process of starting a blog and all of this was very good information I have not seen before in one article. It was all simple advice that I can use. Such as having the ‘about’ section summarize my purpose (I had not thought of). I also liked the ‘Explore More’ list at the end.
Stanley, I’m glad you found the blog structure helpful. Because readers are time-crunched, I find having a quick intro helps them focus and decide where to spend time. I started ‘Explore More’ because there’s tons to learn, and I don’t have all the answers….but can connect readers to those niche gurus. Good luck with your blog. I hope to read it soon -:D
Excellent! Especially #9. HUGE pet peeve.
Thanks for weighing in, Nina. True confessions here among friends. As a newbie Tweep, I was guilty of those dreaded DM messages for a short spell. But when I *received* my first in-box dump and experienced that EWWWWW feeling, I immediately stopped sending them.
Brilliant advice as usual Cat. You have left no stone unturned. It is always a delight to read your posts, I love your photos from your side of the world and as always, great to see authors helping authors.
Good hearing from Down Under, Sandra. Thanks for finding me on Anne’s blog. Yep, totally agree..building community and being part of authors helping other authors is one of the best parts of writing and authoring children’s books.
Great tips. I try to be “social” but ahve a hard time being consistent. I like the ideas of keeping a small percentage of posts about the author’s stuff. Nice to meet you Cat, thanks for the advice.
Lovely meeting you, too, Dolorah! Starting small, with just a few key social networks, helped me be consistent in the long run. (And yes, there have been times when I took on way too much and had to cut back and cut out some social media platforms.) I also save the same block of time during the day to pop on social media. And that percentage guide takes a huge weight off my shoulders — I fretted over how much of what kind of content to share. Glad you find it helpful -:D
I think #2 works both ways- it’s important to share personal things with personal friends, but on the flip side of that, not all my FB friends want to see my author stuff every day. It took me a while to realize, but I’ve stopped sharing all my author posts on my personal page. All great points-thanks for sharing!
Amy, you are so right. After my writing debut with so much support from family and friends, I felt they needed a break from my author goings-on. I do writerly posts on my personal page once in awhile, especially when I blog about topics of mutual interest, or when I do a piece that mentions family.
Thank you for these tips, Cat. I try to follow the rules that people like you and Anne post in blogs because I still consider myself a newish writer, having started writing in 2009. I’ve learned a lot along the way but thank goodness for the help I received from blog posts like yours. Thanks again.
Ahhhh, Patricia, I am eternally learning! As soon as I get something down, the technology changes or something totally different and better comes out….I start the process al over again. It sounds as if you are well on your way to being an established writer. Thanks for being RARE to reach out and connect. Look forward to bumping into you in cyberspace -:D
I really enjoyed this blog post Cat! These tips were right on the money, and good reminders too! So many people spam the direct message and while it can be a good way to exchange a like for like, it often gets abused.
Carmela–Cat may have a different opinion on this, but exchanging “likes” is a little like exchanging reviews. Some people see it as unethical. It may also trigger a change in your Facebook stream, so if you exchange likes with an erotica author, you may start getting erotica in your FB feed. Algorithms scan your likes and assume that’s what you really do like. So it’s best to be careful you actually enjoy somebody’s work before you do the exchanging.
Carmela, I’m glad you found the tips helpful. I’ve been guilty of trading likes, in the past but stopped since it felt more like a one-off, shallow interaction and not the true community building I was after. Anne, thanks for raising the point about algorithms and likes on news streams….another important consideration.
Thanks, Cat–you’ve put it well.
Carmella, Sorry if I sounded like the rule police there. The truth is, I used to do it too, and was told I was committing a no-no, which is why I do warn people. It can feel pretty daunting trying to get likes when you’re starting out, so I understand the temptation.
How do I feel about Twitter DMs? What DMs? Oh, are those the 99+ notifications I ignore each day, and delete unread when I can be bothered?
Truthfully, I like the DM concept. But it’s been ruined by self-promoters . . . as has much of the Twitter newsfeed.
Iola–My opinion on DMs is that they are intimate, like a phone call, so you shouldn’t use them with strangers. Once you have a relationship with somebody–you’ve had a chat on Twitter or you share or RT them regularly–then a DM is likely to be welcome. But like cold-calling salespeople who interrupt your dinner with a pitch for aluminum siding, strangers who DM are almost never welcome.
Iola, you are too funny describing a maddening topic. Anne, love your view of DM as that unwanted cold call. I rarely check my Twitter DM as so many are auto-generated responses or spammy.
I’d say you nailed it, Cat. I got burned out on the “incessantness” of everything back in the (shhh!) MySpace days but, lately, I’d been worrying that I hadn’t properly “claimed my brand across the social media platforms” as so many say YA GOTTA DO! Huh. I’d say establishing a web presence is akin to editing a manuscript. It’s usually what you don’t say that says more. 10-4? Over and out…
G.S.–“It’s usually what you don’t say that says more”–wise words!! There are a lot of people making money off keeping us frantic and running around in circles. As Cat says, we need to ignore most of it.