Tag: social media

Curiouser Editors 20 Fresh Social Media Tips for Authors

Check Out Curiouser Editors Excellent Social Media Tips! I just used one for my IG bio. Emojis does make it look way cooler lol.

  1. Pin posts to Twitter, your Facebook page, and your Facebook group (you do have your own Facebook group, right? Because I’ve only been preaching about this for a million years, give or take). Ensure the pinned post has some type of opt-in for a freebie so they’ll subscribe to your emails. If you’re pinning a post, then it should tell them to do something that somehow benefits you and them.

  2. Add emojis to your Instagram bio to catch attention. I like to use the pointing finger right above my freebie opt-in so that it’s the first thing they’re directed to. Use emojis in your posts too!

  3. Update your LinkedIn title with stronger keywords. Your title shouldn’t say, “Jane Doe, Author.” It should say, “Jane Doe, Romance Author of [Title], Part-Time Nurse, Full-Time Mother, Oil Painter.” For example, mine says, “President of Curiouser Editing, Author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist, Editor, Writer, and Coach.” If you need more help with LinkedIn, I highly recommend The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business.

  4. Like as many Instagram photos as you can under relevant hashtags (#bookstagram, #bookish, #indieauthor, #writercommunity, #writerlife, #bibliophile, #amwriting, #amreading) to gain more followers. I like to time myself for ten minutes so that I’m not spending a ton of time on it, but I’m still seeing results.

  5. Use the WordSwag app to create visually appealing photos with text for Instagram (or Twitter/Facebook). Foundr Magazine swears by this in their freebie PDF, How to Get Your First 10,000 Instagram Followers.

  6. Buy the Followers + for Instagram app to keep track of your stats as well as discover who’s unfollowing you. This is very helpful if you suddenly lose an influx of followers—why did they unfollow you? Too many posts? Ugly photos? Irrelevant photos? If you’re an author who writes paranormal novels, then posting about politics 24/7 might turn them off.

  7. Add a Hello Bar to your website. You can use this for email subscription, to announce your book’s release, or to advertise a course.  

  8. Add your blog subscription opt-in to your Facebook page. You’d be surprised how many people forget to do this.

  9. Ask questions on Facebook and Instagram for better engagement. Every time I ask a question, I get a couple dozen comments on Instagram, sometimes a few dozen. Make sure that it pertains to writing or publishing in some way.

  10. Try live streaming on Facebook to interact with your readers.

  11. Add images to your tweets to get more retweets.

  12. Try using Facebook’s carousel option to promote your book.

  13. Repost, repost, repost. Not everyone will see that you posted your book’s 99¢ sale.

  14. Tag people you talk about in your post. Tweeting a Medium article from Positive Writer about free Createspace books? That’s three tags right there: @Medium, @ADDerWorld, @Createspace. Posting an Instagram photo of three books you’re reading? Tag the authors. Posting the link to your blog on your Facebook page where you mention different writerly websites? Tag them.

  15. Add a location to Instagram posts. For example, if you’re at Barnes & Noble in Dallas, add that as a location.

  16. Add a cover photo to your Twitter account that shows off your book specifically. I’m a huge fan of The Thatchery’s cover photos, so consider hiring someone to make you one that you can use on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Check them out here.

  17. Reply to every single person who follows you and thank them for the follow. I’ve found that this works better than sending them a direct message, as it comes off kind of spammy. Also, in your tweet, don’t be afraid to tell them about your book and engage them in conversation.

  18. Connect with authors in your field by using the Advanced Search option on LinkedIn. For example, if author Damien Taylor wanted to find more fantasy authors, all he has to do is type in “fantasy author” in his keyword advanced search to connect with them.

  19. Post at the right times, please. All it takes is a little bit of research. According to Buzzsumo’s article on Facebook engagement, posts published between 10:00 p.m. and midnight get the most engagement. I’ve also noticed that 2:00 p.m. is a great time to post on Facebook and Instagram, while author Damien Taylor has seen some serious engagement at 3:00 a.m. Wow!

  20. Directly embed videos to your Facebook page rather than posting your YouTube link. It gets better engagement. < I have also down this one in the past. She’s right, and it looks better too.

 

 

Thunderclap: 1 Day Left!

Soooo we are only one day away from the conclusion of my Thunderclap and two days away from my next release. Friday is release day for the 3rd installment of The Stella Trilogy and my Thunderclap is at an amazing 30%, not bad for a five day campaign!

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Now, for the fun part. I have only ONE day left to raise the other 70%!

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I am not going to be on Facebook any time soon but for those of you who are, I’d appreciate it if you told your friends about my thunderclap. You can tell them how nice of a person I am and how I would LOVE to have their support :).

OK, tell them what you want, just don’t forget the Thunder Link! Hey, I like that, “Thunder Link”. Has a nice ring to it.

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Thunder Tip:

At this point I just like saying Thunder. Any who, here’s a tip:

Obviously, I started my Thunderclap late. When participating in any crowd funding, make sure to launch at least 2 weeks in advance. This will give the extra busy people in your life time to catch up with you. Secondly, if you are going to launch a campaign late (yes, like me), work smarter, not harder. This means you can’t be afraid to take risks. I knew it would be a challenge to launch a Thunderclap so late. I also knew I would possibly not reach my goal in time. So, to make up for what I’ll miss, I made sure to upgrade my plan to Thunderclap Lightening. Under this option, even if I don’t make my goal I will still get your support. That’s right! No one has wasted their time! To the 30 people who have supported so far, your social media messages will still post and your support will still count on friday! So you see, weigh your options. Know what works and what doesn’t. Know what will be a benefit and what won’t. With my campaign getting off to a slow start, it was a major benefit for me to go with the paid plan to ensure positive results.

Thunderclap: End of Day 3

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Day Three of my Thunderclap campaign did really well. The support  increased by 15%! I have now reached 23% of my goal with a social reach of 23, 415. I am striving to reach 100% by Friday! Can we do it? Of course we can! Please keep spreading the word about my Thunderclap Campaign, it is most appreciated. If you’re interested in swapping Thunderclap support, I would be more than willing to do so. Support me and I’ll support you. Like they say, team work makes the dream work!

Why?

To start, I am preparing to release the third book in my short story trilogy this Friday. The story is set in 1960 and is about a young man of mixed ethnicity (part European, part African American) who struggles to understand the plight of the African American in America. The twist is that he doesn’t know that he’s of mixed race. As far as he knows, he’s just a white boy with a passion for black history. Please see the entire blurb on my static page here to learn more. You can also Pre-Order the book now for 99 cents on Amazon.

I have joined Thunderclap in an attempt to help spread the word about this book online, not merely for my sake, but for the sake of our youth. I believe this story is not only important, but necessary in a society where young people are constantly struggling to find their place and their purpose as individuals.

Thunderclap: Day One Results

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Yesterday was the launch of my Thunderclap Campaign as we count down the days until Launch Day. One of the reasons I scheduled it so close to Launch day is because it helps keep the book fresh in everyone’s minds. I also will not have so much online time on the day of release. This weekend coming up is going to be very hectic and I will need the help of my blogging friends and social media buds to help keep the thunder alive online while I handle my thing on the ground.

So my first day and first time hosting Thunderclap went very well! Now, by very well I mean I only reached 6% of my goal lol. But over 10,000 people through social media have at least seen it. We just have to get 94 of them to thunderclap!

That was yesterday. Tonight concludes Day 2 of the campaign and I am now at 8% of my goal with a social reach of 15, 613. I’m really excited about everyone who put their hands in to assist me in this endeavor and I hope that you will continue to spread the word.

Click Here to Support My Thunderclap and Follow Me To Freedom!

Support My Thunderclap!

Have you joined the movement yet? I’ve partnered with Thunderclap to promote Launch Day of the 3rd Book in The Stella Trilogy. Visit my Thunderclap page to donate a Tweet or Facebook status update to help to spread the word of a dynamic story and a shared vision. It cost you nothing but your time. Click on This Link and choose either “Support with Twitter” or “Support with Facebook” or BOTH! Then, add your name to the Thunderclap and on February 26 everyone that has signed up will automatically post on Facebook or Twitter to encourage support of this work. It’s completely safe and will post one message on your behalf.

Right now, you’re probably asking yourself, what is Thunderclap? It’s a new website that allows people to pledge to Tweet or Facebook a message all on the same day–and at the exact same time– in order to achieve the maximum effect.

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With your help, on February 26th hundreds of people across the country can join us on The Road to Freedom! I’m only asking for 100 supporters! We can do this. Let’s show out! #BloggerSupport #IndieAuthorSupport