Social media is an ever-expanding space that is increasingly used by writers. Writers are using it to promote their content and engage with their readers. The Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho has 9.6 million followers on Twitter and 22.8 million fans on Facebook. Neil Gaiman has over 2 million followers on Twitter. Salman Rushdie uses social media to voice his opinions and to grow his online readers.
What can writers do to increase their social influence and reach out to many more readers?
1. Get on the social platforms and learn how to use them
As a writer, you need to be socially connected all the time. So, boost your presence by signing up on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Google+. Each platform differs from the other. Twitter may be ideal for writers who are constantly on the move, and especially useful if you’re travelling doing book launches. Facebook may be used to create your writing page where readers can interact with you and is a platform, which you can update less often, but enough so that your followers can keep up with what you’re doing.
2. Engage and interact continuously
You should definitely try to gather a following. So, it is important to interact and engage readers or followers. When a fan chats with you on Twitter, reply back and retweet any tweet, photo or article you found interesting. Anything that feeds curious minds or provides insights or humor is appealing. As a writer, you should try posting several times in a week on social media, and at least once a day.
3. Do not over promote
You may be tempted to promote everything you write. It is wise to not do that. Your readers do not require clockwork reminders about your writing all the time. If readers like what you have written, they will eventually come to you. It is a good idea to be considerate when self-promoting.
4. Use mediums that you prefer
You may feel you ought to be on all social media platforms like your fellow writers. But it is good to exert caution and sign up for one or two platforms with which you are most comfortable, and master them first. Maintain your individuality. Not everybody likes to read the same ideas in multiple formats! Use the mediums that you prefer the most. Once you get comfortable, try exploring other platforms as well.
5. Forge valuable relationships
You may want to have a huge Facebook or Twitter fan base. But it is good to be selective in choosing your followers. Choose only those with whom you can actually relate to. This also helps in reducing unwanted chaos in your account. This applies to newbie and seasoned writers.
6. Install Google Analytics
Your own website and blog are also other ways to increase your social influence. By posting regularly to your blog, sharing your articles and letting people comment on your platform, your digital footprint and impact on others increases. As a writer, you should be able to track the traffic to your website. The best way to do this is by installing Google Analytics. It helps you to get a complete picture of what your readers are up to across your website and will give you a picture of exactly what content of yours they are engaging with. So install it.
All writers may not be social media savvy. The best thing to do is familiarize yourself with social media platforms and select the ones that you are most comfortable with, and where the most number of your readers can be found.
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I’m Smitha Abraham. I love traveling in my flights of imagination and use these flights to craft short stories and poetry. I am a budding writer from India. My passions are reading, creative writing, listening to music, learning new languages, meeting new people, getting acquainted with different cultures and traveling. Authors like Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, genres like magic realism, historical romance, and writing styles that are imaginative and flow effortlessly fascinate me. I love to unwind with a book curled up on a sofa or by gazing at the stars by the sea shore. I am a nature lover and spending time admiring the sunset and sunrise is relaxing for me.