Intro
Building an online presence is crucial to any writer trying to market themselves in today’s day and age. Social media gives anyone the power to reach millions with their works and ideas at the touch of a…touchscreen.
But with so many places to start, it can be overwhelming getting your foot in the door, so just how does one go about using such a tool?
Well, as a socially-struggling, highly introverted person (said every writer ever) with a lot to learn on the subject, I’m here to share my experience going from someone that posts to his personal Facebook maybe once a year, to someone that is actively trying to hash out an online presence, become active on social media, and establish an author platform.
If that’s a perspective that interests you, then hopefully you can gain some value from my experience and insight.
Starting with Twitter
Twitter. The blue bird. The platform on the top of Elon Musk’s wish-list (RIP Twitter deal). The place of random thoughts, heaps of political turmoil, and no lack of emotionally-charged opinion. This is where my personal foray into the world of social media as a writer begins.
If you’re a writer trying to learn how to market themselves because you already have works published, or you’re taking preemptive action to establish a platform and position yourself to have more avenues for publicity, then you’ve probably heard that Twitter is a good place to start. So, after watching a couple of YouTube videos on getting started in the world of social media, I went over to Twitter and started an account. I set up my profile picture and banner, made a brief bio to introduce myself to total strangers, and then tweeted my truly revolutionary thoughts and ideas that I knew people would just love to hear about–and then…*crickets*.
Nothing.
No likes. No replies. No retweets. My quirky thoughts and ideas were sent into the vast, open, endless void that is the Twitterverse. Then I tried hashtags. Still nothing.
See, the thing is, Twitter is a social platform. That means you have to step out of the lonely confines of your beautiful, anti-social writer mind and get out there to start engaging with people before you can reap the rewards of engagement from others. This is a thing I quickly learned. A thing, that, being a person that mostly keeps to himself, was very difficult to acquiesce to. Naturally, I went back to the University of YouTube for advice, and there I found no lack of it.
Note: I created my author Twitter account in 2019, but was inactive with 0 followers until March 2022, so all the growth I’ve had and what I’ve learned there has been since then. It just goes to show that that’s how quickly you can get a following on Twitter when you put in the work–I went from 0 followers to over 1,000 in 5 months, and I’ve seen others do much better in shorter spans.
Finding a Niche
I learned that I needed to “find a niche” rather than take shots in the dark; in my case, this was reading and writing. Book Twitter. A community with a shared love for all things reading. I logged back in, found the #WritingCommunity, #readingcommunity, and #booktwitter (there are plenty more), and started looking for friends. Very quickly, I found people like me–writers looking for Twitter buddies–and I started following them.
The quickest, most effective way to start using these hashtags is to simply introduce yourself. Say that you’re new to the #writingcommunity (note: be careful to watch out for the misspelled versions of this hashtag, such as #writingcommmunity and #writingcomnunity, you’d be surprised how many times I auto chose a hashtag with the wrong spelling based on recommended hashtags, making it ineffective) and that you’re looking to connect with other writers to support–you’d be surprised just how quickly and how many people are willing to give you a follow because they started where you are and are looking to do the same thing as you; to network and support others.
Some followed back, some didn’t, but I finally felt like I was getting somewhere. In time, I learned of other hashtags that were commonplace in the community, found more insightful posts from people with common interests and replied/re-tweeted/liked them, and my following slowly started to grow. I not only had people to uplift, but to uplift me, and when I tweeted, I’d get occasional engagement rather than pure silence.
One philosophy I’ve held in life is that it’s not what you get out of it–it’s what you give. And, in the case of Twitter, this philosophy proved fruitful. The more I supported others, offering encouragement through likes and replies with my minuscule pool of social energy, the more I was rewarded with the same treatment.
My take away so far? Definitely find your niche.
If you’re a writer/reader, there’s no lack of great people willing to support you in your endeavors. Write fantasy? Find and engage with other #fantasy authors. The same can be said for other genres and communities. Find your people and the big dogs among them, follow them, then comment and like their posts as much as you possibly can. Give what you seek to find, and it will find you in return–camaraderie is a two-way street, and you have to take the first step to cross it.
Asking Questions
After finding a niche, one of the best ways that I found to increase interest in my posts was to engage people by asking questions. People have a natural inclination to want to answer a question that’s been posed. It makes the gears of their mind start to turn and instantly gives them a reason to leave a comment, and if it’s a good question, they’re more likely to leave a like and retweet so that the people in their social circle can answer as well. For the holy Twitter algorithm to pick up on your posts, you need to have the trifecta of likes, comments, and retweets–using questions to instantly get these three types of engagement from people instantly works wonders.
Questions specific to the writer niche like: “If you traded places with your MC for a day, how much trouble would they get you into?” or something as simple as “Do you set a daily word count for yourself?” instantly garnered more engagement than simply posting a thought or struggle I might be having in the writing process.
I found general questions to work just as well, if not better, than niche-specific questions. Things like: “When you were a child, did you have any irrational fears?” or “Would you rather go 5,000 years into the future, or the past?” worked very well to get a large number of people commenting, and I also noticed an increase in followers from outside of the writing/reading niche.
Questions are definitely one of the best ways to increase engagement with your followers. Just be careful not to ask TOO many questions, as that can cause people to become annoyed and they may stop engaging, mute, or unfollow you. Not to go full Thanos on you or anything, but just as in life, it’s best to find a balance and to not overdo it in one area and burn yourself, or others, out.
Use Your Uniqueness to Your Advantage
But the most important thing?
This is a cliche you’ve heard a thousand times, but–be yourself! Post your random thoughts, funny dad jokes, puns, struggles, failures, successes–just post your original ideas and any thought-provoking questions you might have. If you do this and don’t fall victim to the self-doubt (imposter syndrome) and you don’t get discouraged, if you stay consistent and keep at it, I promise that you will find some great people that want to hear what you have to say (steel yourself against the trolls and pessimists), even if you’re a socially inept introvert like myself.
If you need a friend on Twitter, feel free to follow me over there and I’ll offer some encouragement where I can when you pop up on my feed (click the social icon at the bottom of this post)!
Hopefully my experience makes you feel a little less alone/overwhelmed.
One step at a time, I’m learning this stuff, and I’m here to provide what insight I can to anyone that feels lost.
If you have any questions or want to connect, feel free to send me an email or just message me on Twitter (see contact page), and if you want the chance to get free stuff from giveaways, like a free e-book copy of Book I of my upcoming debut novel, Thief Among Sheep, and useful information in the future–important updates, changes in the writing industry, writing tips, and more–please sign up for my newsletter!
Take care of yourselves, and above all, don’t give up!
– M.F. Senden (updated August 4th, 2022)
