Hey everyone, Lauren and Jeff from Inkitt here! This week we will focus on self-promotion for authors on social media platforms. This can be uncharted territory for authors who tend to be primarily focused on written content, but promotion in publishing is critical, especially for independent authors who don’t have the obstacles of traditional publishing but also don’t have the resources of traditional publishers.
Fear not! In the Age of the Internet, you don’t need traditional publishing! Social media provides a viable means for anyone to promote their work and reach a wider audience. Thousands of users on these platforms are just waiting to read, pin, and repost your book promotions, and the Inkitt writers community also has tips just for you.
TIP #1: Create the OMG Moment – The Inciting Incident
Just like a movie, a novel needs a hook and a teaser to get the readers excited. Creating a brief promotional video with a clip from a pivotal moment in the story and a catchy image featuring a death-defying cliffhanger or a steamy moment can be a great way to draw readers in! But remember, keeping it short is essential here. Don’t give the readers too much. Leave them begging for more! We checked in with Inkitt Authors to ask for more.
What are the best ways to capture attention with your writing?
Andrea O.C.: [S]hort videos with just enough content to catch the eye of the scroller are always the way to go.
Arri Stone: I try to have images of characters or areas that [are]relevant to a part of the story. Add text from part of the chapter as a teaser. (Hopefully, an OMG moment that will make someone want to check it out, but without spoiling it too much) Don’t make it drag on too long. […] I do what I’d want to see as a reader, what would catch me and make me want to check it out.
Ashley Kyle: Quoting a part of the story/description/blurb and images(book covers) also helps attract more readers who are interested in the story’s genre. […] I’ve noticed short videos with catchy songs and images attract more views than longer vids.
Michelle Torlot: I think it’s important to look at your demographic and try to make videos that they will want to see. Music choice is important too, so if most of your readers fall into a specific age group, it is probably a good idea to try and choose music that resonates with that particular age group as well as the video content.
TIP #2: Share the OMG Moment on Social Media
Once you’ve got your moment cut into a clip, you need somewhere to share it. While there are a number of social media platforms available, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest are currently the platforms with the greatest reach. Whether you’re choosing a social network or engaging with the writing community, the best place is highly individual.
What’s the best social media platform for promoting your book?
Andrea O.C.: Tiktok can be a very powerful tool in promoting your work if you are able to crack its codes.
Arri Stone: [I use] Facebook and internal groups for Inkitt. Instagram, TikTok.
Ashley Kyle: I realized I gain an influx of readers when I post a reel/story on Facebook [or]Instagram and post the link in the Inkitt community or Facebook groups. […] I also post on TikTok.
Michelle Torlot: I tend to use TikTok quite a lot, and it seems to help with readership and following. […] I also post my TikTok reels on Instagram and book releases on X(Twitter) Not sure if the Twitter posts help, but at least it’s out there.
TIP #3: Create Visually Attractive Content
This one is obvious. In order to share the OMG moment to its greatest effect, your content needs to be visually attractive. Facebook stories/reels, Instagram and TikTok reels, and Pinterest all focus on the visual.
For non-designers, there are a couple of useful tools to help you make your posts and pins as attractive as possible. To start, use sites like pixabay or pikwizard to find high-quality images if you are not comfortable taking your own pictures.
Second, find an online editor to help you take your posts to the next level. Canva or Capcut are good options for beginners. With these tools, you can add overlays, text, and logos to your images and size them appropriately to meet platform requirements.
The point here is not to go crazy with different filters, fonts, and color options. Instead, carefully choose one or two of each to use consistently. Using the same elements and layouts in each of your images will help you to create a recognizable brand to spread and share. You can even create your own author logo or watermark to add to images.
Which editing tools do you use for social media?
Arri Stone: I use Canva to create, (or TikTok templates are great).
Ashley Kyle: I use Capcut for my video posts.
Michelle Torlot: I’m planning to create a Facebook page for my writing but have yet to get around to that. I’ve also made some templates that show the book covers on tablets and mobile phones since all of my books are currently [in]a digital format. Not sure if that helps, but I think it looks pretty cool.
TIP #4: Take Time Building Your Personal Brand
Choose your name or handle carefully. This name should be consistent across platforms. It should also be relevant. Pinterest uses keywords from blog titles, descriptions, and usernames in searches.
To ensure yours will pop up, include words like author, writer, novelist, or books. Anything that people who would be interested in your content might search for. This will heighten the frequency with which your posts and pages show up in searches.
TIP #5: Choose Your Links Carefully
On Facebook stories, this is pretty straightforward. It’s just a simple matter of tapping the link icon and entering the URL. It’s not yet possible to do this in reels, but you can add a link in the comments section immediately after creating the reel.
On Instagram and TikTok, linking is a little tricky. You only have one shot in your bio to get users to click through to another page. Make sure you update this link regularly to help direct traffic to different pages, contests, or your newly released work. You can also use your posts to refer to your bio and get them to click through to outside pages. For TikTok, an additional layer of complexity requires users to set their account as a business/professional account to create clickable links in their bios.
On Pinterest, each of your pins can link to different pages. Make sure that you choose relevant and precise links. Take advantage of the different areas you can place them in, too. Bios, boards, descriptions, and pins can all be linked to other sources, pages, and platforms. If you have a board about a particular series, link to that series’ page on your site. If it’s a post about your writing process, maybe link to your FAQ.
TIP #6: Use Hashtags for Optimal Engagement
Get started in the community by searching for hashtags or keywords relevant to your work. Follow others who are popular under these terms. Engage with their posts and ask them questions. This should not only be related to other fellow writers. Be sure to interact with book bloggers and readers as well. They are the ones who will create your fanbase and help spread the word about your work.
You can tag relevant blogs and people on both platforms to try and get their attention. On Instagram, you can add up to thirty different hashtags. Good practice is to put this in a secondary comment, not in the post’s text itself. On Pinterest, you can mention another pinner in the description of your pin and hopefully get their attention. And, of course, don’t forget about Inkitt! Tag us in your promotions to help extend your reach!
How do you hashtag your Inkitt stories for maximum reach?
Arri Stone: Add Hashtags #️⃣ Mention @inkittbooks on Instagram in your story. (Sometimes Inkitt will add it to their story)
Ashley Kyle: Hashtags play a big role in getting your books in front of the right audience. I use Capcut for my video posts.
Michelle Torlot: [A]dding the right Hashtags helps, and the more the better.
TIP #7: Organize and Schedule Posts
Organization and timing are another big part of the visual aspect of these platforms. Your Instagram and Pinterest activity will be much more successful if you use them to create an atmosphere. Organize boards into visually stimulating themes and ideas. Don’t repin many things all at once; this will block up your users’ feeds. Instead, collect pins on private boards and schedule posts. Make them want to spend time on the pages. Make users feel the experience you hope to invoke in readers when they enjoy your work.
On Instagram, you can post different kinds of posts on a set schedule. Use one sort of image or font to indicate that you have a new blog post, and share that image each Wednesday morning. Or, share a picture of the book you are currently reading on Mondays, and a quote from your WIP every Friday. Followers will get used to the appearance of each of these posts, learn what they mean, and anticipate seeing them in their feeds.
Do you schedule posts on social media?
C.L. Brierly: I do a bit, want to start doing more in the new year and set up a Facebook page to promote with a schedule.
TIP #8: Figure Out the Social Media Plan that Works for You
At the end of the day, you have to find what works for you. Experiences will vary, but if you keep at it, you will find your audience and the formula that works for them and you.
How have you experimented with Social Media for your book promotion?
Andrea O.C.: As far as I have experimented with [TikTok], it’s really a matter of trial and error. Some moments of the day bring more views than others, [and]some hashtags work better than others […] I don’t think there’s a foolproof recipe when it comes to promoting, you just have to keep at it, be consistent, try things, and find your niche and crowd.
Ashley Kyle: I try different things to see which brings more audience. It’s still a learning curve, but I can see my efforts are paying off. […] I haven’t had my Instagram and TikTok accounts [for]that long. I’m still learning as I go.
Michelle Torlot: Sometimes I get it right other times not so much, it’s a continuous learning curve.
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