I know lots of authors love Twitter, but I think just as many hate it. Here are a few ideas for those getting started with twitter or for those who want to maximize their time there. Rule number one when you JOIN twitter is to follow a lot of people–people you have things in common with. That’s the best way to build your follower base fast. But as you’re following people, be sure to:
1) Post regularly. Otherwise, when people go in to unfollow their deadweight and they see you haven’t been active for over 6 months, they might jettison you. As an author, you want to hold on to followers and continue to grow that base. I’d recommend tweeting at least once a week, but if you absolutely hate twitter, maybe once a month will keep you afloat. Seriously, it’s really not hard to go in and retweet things like writing tips. Also, check into Hootsuite or other apps that let you post automatically. That can dramatically change your twitter experience.
2) Post for other authors. This is a great way to build rapport and aid your fellow authors. Know an author who has a release day? Tweet about it. Read a great review on a friend’s book? Retweet it. Review a friend’s book on Goodreads? Link to it.
3) Along those lines, be sure to tweet when you have a book release. No, it’s not spamming. Several times lately, I’ve known an author friend with a release and I popped over to their feed to retweet the link/meme. Turns out, sometimes they haven’t even posted about it yet! Make it easy for others to share your good news–and to help sell your books.
4) Pin a tweet. This is a great new feature of twitter, and I love being able to rotate which book I’m promoting right at the top of my twitter page, for everyone to see the moment they check it out. Just scroll to the tweet you want to pin, click those 3 dots on the bottom right of it, and hit “Pin to your Profile Page.”
5) Don’t forget to hashtag. Yes, everything. This should speak for itself, but honestly, hashtagging is basically a way of making sure your tweets are seen by the right people, like a library cataloguing system. No, you don’t need 5 hashtags on each post, but hey, 4 won’t hurt you. #Hashtagfiend #Dontforgetthetag #Tagyourself #Imatagger
I’m not saying I’ve figured twitter out by any means. And I do break the twitter author “rules”, like “don’t post political tweets” (hey, Brad Thor does it! So does Anne Lamott! So why can’t I?! Grin). But one thing I’ve noticed is that it’s fun to give back. It’s not all about you. Find something you know about and share it. Homeschooler? Share tips. Love a certain TV show? Plug in with that hashtag. Bring something of value to twitter followers and share your fellow authors’ successes. But don’t forget to share your own!
And if you want to follow me on twitter, I’m @heatherdgilbert. Here’s hoping you find lots of fellow “tweeps” in 2016.
Twitter is just plain confusing. But I do use it and try to occasionally tweet something. I confess, not much of late, but life gets pretty busy round this time of year. Thanks for helping clear some of the confusion.
Still not sure I understand the significance/use of a hashtag.
I look at hashtags as a way to make my tweets more widespread. For instance, if someone is looking for Election Day results, they might type in #electionday in the search bar. So using real hashtags, such as #amwriting or #writetip can help other authors find your posts. Otherwise, they might not be seen except by people who happen to see it in their feed the moment you post. Hope that clarifies it some?
I didn’t want to join Twitter originally, but pressure to improve ‘author platforms’ made me try it. Now I love it. I use Tweetdeck to schedule interesting articles I find plus other peopke’s blig posts. It leaves me more time as a writer and I can still pop on to see if anything deserves a RT, or to respond to friends. I agree sharing is the biggest thing to remember. You share, they share! Great post
I was in the same boat–didn’t want to try Twitter, but when I did, I found it a valuable vehicle for getting to know readers and other authors. I’ve definitely found some readers that way, which is encouraging! Glad you enjoyed the post.
LOL sorry about typos! On my mobile (I’ll never learn!)
Just tweeted this!