Reaching Your Readers On Social Media

Social media can be such a huge tool for a writer, especially a self-published one. It can not only allow you to take charge of your platform and the marketing of your book, but it offers a natural avenue for you to interact with your readers. We’ve already talked a bit about developing an online author persona, so the natural next question is which social media outlets should you spend your time developing? Especially if social media doesn’t come naturally to you. 

Do you need to be active on every social media platform under the sun? The short answer? No. The longer answer? It really depends on who your target audience is. So let’s talk strategy.

Gotta Catch ‘Em All

Do you need to be active on every single social media platform? Of course not. But before you do anything, think of a bespoke tag for yourself and snatch up that screen name on every social media platform you can think of. Again, you don’t have to use all of the platforms, and you can be straight-up inactive on some of them. But having the screen name for yourself is a great way to ensure that you have the platform available to you, should you choose to start using it. If nothing else, you can simply make a post that tells readers you aren’t active on the platform, what platforms you are active on, and maybe a URL to your website.

As for what screen name to pick, the most natural fit would be your name (or pen name, if you’re going that route). But sometimes that might not be available to you, so YourNameWrites, YourNameAuthor, YourNameBooks, or things of that nature are great options for nabbing screen names other than your name. 

Avoid tying your screen name to your current work in progress. Although there isn’t anything wrong with creating a unique social media platform for your most recent book, you want your broader author platform to be focused on you to offer all of your readers and fans one easy place to connect with you online.

What Platforms Are You Familiar With?

Although most social media platforms operate in a similar fashion, if there is one outlet you are already comfortable using, that might be the most natural place to start when building your social media presence as an author. This is especially true if you have experience using a social media platform for work or curating someone else’s online presence. The latter, however,  isn’t a great place to start your journey on social media, as there can be a big difference in posting on your personal social media platforms compared to posting for a public-facing author platform. 

By all means, start growing your platform with the social media outlets you are comfortable using, but remember that your posts are not only meant to be public-facing, but to help draw in readers, and keep that in mind when considering what to post. From there, begin thinking about your target readers, and ask yourself if they are most active on the platform. If not, go where they are!

Who Is Your Target Reader?

So much of curating your online presence lies in who your target reader is, so deciding on a platform to invest in should not only rely on your personal level of comfort with a particular platform but how many of your readers hang out on the platform. If your target readers are more Boomers or older Gen X, really investing in platforms like TikTok or even Instagram might not be the most natural fit. Exploring things like Facebook, long-form YouTube videos, or even the world of newsletters might work better for your readers. If your audience is made up of millennials, they will probably be spread pretty evenly along the lines of TikTok, Instagram/Threads, and YouTube/YouTube Shorts, so exploring those areas as well as studying the online habits of your readers will be key in reaching your target audience. 

Although there isn’t one clear-cut rule for who uses what platforms, typically you’ll find that Facebook tends to attract older users like Gen X and Boomers; Twitter/X attracts…let’s be honest, that platform attracts no one unless they already have an established platform there; Instagram and YouTube skew more towards Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z—with a few Boomers, Threads is a bit too new to know, but TikTok skews more Gen Z and millennial with some Gen Xers.

But other things play into where your readers spend their time, as well. Are they more politically liberal? Conservative? Are they a techy group or more traditional? How in the loop are they when it comes to new tech and the cultural zeitgeist? All of those things along with generational differences will play into which platform works best, so it’s up to you to identify who your target readers are and explore where they spend the most time online.

Vlogs and Newsletters

The other avenue to explore is the world of vlogs and newsletters. Although a daily or weekly blog is mostly a product of the past, newsletters are seeing a resurgence, especially with the growth of platforms like Patreon and Substack. Depending on your target audience, they might find a regular newsletter from you far more interesting than posts on a social media platform, or they might find it a helpful addition to whatever you post on your socials.

Daily vlogs are another way to really let readers into your life. Although millennial readers might remember the vlogs of the early days of YouTube, with the advent of TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, you can now produce quick vlogs that are under ten minutes (depending on your platform) that capture a specific moment or two in your day, offer a chance to GRWM (get ready with me) where you talk directly to your readers, or allow your readers to join you for something special like unboxing your new book.

Discord and Live Streaming

Another avenue to explore, especially if your readers skew younger, are the worlds of more controlled, insular interactions. Creating a Discord for your readers (something you probably shouldn’t do until you’ve got a solid audience built up) or streaming regularly on Twitch or YouTube (or even going live regularly on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok) can be other great ways for you to not only interact with your readers in real-time, but to let them interact with one another, creating an actual community of readers. 

If you explore Discord, you can create various chats about general topics, things that might specifically interest your readers, or even break out chats for your individual books. In the world of streaming, you can do anything from playing video games with your readers to watching content together, sharing something simple like a read-along, digital co-working, or hosting a body doubling session. This outlet certainly works best if you’ve already got a platform to speak of, but it can be such a helpful tool when it comes to bolstering your readers to help market a new release.

Ultimately, there is nuance to deciding where you should spend your time online as an author, but considering your own skills and your target audience’s online habits, you can really make social media work for you. If you aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to help! Reach out to us and we can talk you through building and managing your online platform effectively.