Instagram Tips for Authors
I want to share a recent revelation.
Facebook is for finding friends. Instagram is for connecting with strangers.
I like to think that I am good at connecting with people in person. If I can get on a panel at a conference or in front of a small crowd at a reading or workshop, I am able to convince people to know, like and trust me by the end of the presentation. I work hard to be honest and encouraging, knowledgeable and grounded, while also being transparent about my process and business budget. And through all of it, I believe, my passion for words and storytelling shines through.
The people I meet in these situations, at conferences, workshops, networking events and retreats, become my literary friends. It works because I am genuine in everything I share. I mean what I say, and time spent with me back it all up.
These people often friend me on Facebook and then, ocassionally, their friends do too. Sometimes these new friends sign up for my email list, subscribe to my blog or invite me to their book club as a visiting author. Sometimes they download one of the guides I’ve created and made available on my website or ask me to coach them on starting a blog or self-publishing a book.
But when COVID cancelled every in-person event on my spring and summer calendar, it also cancelled my opportunity to meet new literary friends and consequently the chance to connect with their friends as well.
The well from which I’d drawn my new friends, customers, readers and clients was suddenly (and hopefully only temporarily) dry.
I needed something new. And for me that something was Instagram. I’d had the account for a while, but not done much with it. I don’t even have 400 followers yet.
When I was talking to my friend Andrea Jean (who does great on Instagram and even better on YouTube) about this, she gave me this advice.
“Know the value you provide and exactly who you are speaking to. Focus on building genuine and authentic relationships. Your number of followers does not equal the level of impact or revenue in your business.”
That last line really hit me. Maybe I didn’t need thousands of followers, to do some good in this space. I used this advice and mindset to do a little work, and recently I’ve discovered a few tricks to help me move the progress needle for my small business forward.
Here are three strategies that have worked for me.
1. Bookstagram Reviewers
Bookstagrammers are Instagram users that exclusively share book and reading related content. Frequently these posts include photos with gorgeously detailed book displays accompanied by a book review. (To get a full run down about book reviewers on Instagram and their impact on book sales, read this article in Forbes by Jo Piazza.) I loved looking at these posts and started dreaming of seeing my books featured in the lovely displays and descriptions, so I searched for and started following users who read and reviewed contemporary women’s fiction and cozy romances. I commented on their posts and sometimes tagged a friend I thought might enjoy the title they recommended. During this process I stumbled upon a niche I didn’t know existed. – bookstagrammers who combine their love of reading with their passion for sweet treats. These were my kind of people and also perfect readers for my Champion Chocolatier series. After a few weeks of interacting with their feed, I reached out and asked if they’d be interested in reviewing my books. A few said yes! I packaged up my books and sent them on their way. Below are a few results of those efforts!
By employing this strategy, I was able to get my books in front of new readers, people who were previously strangers. Lots of strangers! This is something I haven’t been able to do (without paying for ads) on Facebook. I’m calling it a win!
My friend, and fellow author, Christy Wopat told me this about Instagram, “You have to do your research, but you can get a whole different audience on IG than on FB or Twitter.” So, the next time you are Instagram, see if any such niches exist for you and your stories. What kinds of characters/locations/hobbies/etc. do your stories feature? Are there Instagrammers who adore that specialty? Get to digging and see what you can uncover. And then reach out!
2. Podcast and IG TV Hosts
I have also reached out to podcast hosts and IG TV episode creators on Instagram. Following the same process as listed above, I was able to book a slot on Beyond the Book with Julie Chan for September 28. You can watch Julie’s past author interviews here.
This plan works for guest posting on blogs as well. I reached out to GirlTellMe.com and last week, the founder Nikki, reposted this piece for me… sending it out to 1,300 new readers. Again, talk about a win!
3. Connect with Celebrities
According to Oberlo.com, “Instagram can generate over 4 x more interactions on Instagram compared to Facebook.” I think this is partially because interactions can happen faster. It’s just one heart click, and you move on. Comments are brief and my favorite part… you don’t get 47 notifications when other people comment on something you’ve commented on. It feels like less work… like it takes less energy to engage. You can do it and then move on.
Because of this mindset I think it is easier for celebrities to interact with the rest of us mortals. (I’m kidding, but you know what I mean.) Again, using the strategy outlined above I asked Jamie Pacton, author of The Life (and Medieval Times) of Kit Sweetly if I could interview her for my blog and she said yes. Look for that post soon! (I’ll note that I first found out about this fantastic book because of bookstagrammers!)
And so, we’ve come full circle. I share in my Take Action Author Plan course that it is rare for self-published authors to sell hundreds of books at a time… that even John Green admits to selling them a dozen at a time out of the trunk of his car.
And if John Green started that way? Who are we to think we can bypass that step? I am hopeful that if you give these strategies a try, you’ll be able to sell a few more books too. And finally, just like I shared in January when I shared that my word of the year for 2020 was HOPE, I am trying to send out a few pieces of hope on Instagram every day… a like, a comment, a direct message… Who knows what will come back to me in return. All I can do is continue to send it out there, one piece at a time.
I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite Bookstagrammers… and then set you loose to try some of these strategies of your own. If you have found success on Instagram, please share your strategy in the comments! I’d love to learn from you too!
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