Writers are expected to market their own books. Even the traditionally published authors… but most definitely the self-published authors. That’s why I call myself an authorpreneur. As a writer, I’m really running a small business. I’m not just writing, I’m doing alllll the things. I’m ordering inventory, I’m designing book covers, I’m talking directly with bookstores and yes, I’m marketing on social media. A lot. All the time. Every day.

According to The Guardian, the average self-published author earns $1000 a year and a third earns less than $500. If you’d like to be in that first earning group, or earn more than (like I do) then you are going to have to get comfortable telling people that you are a writer and that you have books for sale.

Personally, I’m an in-person kind of girl. I thrive on conversation and letting readers get to know me. (It’s not very midwestern of me, but I don’t mind talking about myself and my work!) I find it so much easier to connect with a person when we are in the same room. But let’s be honest, it hasn’t been easy (if even possible) for that to happen lately. In fact, just when we feel like things are getting back to normal, the Delta Variant swoops in threatens to put the world on pause again… throwing a monkey wrench into all the book festival/school visit/book store reading/speaking gig plans that pay us authors substantial money (in addition to book sales. Pssst: this is where you actually make real money in the writing world… getting paid for events.)

So even though I’d rather be in person (for a dozen different reasons) I’ve been forced to communicate through a screen… something I’m not nearly as good at. How do I share my positive personality through a Facebook post? How do I reach out and connect with a passerby on the internet? How do I make a lasting impression that leads to a book sale? It’s been a puzzle, but I’ve put together some of the pieces and want to share them with you today.

Here are 5 social media post ideas and advice for your pieces of online content that have worked for me.

Make Your Selfies Count

I attended the Teachers Pay Teachers Digital Conference a few weeks back and in the Instagram Boot Camp session with Michelle Griffo (from Apples and ABC’s), I learned that you need to show your face at least once every nine posts. Selfies can be a dime a dozen, but if you pair it with a call to action, you can really increase your engagement. Try something like this:

Bonus Tip: Follow a post that has high engagement with a post selling something. It is more likely that more of your followers will see it since they just interacted with your content. :)

To get my full recap of the TpT Forward 2021 Digital Conference, click here.

Try Carousel Quotes

Another Instagram post idea is to create a carousel of quotes from your book or of book reviews. The algorithm notices when people spend more time on your content, and getting ‘grammers to swipe through images rather than scroll past them is one way to do it! Head over to Amazon or Goodreads and find 5 of your best reviews. Then take those lovely compliments over to Canva and drop them into an IG template with your brand colors. Add your book cover image and maybe a bit of music and voila! Dunzo. (If you need help with Canva creation, I’ve got a few tutorial videos that will walk you through it step by step to get the job done.)

Give Project Updates

Update people on your project progress. Showing your readers behind the scenes helps them connect to your story before it’s on sale. It’s a zero price point interaction. It can be as simple as a word count update, like the post pictured below. Build enough of these into your readers’ experience and they’ll feel like they are a part of the process. Then, by the time the book is done and on sale, they are INVESTED and will practically be throwing their money at you!

Instill/Increase FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

Share photos from events and instill a feeling of FOMO in your readers. Tell them how they too can experience the fun of reading your books, attending your events and hanging out with you. Whether it’s a book club or a book signing, a school visit or a writer’s conference… tell people about all the fun and then tell them how they can stay in touch so they don’t miss out next time by inviting them to join your email list.

Serve up Meals in Addition to Snacks

Speaking of email lists... last week I listened to an episode of one of my favorite entrepreneurial podcasts, Online Marketing Made Easy by Amy Porterfield. Her guest, Glo Atanmo was talking about social media posts and how they are like snack food, but the really good stuff, the healthy and satisfying meals were waiting for her followers in her long form content, her blog posts, YouTube videos and enewsletter copy. Glo’s advice was to invite people on social media to follow the breadcrumbs of her posts to her more fulfilling content, where she could really be helpful and impressive. It is through her long form content that she builds a lasting relationship and impact with her readers. I love this, especially since my blog lives at the WordNerdopolis Restaurant called The Blog Buffet! Gotta love it when two good word play analogies jive! Naturally, I followed Glo’s good advice and put this post together.

Alright, that’s it for this week. I hope you are able to take these ideas and implement them on your social media channels to increase your engagement and ultimately, your book sales.

For more help with marketing, check out my course, the Take Action Author Plan. The entire second section, Book Marketing 101, will walk you through over a dozen different ways to market your book. The best part? I include real examples of how I use each strategy. I’m a visual learner, so If I can actually see what it looks like, I can replicate it. I hope the same is true for you!

If you’d like to learn more about how to increase the effectiveness of your social media content, totally check out what my friend Carolyn of Bad Axe Enterprises has to offer. She specializes in marketing help for small midwestern businesses.

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This post was made beautiful by Canva.

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I also NEVER link to products or services that I don't 100% believe in. I will never tout a company or their goods if they are disreputable or if I don't believe them to be worthy of your hard-earned money. In no way are my affiliate links a scam. (Language borrowed with permission from Kristen Kieffer on Well-Storied.com)