Basic Tips for Social Media and What to Share

Last September I had the pleasure of co-hosting a program on social media with authors Kym Brunner and Katie Sparks. While putting together our workshop, I had shared my list of basic tips and ideas of what to share. Together we streamlined that list. So if you've been reluctant to Tweet, Instagram, Facebook, blog, and so on, or if you just need some fresh ideas on what to share, this post is for you!

If you missed my short video on Do's and Dont's, check it out. (I put it together for Twitter, but the suggestions apply to other social media platforms as well.)

Basic Tips for social media:

• Share more than links.
• Look at authors in your genre and see what they are doing.
• Don’t thank everyone for everything they do. A great way to thank someone for retweeting or sharing something you posted is to retweet/share something from their page that you found interesting.
• Engage in conversation. The idea of social is to connect with others.
• Start small and don’t over share.

Ideas of what to share:

• A picture of your writing workspace.
• Where you get your inspiration.
• A picture of something that catches your eye: a funny sign, stunning sunset, a wandering path.
• What you’re reading.
• A quote that resonates with you or your brand.
• A quote from the book you are reading.
• A quote from the book you are writing.
• A quote from your favorite author.
• Fun facts about the things you’ve learned while researching your current WIP.
• Fun facts about books/movies/TV shows.
• Facts about publishing.
• Tips on writing for aspiring writers.
• New about upcoming events aspiring writers.
• Good news about new releases. (Promote a fellow author and they will promote you when your book comes out.)

Ask your readers:

• What they are reading.
• To help you name a character in your next book.
• For suggestions of places to set a scene or your book.
• For character trait suggestions (flaws, quirks, hobbies, etc.)
• What their favorite movie, book, hobby or TV show is.
• Random questions like “Do you like thunderstorms?”

Remember!  Don’t forget to share updates about your everyday life. (These updates show readers you’re a person just like them!)

I hope you'll keep in touch! Check out my sidebar for links to my social media sites.