The Many Different Ways Of Social Media

THE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is a massive beast and it's something you, as a writer/author, have to slay in your own way. I've been someone who's pretty much on all the social media I can be. Mostly because I'm old enough to have joined when they were first launched and then gone from there, but I want to be clear that you do not have to do this! You can have one, two, more, or absolutely none and that is okay. You have to do what is best for you, and no one should be demanding you do differently.

The one thing I learned early about social media is that every platform has a different audience. Like Twitter, before it went the way it did, and one I have since gladly left, was all about short form. Instagram was photos and long form. Tumblr is a mixture of the two. Facebook is more about links and memes, and YouTube is videos and some short form video content. There's more, like Blue Sky and Threads, both of which I use and am active on, though more so on Threads, that are still finding their way, and both are more about replacing the Twitter hole left from that app going seriously downhill.

But my point is that you need to know more about what goes into each one before really deciding where to set yourself up and how to work it to your advantage. I won't claim to be a social media expert, because I'm not, but I will say I have found things that've worked for me, and things that have not. I personally find it pretty easy to manage my time on all the ones I'm part of, but I completely understand how daunting it can be to come into the writer/author space and not know the first place to start.

So here are my big tips when it comes to social media and being active on many, or any!

#1 GO WHERE YOUR AUDIENCE IS
This should be simple and easy, but it's not because the demographic changes from time to time. Like I know that Instagram and Threads are more bookish spaces, and YA too, depending on the hashtags you use. I also know that Facebook very much is not, but I do have followers there who've been with me for a long time, and none of the other social sites seem to have as good a handle on groups as Facebook does, so for that you're kinda stuck.

But if, say, you're writing romance for adults, then you're gonna wanna be in a space where you know you'll how to bring your readers to you. There is little point trying to attract attention from an audience when the ideal people, your target audience are not even present. You need to do a whole lot of research and know what you're trying to do, and who you're trying to attract.

#2 TAILOR YOUR CONTENT TO THE SPACE
This is something where I made this mistake when I was first starting out. I posted the same thing absolutely everywhere. It doesn't work like that. While there are something I'll cross post, the way I go about doing that matters. Tumblr is better to have the actual posts rather than just links. Instagram wants photos that are eye catching and links in stories rather than the posts themselves. YouTube needs videos, and it should be content that's more unique to that space.

My point is that while there is, and can be, some cross over - like posting your reels to YouTube as shorts, or on Threads as a link - it shouldn't only be that. There should be some content that is unique to that platform. People engaging with you will be fine with a little cross-over but if it's all the same, and it's things that wouldn't normally be on that platform, it's going to have the opposite impact and annoy people.

#3 BALANCE THINGS
By this I simply mean that just because you can be on all platforms, doesn't mean you have to be. Like I said at the start, I am on a lot of them because I was around at the start, but that doesn't mean I'm exceptionally active on all of them at all times. I've grown my own routine and schedule, and it works for me, but that doesn't mean that someone just starting out has to do the same. You need to choose your battles wisely, as social media takes a whole chunk of time, and you still have to be writing your book after all.

So be careful, and balance the way you do things and when you do them. Work out what gets you to the right readers and go from there. Don't overextend yourself and end up in burnout. No one wants that!

So those are my tips, and I hope they're helpful to you! Good luck!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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