Social media personas have completely changed the book world. Now, if you write something that goes viral (see Cat Person), you’re almost guaranteed to get a book deal. The more followers you have, the more agents and editors know that people want to read what you write. How can you make this work for you? Traditionally, the social media trifecta has been Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Since it was first, start curating your social media with updates to your Facebook posts.
Author Patricia Cornwell lets fans glimpse her writing process
Courtesy of Facebook/Patricial Cornwell
Facebook is changing to make itself more relevant for individuals trying to keep in touch with other individuals. Take this as a launching point as you curate your presence and your Facebook posts. As you work on Facebook, remember that about half of users access their accounts on their phone and half use their computers. Make your posts visually accessible and appealing on a phone as well as on a computer.
POST REGULARLY
Everyone has a platform for their voices now, which means that posts disappear quickly. So, post regularly. Keep yourself visible. But don’t overdo it! Too many posts will fatigue your followers. A good baseline to aim for is one post a day, unless there’s something big going on that’s relevant to your followers.
Author Anne Rice reaches out to her fans
Courtesy of Facebook/Anne Rice
KEEP IT SHORT
Users react more to posts under 250 characters. That’s incredibly short – even shorter than the Twitter limit! But keeping it short means that followers will stick around to read your entire post.
USE THE ALGORITHM
Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes videos, images, and links – text only isn’t highly ranked.
Author Lisa See adds some personal touches to her posts
Courtesy of Facebook/Lisa See
GET REACTIONS
Ultimately, you want reactions. Likes and other reactions bump up your ranking so more people will see your post, but comments and shares give it even more of an edge. Ask a question to get comments. When people interact with your posts, they’re more likely to return to see what else you post or to see what others say.
STAY HUMAN
Your goal should be to create yourself as a brand – as someone others want to follow and read about. But remember that you shouldn’t be all business.
Author Amy Tan shares her fireworks video with fans
Courtesy of Facebook/Amy Tan
Instead of just using posts to build your professional or writerly persona, mix in some personal posts to stay human.
USE VIDEOS
Videos automatically play when they show up in News Feeds. Use that to instantly catch your audience’s attention. Post a video with an engaging first three seconds, even when the sound is off. Make sure the videos are visually interesting and active or otherwise have something to encourage viewers to stop and watch.
ADD PHOTOS
Photos and graphics are also a great boost; if you have an interesting photo in your Facebook post, others stop and read accompanying text.
Actress/Author Mindy Kaling suggests her books as gifts
Courtesy of Facebook/Mindy Kaling
If you’re a writer, use an image to lead into your caption, whether it’s an announcement for a reading or a general post to maintain your social presence.
INCLUDE LINKS
Links automatically include an image and a clickable area. So if you include a link, the visualaspect of your post is already taken care of – plus, the more people who click on your link, the more likely you’ll get reactions.
DO RESEARCH
Once you have posts with varying reactions, go back to see what your followers respond to.If they like cat pictures, post cat pictures!
Author Rainbow Rowell posts a link to an article about her event
Courtesy of Facebook/Rainbow Rowell
Post more of what your followers like and less of what they don’t.
CONNECT OTHER PLATFORMS
Not everyone is on Facebook. Use Facebook to mention your other accounts and likewise use other accounts to blurb Facebook posts.
CREATE A COMMUNITY
Creating great content is the first step. You also followers, which you can find byinteracting with others. When you like a post, the person whose post you liked is likely to check you out.If they see content they like too, they’ll promote your page to their followers by liking it back!
Author Jodi Picoult blurbs her newsletter
Courtesy of Facebook/Jodi Picoult
READ MORE
Here are some articles about getting likes, getting promoted, and becoming a Facebook phenomenon. Whether you want to be Facebook famous or you want some tips on giving your followers content they’ll like, there’s advice here for you!
20 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Page Visibility
Make Your Facebook Page Famous
How to Use Your Facebook Profile for Networking (and to Get Famous)
WHAT NEXT?
Now that you’re working on your Facebook posts, stay tuned: over the next months, I’ll be posting tips for other social media platforms!
Hi Katherine, This is fantastically helpful. I cringe at the weeks I have gone post-less. Thanks for your do-able tips for the Facebook-shy, and with the great examples of author posts.