If you only use social media for personal interaction, you are not using it to its full potential, especially if you self-publish your work. Social media can help you promote your book and build your brand as an author or writer.
However, there are so many social media platforms, and you may not get the expected result if you don’t use the right one.
This article will help you determine the best social media platform to promote your book. But first, let’s look at each of the best social media platforms for authors.
The Best Social Media Platforms to Promote Your Book
Each platform has structures that make it suitable for different genres and niches.
1. Facebook
If you are younger, you may think Facebook has lost its place among the relevant social media platforms. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms today and is still relevant; you just need to know how to use it. The same is true for other platforms.
In fact, Facebook is one of the best social media platforms for writers because it has an air of seriousness and is one of the few that supports long-form content.
Most of the other platforms are more visual, while this has a large community that still appreciates written content in a world where attention spans are gradually dwindling.
For a writer, this is practically heaven. You can share the progress of your work, take your followers through your creative process, share research and other books you are reading, and so much more.
If you are a writer, you should definitely create an author page on Facebook. You could always use your personal page, but creating one for business for marketing purposes may be better.
You can also join writing groups to engage with other writers and encourage them to check out your work.
2. TikTok
Although TikTok started as a fun video platform that seemed to cater to the younger generation, it has evolved into so much more. Many people have succeeded in creating businesses off TikTok, and you can do the same.
Some writers might struggle with creating video content because they think their ideas are not interesting enough to get people interested, especially if it’s not on a platform like YouTube where you can teach something.
However, you can use TikTok similarly to YouTube; you just need to make it concise.
If you are wondering if you must show your personal life, you don’t have to. Instead, you can use TikTok to show the progress of your work, talk about your favourite books, do a quick book review, read excerpts from your books, ask questions to get ideas on your story, and so much more.
Plus, video-making platforms like CapCut and InShot are making it easier to make videos. They allow you to do basic video editing on your mobile phone, which can be useful when creating short reels for TikTok.
3. Pinterest
Pinterest is a search engine like Google, but with a twist. It is a highly visual platform that allows users to create pins to direct traffic to their websites.
Pinterest can also direct traffic to social media pages and e-commerce sites like eBay, but it is predominantly for website traffic.
So, you will find it useful if you have a website, even though every writer should have a website where you can give information about your book and share other tips.
People are unlikely to click your pin unless you are an established author, but you can get them to read valuable content.
For instance, rather than creating a product pin leading to your book sale page, you can have a blog where you curate some of the best books they can find on certain topics or genres. Then, you can include your book on the list that relates to you.
First, there is a higher chance of them clicking to read the content because it’s valuable to them. Secondly, they can discover your book from the list.
Although other apps can be used, most pinners use Canva to create pins because it comes with a library of Pinterest templates that can be customized to taste.
Having said that, authors also use Pinterest to sell their books, especially books that would appeal more to female users, as the platform has a predominantly female user base.
Therefore, some genres do better than others, which you should take note of if you simply want to use it to sell books.
4. Goodreads
Goodreads is a book networking site that connects writers to readers, so it’s the perfect platform to find a dedicated readership.
It’s the only platform on this list solely for books, so you should consider it a perfect social media platform for your book.
Goodreads allows you to engage with other writers and authors. You can learn from the writers, read their books and have them read yours.
You can network with book bloggers and influencers who can say nice things about your book to attract others.
For the readers, you can share book recommendations, share excerpts, and participate in discussion groups and book reviews. You can also do Giveaways occasionally to attract readers.
5. Instagram
Being part of the Meta brand, Instagram is now connected to Facebook, making it easy to share content across both platforms.
However, content that works on Facebook may not necessarily be the best for Instagram because the latter is more visual.
Like TikTok, Instagram is great for publishing images and videos of your books. You can carry your readers along your creative process by showing them visuals of your work as it comes along, building anticipation.
You can also attract followership by sharing your favourite books, recommending books, doing book reviews, and going live to engage others about books.
For instance, you could do a live reading of your book and encourage readers to engage and give their opinions.
6. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a networking site for professionals that writers can leverage to connect with other writers and industry experts. The platform allows users to share thoughts, insights, tips and other valuable content.
With LinkedIn Pulse, its publishing platform, writers can share long-form content to establish expertise and connect with other industry professionals, including agents and publishers.
Although it’s not the best to sell all kinds of books, it can open opportunities that can lead to book sales.
Additionally, it is a suitable app for selling professional or business books to other career people who are looking to improve or grow their careers.
7. YouTube
YouTube is also an excellent platform for promoting your book and building a dedicated reader base. But, like most platforms, you need to offer other incentives to attract viewers.
Authors can use YouTube in different ways.
One way is if you have an interesting personality and can keep people engaged. For instance, you could tell stories and do like a serial of some parts of your book to build interest. You can also share vlogs of your personal life for relatable content.
If you are more introverted, focus on providing more educational content. For instance, you can provide writing tips, marketing tips that have worked for you, mistakes learnt, book lists, book reviews, author interviews, etc.
Also, as attention spans are decreasing, keep the video length minimal and cut a longer video into two or three so people can follow.
8. Twitter
Now called X, Twitter is great for networking and can result in visibility if used right and consistently. The platform supports posting concise thoughts, called Tweets. So, it’s not the best for long-form content.
Although users can now break the character limit with the paid version, the platform’s structure supports shorter messages.
You can use Twitter to share quick thoughts about books and writing, recommend books, ask questions, seek opinions, and engage in book discussions through the hashtags and trends.
Additionally, there are several writing communities you can join and engage in to help with visibility and to network with reviewers and industry influencers.
4 Ways to Choose the Best Social Media Platform to Promote Your Book
Now that we know the best social media platforms for authors, we need to identify the best one for you.
You may be thinking, “Why not all?”
Ideally, the answer would be, “Why not indeed?
But practically, you need to pick one or two and focus on them unless you have the budget to employ managers to manage your account on each platform.
If not, it will be difficult, not if you want time for actual writing and other important things in life.
The best practice is to find the one or two that work best for you and focus all resources on building your brand there.
Each platform has strengths and weaknesses, so it can be challenging to make a choice. The factors below will help you make a decision.
1. Target Audience
The first thing you need to note is your target audience. Who are they, and where can you find them?
For this, you will need to research where the people who will read the books you write are concentrated.
For instance, if you write nonfiction business books, LinkedIn might produce more results than TikTok, and if you are a YA romance writer, the latter is a better fit.
2. Marketing Goals
You should also consider your marketing goal. What are you hoping to get from a particular campaign?
For some authors, it is strictly sales. Others still want to build a brand or get a dedicated following. So, you need to find where you fit in.
For instance, Pinterest might not be the best place to build a brand as it’s not the best platform for engagement; it is more like a visual search engine where people find ideas and new things.
However, a Goodreads account can keep you connected to the book ecosystem, with its community of writers and dedicated readers.
3. Skills
You also need to consider your skills and interests. There is no point in being on a platform if you won’t use it.
So, it might be better to stay with the platform that you have the skills to manage.
If you don’t have an affinity for visual content, you should focus more on the platform that supports written content.
And if you are good with photography and graphics, you can excel with more visual platforms.
4. Resources
You should also consider the resources at hand.
Some platforms are more time-consuming than others. For instance, Facebook and LinkedIn don’t require that much time if you already know what you want to write about.
However, Instagram and TikTok take time because you must shoot and edit videos or images.
Pinterest also requires creating pins if you already have content to use for the pins.
So, you need to determine how much time you can dedicate to promoting your work on social media.
Besides that, things like a good camera or phone and proper background settings are important when it comes to using visual platforms.
All in all, social media is a great medium for authors and writers to promote their works, but it needs to be done right to achieve the desired results.
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