Instagram is one of the greatest social media platforms, but did you know there's an entire community on the app just for books?
'Bookstagram' is its name, and it's all about posting great photos of books, book aesthetics, reviews, writing, fanart and book merch. (Just search #bookstagram to find it.)
This huge community of book lovers is the perfect niche to get into for marketing yourself as an author. You'll make friends and find fans, and really be able to show off your personality to potential readers.
So, how do you hack this online community? Here are my three biggest tips!
And before we start, don't forget to follow me!
1. Know your style - aesthetics are everything
Bookstagram is all about taking pretty photos. The more 'aesthetic' yours are, the more attention they'll get. So it's important to create your own style.
As an author, your bookstagram isn't just for fun - it represents you and your books. So your style and aesthetic should match your author brand.
First you need to figure out how you want to be seen as a bookstagrammer. Is your vibe going to be dark and creepy, or light and modern? You might even follow an aesthetic trend like cottagecore, and include lots of flowers and bright colours.
Use props or different locations to make photos interesting
Unify photos by sticking to certain colours
And by using a great, unique filter (I use Lightroom to create my own presets - here's my Lightroom blog)
Use the same emojis (stick to a colour/theme) in your caption
Check out the Lightroom filters available in my Etsy Store.
2. Know your personality - people love to follow real people!
Your captions are as important as your photos, because they're where you're going to show off your voice. Bookstagram is a place to be casual and have fun with other book lovers, so steer away from talking too formally (unless your creative writing is also like this!)
However, don't be too casual, because your captions are going to show off your writing skill. Make sure to double and triple-check they're free of typos, or you'll be advertising to potential fans that your writing isn't very good. If you can't write a good caption, why would someone want to read a whole book by you?
Your social media posts will show your fans who you are and give them an insight into your life. This is why you need to be careful with what you post - your brand is important!
Here are my blogs on creating a writing style guide, and creating your tone of voice.
Also take into account:
Unifying your brand so your voice is recognisable
Knowing what your target audience expects/wants
Knowing your keywords
Using correct spelling and grammar
Adding CTAs (calls to action)
Having a strong message and sticking to it
3. Know your goals- it's all about strategy
Going into social media blind is a great way to spend a lot of time and energy on something that (most likely) won't be worthwhile.
The end goal of your social media marketing as an author is to sell more of your books, so you need to start with that in mind. Things like meeting fans and gaining followers are just steps along the way.
Your strategies will change over time, but you should always start with a plan. Think of things such as:
How often will I post?
How many followers do I want to gain?
Will I set up scheduling software?
How will I balance regular posts with salesy posts?
Will I use paid ads?
Want more? Head to my shop and use code AWSOCIALS20 for 20% off my writing worksheets!
And once again, make sure you follow me over at @poppysvintagebooks :)
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