How Writers Can Use Social Media To Their Advantage

It’s all about connection, engagement and strategy

As writers, maintaining a visible presence on social media is essential if we want more people to know about us.

Social Media is a tool and how we use it matters.

To find potential readers, you need to get your name and work out there.

Not only is visibility needed, there also has to be a conscious effort to sustain an online presence while steadily increasing readership.

The more the audience, the more recognition you get.

To keep your followers interested, it is important to keep delivering content that appeals to them.

Here are some tips on how you can raise the bar on your writing through social media:

1. Join a community of writers

There is so much to gain from joining different social media groups for writers.

While it exposes you to other writers and their ideas, it also gives you the chance to showcase your work to a larger audience.

Social media is at its best when people engage with each other — Robert Lee Brewer

Thriving online communities exist such as facebook, instagram,quora, twitter, reddit and many other online platforms.

Don’t be afraid to share links of your published articles or engage in conversations with other writers. Read their stories too.

If you come across any question(s) asked within those groups, endeavour to share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Apart from social media groups, some writers also grow their reach through personal websites, guest posting, newsletters, vlogs, question and answer sessions and all-round networking.

2. Share your milestones

When you hit milestones or break new grounds, let your readers know.

The truth is, people are usually attracted to success stories. Sharing your goals, visions and achievements could be attractive to new readers.

If your big news is something that other readers/writers can relate to, it could stir up their interest and make them curious enough to read more of your writing.

People read because they want new ideas, innovative strategies and other solutions that will make their lives better. If you are constantly available to give them what they need, they will always come back for more.

A lot of writers reveal their wins and this could also serve as bait, because frankly speaking, who doesn’t want to associate with success?

Sharing valuable secrets and giving good hacks make you a go-to problem solver!

“It’s a big deal. Each milestone is a step.” — Elton Brand

Your wins could be in form of increased readership, hitting your monthly target, an article going viral, getting bonuses, receiving top-writer tags, attaining incredible amounts of reads, a book deal or making a lot of money from writing.

Whatever it is, sharing good news about your milestones sure helps a lot.

For me, I quickly follow writers when I know that reading from them would give me valuable information.

3. Target trending topics

Most times, people want to read about what’s happening around them. Apart from being informed, they also want to sample the opinions of others.

Whether it relates to matters of politics, religion, international news or anything else that is trending, keep an open mind.

Do not hesitate to read wide before writing on a matter of general interest. Whether it’s TikTok, side hustling, electoral processes or change of power, be ready to present fresh angles on issues that may bring more attention because of your unique perspective.

The ultimate goal here is to target popular topics and get solid engagement while at it.

Final thoughts

As writers, we should never underestimate the importance and use of social media.

In a world that constantly depends on connectivity, self-promotion and networking are extremely crucial.

With social media, new connections are simply at your fingertips. It all depends on how well you can use them.

Visual content also remains an important aspect of social media because it pushes your work directly to your audience and shows them at a glance what to expect.

Undeniably, more effective use of social media would lead to better engagement and overall growth as a writer.