In today’s world, artists and creators can’t just rely on the quality of their work to find their audience. Top authors are personalities and spend a lot of time and energy creating their audience through various online channels.
Not all writers are extroverts that want to put themselves out there. It can seem pretty overwhelming at first.
While your priority should be to produce the best work possible as a writer, your online presence is still essential to your success.
What Do You Want To Achieve?
You might think the obvious answer is to ‘sell more books’ but it’s more complex than that. Perhaps you want to build a reputation in a particular subject or build a mailing list of aspiring writers.
You definitely need to pin down your plan of attack before you start setting up your marketing.
Website
A website is a very effective tool for a writer. It can be a place for people to learn more about you, access samples of your work or get in contact. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a professional-looking website for a good price. It’s essential to have a mobile-compatible site that is SEO optimised. If you’re unsure how to do this then get in touch with a professional company. For SEO agencies, look for those who have had good results in your niche.
You can choose to have a ‘brochure’ style website or start your own blog or forum on it.
Your website should include:
- A biography with accompanying headshots.
- A link to published works
- Contact form
- Email capture for newsletters
- List of social media handles
- Details of readings, awards and appearances
Social Media
The world of social media can seem a little daunting, especially if you don’t already use it. While it might be tempting to use a platform you’re familiar with, your time will be wasted. You need to know where your target audience is hanging out. This could be Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or any number of the new platforms that pop up from time to time.
Success on social media requires a lot of consistent work. It’s not going to happen overnight. If you aren’t willing to be consistent, then it’s best not to start an account. If someone tries to look you up on social, a poorly run account is not a good look.
Don’t turn your social media accounts into shameless promos for your book. A good account gives engaging and interesting content to its community.
For example, if you write about crime, maybe list your favourite crime writers or top Netflix true-crime documentaries.
You may have followers who are interested in being writers themselves. Give them a look behind the scenes and share information about your writing process and updates on your latest work.
Final thoughts
When you’re ready to put yourself and your work out there, establishing your online presence is an important step. Hopefully, you’ll be so super successful that you’ll be able to pay someone to do it all for you, but until then, you can follow these tips.