1. Creating Social Buzz:
A Trio of Strategies for Writers
Kelly Ahern
Digital and Social Media Specialist, Cape Cod Healthcare
PR and Social Media Freelance Consultant
2. Overview
• Why social media works
• Set yourself up for success
• The major players
– Facebook
– Twitter
– LinkedIn Publishing
• Additional resources
• Top tips takeaway
3. Why Social Media Marketing Matters
• Targeted website traffic, digital visibility
• Humanizes you and your work
• Real-time engagement with audience(s)
– Current fans
– Prospective readers
– Publishers
• Customer service tool
– Gain useful feedback
– Social referrals, reviews and more
4.
5. Prep for Success
• Your website is your digital front door
• Determine goals and objectives
– Keep it SMART: Specific, Measureable, Attainable,
Relevant, Timely
• Do your research
– Pay attention to what your target audience(s) are
using, doing and saying
• Build your digital Rolodex
– Make connections by following conversations
– Build lists of key influencers
6. Optimize for Maximum Results
• Tell the search engines (and your audience) what
you are all about
– Trade-specific: author, writer, self-publisher,
journalist, editor, reporter, bookseller, copywriter
– Amazon-friendly descriptors: inspirational, new adult,
mystery, romance, romantic comedy, thriller,
suspense, bedtime stories, short stories for kids,
science fiction, fantasy, young adult novel,
– Location based: include mentions of your city, state
and/or region for local interest and traffic
7. Additional Keyword Tips
• Useful keyword types to include in social posts,
Amazon listings and other digital promotions
– Setting: Colonial America
– Character types: single dad, veteran
– Character roles: strong female lead
– Plot themes: coming of age, forgiveness
– Story tone: dystopian, feel-good
• Remember
– People skim, keep headlines under 60 characters
– For book postings: avoid subjective and temporary claims
like ‘best’, ‘new’, ‘on sale now’
– Leverage the Kindle Direct Publishing tool
8. Facebook: Setting Up an Author Page
1. Choose the appropriate
category (author, blogger,
journalist, writer)
2. Enter your professional or
pen name
3. Upload professional images
i. Profile image, 160x160 pixels
ii. Cover image, 851x315 pixels
4. Fill out the ‘About’ section
thoroughly to enhance your
credibility – remember
keywords!
9. Facebook: Linking Other Platforms
• Are you active on other social sites? Do you
send out email updates for fans? Link them
all to your Author Page!
10. Facebook: Create & Curate
• Don’t just create, curate content from other relevant sources
• Different Facebook posts work in different ways:
– Photos are good for engagement and shares
– Link posts are better for generating hits to your website and digital
content
– General updates, polls and social graphics are good for asking
questions and garnering feedback
• Engagement is key
– Answer all comments and notifications
– Stay positive or stay silent
11. Facebook: Posting Etiquette
• Post daily
– Showcase your personality
– Candy-fy; people want to see you!
Show them the face behind the
words
– Establish traditions; try theme days
(i.e. #AskTheWriter,
#MemoirMonday, #FridayReads)
• Sharing is caring
– Look to local businesses, libraries,
book sellers, local “celebrities”, the
Cape Cod Writers Center and your
own favorite authors for inspiration
and share-able content
13. Twitter: Creating a Meaningful Account
1. Like Facebook, brand your profile with your professional or
pen name and engaging graphics
2. Upload professional images
i. Profile image, 400x400 pixels
ii. Cover image, 1500x500 pixels
3. Fill out the ‘About’ section strategically, you only get 140
characters
4. Learn to love #hashtags, some trending #hashtags for
writers include:
i. #AmWriting, #AmEditing, #WritersLife, #YALitChat, #LitChat,
#RomanceWriter, #MemoirChat, #SciFiChat, #FanFic, #History,
#GetPublished, #AskAuthor, #SelfPub, #StoryStarter, #MustRead,
#FridayReads
14. Twitter: Create & Curate
• Show your personality
• Share useful content
– Post your blogs, writing snippets, article/chapter sneak peeks, videos,
podcasts, photos and graphics
• Share useful content from others
– Share blogs, videos, tweets, etc. from other authors you find relevant
and valuable. Also remember to share local community news too!
• Be topical, Twitter thrives on real-time communication
• Remember the 80/20 rule
– 80% value added content
– 20% self promotional
16. LinkedIn Publisher: More Eyes on Your Content
• Posting articles on LinkedIn with Publisher makes
your content searchable by keyword in LinkedIn’s
post search box
– A great way to showcase your knowledge and expertise
in any given area, a must for content-marketing!
– It goes beyond just visibility in search, both your
connections and your followers see your published posts
just like on Facebook
– If your post is viewed enough times it will get picked up
by LinkedIn’s newsreader, Pulse, resulting in exponential
views, comments and shares
17. LinkedIn Publisher: Elements of a Good Post
• Six key elements of a good Publisher post:
1. A catchy title
2. Attractive images (and video if you have it)
3. Brief by engaging content, aim for 300-600 words
4. Keywords
5. Good marketing/sharing strategy for your post
6. Luck
• Quality over quantity, limit your posting to once a week
• Share, share and share!
• Need help? Visit this link for step-by-step directions:
http://linkedintobusiness.com/Why-and-How-to-Use-New-
LinkedIn-Publisher-i407/
19. LinkedIn Reminders: Optimize Your Profile
• Simple steps to create an all-star author’s LinkedIn profile:
1. Make sure your profile is complete – this means at a minimum
adding your industry, location, at least 5 skills, education,
professional headshot, at least 50 connections, an optimized
summary and two past positions
2. Your headshot matters – don’t crop from a family photo
3. Add “Author” and the name of your book/blog/series of stories to
your work description – include a full, optimized description and
link to purchase whenever applicable
4. Connect all your accounts – add links to Facebook, Twitter, Amazon
listings, Goodreads, About.me, etc.
5. Make sure your summary is conversational – and optimized,
keywords should occur naturally
6. Add your work to the Publications section – this includes any
books, blogs, guest posts, articles, interviews, etc.
20. Goodreads: Facebook for Authors
• Six reasons why you should be on Goodreads:
1. Author profile with blog and video posting – access this by joining
the Goodreads Author Program
2. Book Listing – good for eBook and PDF formats as well
3. Goodreads Giveaways – a great program where you can give away
free copies of your print books to readers and hope to receive
reviews via both Goodreads and Amazon
4. Goodreads Events – can be used to promote book launches, book
tours, author appearances and more
5. Featured Groups – authors can interact with readers and create
buzz for their work, Goodreads helps to promote these groups
using its word-of-mouth tools, great for active marketing
6. Goodreads Groups – different from Featured Groups, these groups
are communities of readers who share similar interests, designed
for networking not active marketing
21. Resources
• Social Media Tips & Tricks
– The Ultimate Cheat Sheet of Photo & Image Sizes on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn &
Other Social Networks: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ultimate-guide-social-
media-image-dimensions-infographic#sm.00000ossd1z9j0eohv756k6y0q2in
– 14 Must-Do Social Media Tips For Authors:
http://services4authors.com/2015/09/13/14-must-do-social-media-tips-for-authors/
– 10 Tips (That Work) to Promote Your Book with Social Media:
http://authorunlimited.com/promote-your-book-with-social-media-ten-tips/
– Guy Kawasaki’s 10 Social Media Tips for Authors http://mediashift.org/2013/02/guy-
kawasakis-10-social-media-tips-for-authors045/
• Keywords & Optimization
– 7 Tips for Amazon Keywords and Best Selling Books:
https://ebooksuccess4free.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/7-tips-for-amazon-keywords-
and-best-selling-books/
– 44 Essential Hashtags Every Author Should Know: http://www.authormedia.com/44-
essential-twitter-hashtags-every-author-should-know/
22. Resources
• Facebook
– The 15 Most Inspirational Facebook Pages for Writers, Thinkers and Dreamers:
http://authorunlimited.com/top-inspirational-facebook-pages-for-writers/
• Twitter
– 50 Twitter Accounts All Writers Should Follow:
https://www.experteditor.com.au/blog/top-50-twitter-accounts-all-writers-should-
follow/
• LinkedIn
– How to Use LinkedIn Publisher to Get More Visibility:
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/linkedin-publisher-to-get-visibility/
– LinkedIn for Authors: http://alewebsocial.com/2013/05/06/linkedin-for-authors/
• Misc.
– The Ultimate Guide to Goodreads For Authors:
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/05/01/goodreads-for-authors/
– The Creative Penn; Resources for Writing, Publishing and Marketing:
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/
