A couple of weeks ago, I asked you to send me your questions about social media. I received quite a few, too many to answer all in one post, so I chose the questions that seemed to have the broadest appeal. As you’ll see, my answers are lengthy as I’ve tried to write around the topic in order to cover as many questions as possible in one go!
I hope these answers are helpful and might spur you into taking the leap into blogging and social media!
1. When did you start blogging and why?
I started blogging in March 2013, nearly five years before my book was eventually published. At the time I started writing, obviously I didn’t know if I was ever going to be published, but I set up a website anyway. There were a few reasons for that:
- I wanted a space where I could practise my writing, a place where I could experiment, write personally, and develop my voice and writing style.
- I knew having a blog would give me a deadline and force me to write more and therefore learn the craft of writing more speedily.
- I enjoyed reading other peopleโs blogs, and I wanted to be part of that online community.
- There was no โgatekeeperโ on a blog, someone who might veto my piece. I only had to pass muster with myself.
- I could share my writing immediately with readers, sometimes within minutes, whereas it was going to take years before someone could read my book!
- It can be lonely writing in an attic, and social media is actually social, albeit via a screen.
- I knew that having a โplatformโ and a social media presence would be helpful if my book was eventually published. To be honest, though, the reasons above were more important.
- I wrote more about why I blog in this post, too.
Once I started blogging, I found that a blog post wasn’t the end of the conversationโI could expand and refine my idea in the comments or in a later post. It truly was a conversation between readers and myself, and I had to think hard about what I was trying to say. I wrote a lot of personal posts in the early days, and learnt much about myself. I can’t express how helpful that was in writing my novel. Of course, I also discovered a really supportive blogging community!
2. How did you start blogging?
I went with a self-hosted website and installed WordPress on it, rather than buying a domain name through WordPress. Owning my domain name means I can do whatever I like with my site and I’m not limited to WordPress forever (although I still use it).
I set my site up myself, which wasn’t easy. It took me about two weeks to learn the ropes. WordPress have video tutorials, which were very helpful, and which I followed to the letter. However, I still made mistakes, and there was a lot of teeth-gnashing and hair-tearing involved. I found it difficult to get my head around all the jargon, too. Although there was a steep learning curve and quite a few teething issues, I’m glad I did it myself and learnt how to do it. If someone had done it for me, I wouldn’t understand how a website operates.
I kept that website for about four years as its main focus was blogging. A year ago, when I knew my book was going to be published, I asked Kristy Morton to give my website a makeover, with more focus on my book. It’s also a lot prettier!
3. Which social media channels do you use and why?
I mainly use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I limit myself to those because I enjoy them and I think that’s importantโif you don’t enjoy social media, you’ll dread doing it. Sometimes I feel like I should use LinkedIn and Pinterest more, but itโs impossible to do everything well and still have time for actual writing.
I treat my Facebook author page like a less formal, more chatty blog. It’s where I’m most likely to interact with readers, so I try to post regularly and keep followers updated with what Iโm doing. Twitter is where I chat to other writers, authors, and professionals, and where everyone seems to be very casual and chatty. Instagram is becoming more popular in recent years, and Iโm gradually getting my head around the fact it’s not just for sharing pretty photos anymore, but for author pics and website posts!
As a published author, I have a Goodreads profile, but I really only use that site as a reader.
4. How did you build a following and how long did it take?
It took years to build a following and I’m glad I started early. Yes, it took me away from writing my novel, and I could have written my novel more quickly if I hadn’t been blogging and Facebooking, but I’m still glad I got online early because it gave me time to build a following before my book came out. By the time my novel was finally published, I had a group of people who’d been following me for a long time, and who probably just wanted to read my goddamn story because they were sick of hearing about it!
Unless you’re lucky, publishers have very little, if any, advertising budget for dรฉbut novelists, so anything you can do to publicise your own book is helpful. Because I was part of the blogging community, other bloggers reviewed my book and helped spread the word. Also, because I’d featured writers and authors on my blog as part of Writers in the Attic, I was inundated with reciprocal invitations for guest blog posts. Bloggers are very kind-hearted!
As I said earlier, it took years for me to build a following. Hereโs a timeline of my Facebook following, so you can see how long building it took:
I started my Facebook Author page in April 2013 and I quickly gathered a huge 39 Followers! Almost a year later, in February 2014, that number had risen to 100, and I celebrated with a giveaway of an anthology that featured two of my stories.
Two-and-a-half years later, at the time of signing my publishing contract in September 2016, I had 255 followers, and just over a year later, in December 2017, I reached 1,000 Followers. At the time of writing this post in April 2018, I have over 1,300 Followers.
One of the reasons I set up my website and social media was for if my novel was ever published. My book is a product like any other retail commodity, and I wanted it to be noticed by as many potential readers as possible. So while social media is for interaction and community, there’s a business side to it, too.
Not long after I signed my publishing contract, I joined a ‘Mastermind’ group run by Amanda Kendle, who is an expert in social media. We meet once a month to discuss our social media and publicity, and how we can improve. I’ve learnt a lot from Amandaโtime-saving apps and understanding algorithms, for instanceโand seeing what others in the group are doing gives me ideas and helps keep me on track.
Up until the time I got my publishing contract, most of my followers were family, friends and other writers. Still, I tried to post regularly and write interesting content. Now I’m grateful for all those past posts because when new people came to my website, I already had heaps of material for them to read. Most of my messages from blog readers are about those old posts.
5. How do you measure your success on social media?
The simple answer is: I donโt. I know there are people who set goals for building their social media, but Iโm not here to go viral or take over the world. I really couldnโt stand analysing statisticsโIโd feel constantly under pressure and disappointed if I didnโt reach my goals. Besides, it would take even more time, which I donโt have.
The other thing to remember is, we share our writing and parts of ourselves, but we really have no control over whether someone likes our content or not. Some blogs appeal to a wide audience, while others are for a smaller niche. But we still have to be ourselves.
For me, worrying about numbers would take the spontaneity and fun out of it. I’m on social media because I enjoy it, and I’ll keep going as long as I enjoy it. Because writing can be such a solitary occupation, it’s a way for me to socialiseโI know that makes my life sound very sad, but I feel like part of an online community, and I’ve made many friends via my computer screen and keyboard, many of whom I’ve gelled with when we’ve met in real life. I think it’s lovely that we can connect with people from all over Australia and the world. Strangely enough, it feels rather quaint and old-fashioned, because despite the digital technology involved, weโve returned to keeping in touch through the written word in much the same way people did in the past.
Social media is about communicating with others, so you have to enjoy it. There are times when I need a break from itโlike last week, for example. Sometimes, it does feel like a pressure, and I need time away, days when I don’t have to front up to Facebook. So I take a holiday and come back refreshed.
6. How did you overcome the feeling that no-one was interested in what you had to say when you werenโt a proven (published) author?
This is an important question because we all feel like this, and I’ve even written a post about it here. Even since being published, with almost every blog post I still think: No one will be interested in this. This is boring. This has all been said before. What do I know? Iโm no expert.
Yet I still press publish. And that would be my advice: To write and publish it anyway. Because people will be interested in what you have to say. The worst that can happen is that no one reads it, and so what if that happens? Some of my posts have only become popular since my book has been released because people now want to read about my journey. Iโm glad I wrote and published those posts, because they’re a record of all I went through. In fact, I wish Iโd written more, but at the time I thought no one would ever be interested!
On a related topic, I used to worry that some of my posts were too personal and I should keep them private. But the posts Iโve baulked at sharing, the ones in which I made myself most vulnerable, are my most popular. This post about my sister’s death that I wrote in 2013 has had over 5,000 views*. This letter to my daughter when she moved out of home has been read over 5,000 times, and this post on homeschooling has been viewed over 5,000 times. All of these posts are more than four years old but are still regularly visitedโthe one about my sister’s death is actually increasing in popularity, and these days gets an average of 20 visitors a day. Even more amazingly, each visitor stays on my site for an average of eight minutes.
So, my message is donโt worry if you think itโs boring or that no one will be interested, publish it anyway!
Two take home points from this post:
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- Start building your writer platform as early as you can, so that by the time your book comes out, you have a following ready and waiting.
- Do it in a way thatโs enjoyable for you. The last thing you want it to be is a millstone around your neck.
I hope this post answers most of your questions. By the way, if you have any topics you’d like me to write about, please send them in and I’ll do my best to address them.
*It’s now reached over 11,000 views!
Yes yes yes. You’ve covered it all, I reckon. Thanks!
Thank you, Michelle. I hope you found it helpful! ๐
Great tips, thank you Louise.
Thank you for taking the time to read it, Fi! ๐
Comprehensive information about social media for writers. Excellent advice, Louise. ๐
Glad you enjoyed it, Nadia! ๐
Wow, Louise – the insight and depth you went into with this post was profoundly helpful for an author like me who is still in an earlier stage of my blog’s life (and my platform). Thank you heaps for sharing, and for actually giving real details, as this is phenomenally useful.
I’m so glad you found this post useful!
To be honest, I think I could learn from you, Holden, because you’re already doing social media really well, really authentically. Just keep going as you already are! ๐
Oh wow, that’s really cool to hear coming from you, Louise! I am talking about social media with my third-years in this week’s class, and I was actually planning on citing you as an example of someone who is a creative person who does social media really well. And I have to add … your blog hits, even back in 2013, make me want to weep with envy. How often did you blog then and what worked best? Fortnightly? Weekly? Daily?
I used to post at least weekly, but I think blogs were still a bit of a novelty back then, and there were fewer of them so people had more time to read them.
I wouldn’t worry about your stats at allโthink longer term and use your blog as a journal or record for yourself. It won’t go to waste. Besides, one day when you’re rich and famous, everyone will want to know how you did it!
Because I have so much material on my blog, I can’t tell you the number of times people have contacted me saying they’ve just spent an evening/afternoon/morning reading it all! ๐
Thanks Louise, once again, for the insight. You’re right – it could serve as a journal/record for myself (or possibly others), as yours has. That must be such a cool feeling when you hear from those readers! ๐
Just keep doing what you’re doing, Holden! ๐
Thanks for the personal insights, Louise. So much of what you say rings true for me, and I know the key is to enjoy what I’m doing. It’s great being part of a supportive group with Amanda Kendle – she’s great, isn’t she! I look at stats from time to time just to sense if I am on track. Your posts have given lovely insights into you as a person, something I’m seeking to brave about! It’s always a balancing act because once a post is out there, there’s no taking it back!
I know we’ve talked about this before, and writing personally isn’t easyโonce a post is out there, it’s out there. Although there are a lot of pros to sharing personal writing, not everyone is comfortable talking about their personal life. The biggest hurdle I felt was the fear of being judgedโbut the opposite actually happened!
You might want to ‘practice’ within the Mastermind Mash-up group first (like we did with our videos!)?
By the way, I agree: Amanda is fabulous!
You’ve summed up my thoughts on social media perfectly, Louise! I wish this post was around in my very early social media days. It would have allowed me to take some pressure off myself to ‘perform’ – worrying about numbers, whether anyone’s going to like or comment, or follow back etc.
Thankfully these days I have a much more relaxed approach, and interact when I have the time (family, sleep and exercise come first).
I no longer worry about numbers (or whether I’m doing enough), and it has definitely brought back the fun and spontaneity – and taken the weight off my shoulders that came from feeling ‘I should be doing more’.
I’m still hesitant to use scheduling and pushing out posts across the different channels (which for me, is tied to that spontaneous aspect – even though I know it makes bad ‘business sense’), but I’ll gladly seek help from someone like Amanda Kendle when the time is right to ‘improve my game’.
Very helpful post, thanks Louise ๐
Don’t worry, Marie, everyone goes hell for leather at first because it’s a novelty, but soon realises it’s unsustainable and too stressful! Social media has to be enjoyable, and not too onerous.
I think you’re wise to go easy on yourself and just do what you can. There are still so many other things to juggle in the dayโwriting and family, as well as social life IRL!
I’ve tried scheduling, but then you’ve got to factor in the time to organise the scheduling! So, I don’t do it either. I can understand how it would be helpful for a business, but for me on my own, my social media load isn’t that heavy that I can’t do it spontaneously. ๐
Yes – I definitely went hell for leather at first, and really enjoyed it – but the irony in increased followers is the time drain! Unsustainable & stressful – you’re spot on there ๐
Definitely! But everyone has to learn it for themselves, I think! ๐
You’ve done a wonderful job of growing an organic audience. Well done and well deserved! X
Thanks, Kirsty. I think just sticking with it is the key! ๐
Great post, Louise. Covers everything perfectly. Thanks!
Thank you for reading it, and I’m glad it was useful! ๐
I always seem to read your posts at the exact time I need a kick up my butt to get my next post out. Thank you Lovely xx
Thanks for sharing Louise, great post ๐ Love your first headshot as well, your husband did good ๐
“The other thing to remember is, we share our writing and parts of ourselves, but we really have no control over whether someone likes our content or not. Some blogs appeal to a wide audience, while others are for a smaller niche. But we still have to be ourselves.” This takes the pressure off – thank you!
Glad to be of help! Good luck! ๐