Social media can be overwhelming and your time can be limited, so discovering which social media platform is best for marketing your book and your brand can be a huge help. Why? Because marketing is an ongoing, long term effort that is different from promotion specifically. This means your marketing efforts need to be sustainable.
You Truly Don’t Need to Be Everywhere All at Once
Your audience isn’t everywhere all at once and therefore you don’t have to be either. Trying to come up with clever content ideas and posting often is hard enough on one platform, so you don’t need to worry about multiple platforms. This is especially true if you’re just shouting into the void. That’s why it’s important to know your limitations and your strengths, as well as understanding where your audience is spending their time online. You don’t need to waste your marketing efforts on platforms your audience isn’t on.
Knowing Which Social Platform is Best for Marketing Your Book Means Knowing Your Audience
Doing the research to know and understand your audience is worth the effort in the end. Because knowing your audience means knowing how to reach them and connect with them. Part of reaching your audience requires knowing which platform is best for marketing your book. So do the research. See where your audience is and who else they are following and connecting with. Take notice how other influencers and important voices in your sphere are reaching out, in what format and on which platforms. This is where you want to be!
Ask yourself:
- Who is my audience?
- Which social platforms are they on?
- How are others sharing and engaging on those platforms?
- Am I comfortable sharing and engaging in the same way?
Your Genre Matters Too!
Choosing which social media platforms are best for marketing your book also means considering your genre. Certain platforms just lend themselves to being the right place to focus your marketing efforts. There is usually more than one option for social platforms that can work for specific genres. For instance, if you hate being on camera and editing video content, TikTok may not be for you. Luckily, similar audiences that engage with TikTok are also on Instagram.
Your book’s genre is definitely important to consider when choosing a platform to market your book or brand but it’s not so rigid you don’t have options. Below you’ll see an overview of which genres and audiences tend to be on different social platforms to help you better find your space.
You Can Choose Which Social Platform is Best for Marketing Your Book Based on These Factors
Keep in mind, you absolutely CAN choose to be on more than one platform. Especially if they work for you. When you’re just starting out and trying to find your niche, being on multiple platforms can help you see where you’re getting the most engagement and where you feel most comfortable so you can really focus your efforts.
You may notice we left out Twitter/X. Though it used to be a good space for writers in general, it is no longer a reliable platform and it’s changing so often and rapidly, we decided to skip it. Although, if you already have a big audience there, by all means, stay!
Many people are on LinkedIn and it began as a career networking platform, so it can feel more organic to share industry related content there. The thing is, LinkedIn has transitioned into more of a social platform and therefore is becoming more of an open space for ideas and information sharing. If you’re a nonfiction writer, LinkedIn may just be your place! Another great thing to note about LinkedIn is that you can write and share blogs there. If you’re a professional, deal in helping professionals, or are an industry expert you may even thrive in this space.
Yes, Facebook is still around and there is still an audience there but it tends to be an older audience on this social platform. When choosing which social platform is best for marketing your book, Facebook may be a good choice for you if you’re in the self-help or religious genres. Because Facebook has the option to form groups, you can have a more organic and intimate connection to your audience, and that may serve you well.
TikTok
TikTok is the social media platform of the moment. It has a reputation for being a space for young people and for non-serious content. But TikTok also has a subsection of users that are big book lovers! This is known as BookTok. The genres that do particularly well on BookTok are Romance, Fantasy and YA. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t Self-Help and other nonfiction fans on there and there are plenty of creators in those spaces sharing their knowledge and tips. Even financial advice is shared on TikTok! If you’re not afraid of putting yourself out there on video and are willing to work with some editing and filters, you may want to check out this social platform.
Instagram is all about visuals and aesthetics. But now that reels are such a big part of Instagram, it’s becoming a video platform as well. Instagram isn’t for those that want to share links, articles and blogs. It is for short, dynamic and visually appealing content. If your book is in the lifestyle space, such as cooking, self-help, and beauty, or you create motivational content, you may find your audience waiting for you on Instagram.
YouTube and Podcasts
Let’s not forget about YouTube and Podcasts when considering which social platform is best for marketing your book. If you tend to do best with long-form and informational content creation, platforms like Podcasts and YouTube are probably right up your alley. The neat thing is that you can record video of your podcast and broadcast it on multiple platforms if that’s your thing. If you shy away from cameras you can just stick to podcasts.
There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to these platforms, but with a little effort and the right equipment, you can be reaching your audience before you know it.
Because marketing your book is an ongoing, long-term effort you really do need to be prepared to find a platform where you feel comfortable consistently creating content and sharing it with the world. Luckily, there are a lot of options and at least one of them is right for you!
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