Five Social Media Mistakes I’ve Been Making (And How I’m Going to Fix Them…)
It’s been seven months since I buckled down and committed to being a writer. I’m very proud of the progress I have made in that time, including finishing edits on my middle grade manuscript, signing with my amazing agent, and going on submission for the first time. But one thing that has been very hit and miss for me has been the social media aspect of writing. Some posts perform well, while others are posted to crickets.
Now, I have to admit that this is the area I have put the least amount of effort into. When I first started, I was more disciplined, but without steady momentum, I got burnt out quickly. The good side of that is that I would turn to writing in those moments, so I am about a third of the way through my next manuscript. But I want to improve my social media presence. So I did what I always do – I studied and looked for patterns.
I spent a good amount of time stalking perusing successful writer and book accounts. I noticed things they all had in common and what was different from what I have been doing. I’m sure you know some of these. I did, too. But maybe if we read them again, we’ll actually apply them to our own accounts.
#1. The biggest mistake I have made across my accounts is treating them as a creative outlet. They are a business and a community, but they are not meant for all of the random musings of my heart and soul. My content has been all over the place when it should have been focused and consistent. Successful creators have focus and show up in a way the algorithms (and their followers) can count on. Constantly shifting focus, even to fit trends, hurts momentum.
#2. The accounts I studied also had a uniform brand. Instinctively, I knew this. But again, my brain craved new backgrounds, new fonts! Nope, wrong answer. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Not only does using the same backgrounds and styles let your audience know what to expect and make you recognizable in the scroll, it saves you time and mental bandwidth. This will also help with the burnout. It’s not boring, it’s your niche. Own it.
#3. Speaking of owning it, label your content. I started out doing this, but then I got lazy if it got cropped out, etc. This stops now. If I made it, my name is going on it.
#4. This may sound strange, but I was weirdly self-conscious about wearing the same thing in multiple posts. Like, if I was wearing the same shirt in more than one video, my posts would seem manufactured and insincere. But as I looked at hundreds of posts, I noticed that not only were accounts not worried about wardrobe, some even had a consistent uniform. I mean, some outfits or colors film better than others, so why not? Also, this makes batching content easier. I was literally over here changing hoodies. No more!
#5. Similarly, accounts were not concerned with reusing media, including B roll. This isn’t a consistency thing, its recognizing that each post has the potential to hit a brand new audience so no, they will not notice that you already used that cup of coffee video. Besides, your message is what matters most. If what you’re saying is good content for your intended audience, they will not care about the reused background image.
These were the biggest observations I had, but I am still learning every day. If you’re like me and want to expand your community, follow along for more insights and share your favorite tips, too. We’re all here to grow!
