One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a published author these days is the importance of a social media presence. Publishers have downscaled their marketing efforts because authors now have such unbridled access to potential readers, leaving authors responsible for marketing and promoting themselves and their work. Social media is one of the most obvious places to do that, but it is daunting. Especially for the introverted, self-conscious, and/or technologically challenged writer. Even if you’re an overly confident gregarious tech geek, there’s the issue of what to post? When to post? How often? Answering these questions on your own consumes large amounts of time and energy that could be better directed toward writing the next great American novel, performing your day-job duties, or spending quality time with friends and family.  

But it doesn’t have to.  

Even if you’re new to social media and dread the thought of putting yourself out there, there are steps you can take and tools you can use to increase your confidence and consistency on social media. These are some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned during the short time I’ve been building and maintaining my social media presence. 

Accept Social Media as Part of your Job 

I think we tend to idealize the responsibilities of being a writer as just writing. Maybe some editing – which some of us may prefer – but anything else seems like a waste of time. The truth is, no job consists of a single task. Jobs are multifaceted, and social media management is just another facet of being a professional writer. Accepting the fact that planning, creating, and engaging on social media are tasks relevant and necessary to becoming a published author was, for me, a major step toward integrating it into my schedule. That’s when it began to feel like something I was doing in service of my writing career rather than a distraction from, or an obstacle to, the real business of writing. 

Set Goals 

Everyone wants a successful social media presence, but we often gauge our own success by comparing our work to others. While comparison has its place, everyone’s definition of success is not the same – or at least it shouldn’t be. So, before you begin developing your social media presence in earnest, ask yourself one question: What do I want to achieve? 

When I decided to begin building my social media presence, my answer to this question was simple: consistency. Why? Because it is firmly within my control. I cannot control the number of likes and replies and followers I get, but I can control how often I post. Your goal may be different, but if you’re just starting out, I recommend you start with something like this simple goal using SMART methods: Post to Instagram and Facebook 3-5 times per week for three months.  

“Consistency is the cornerstone of success.”

– MG (Retired) John Gronski 

Develop a Plan 

If you’re anything like me, posting content isn’t as easy as picking up your phone and recording an impromptu message. I feel like I need a finely tuned and polished product, at least most of the time. Developing a plan for your social media posts does two things: it prevents decision fatigue by establishing what you are going to post for the entire week or month, and it allows you to pre-record and schedule posts, freeing up time for other tasks.  

This is one facet of your profession as a writer where AI can be an extremely useful tool without the worry of crossing any ethical boundaries. Check out my blog on using AI to manage social media.  

Prepare What You Can

Since I’ve accepted that it is just part of the job, I’ve been able to set aside a day to focus solely on social media without feeling like I’m procrastinating or ignoring my responsibilities as a writer. This allows me to draft a plan for the week or month and review it for content that can be created and scheduled ahead of time. You can use resources like Meta Business Suite to manage your Instagram Business Account and Facebook Page from a centralized source. It includes a planner that allows you to schedule posts and other insights that might increase the posts’ effectiveness. Once it has enough follower and engagement data, it will even suggest the best times to post on each platform. These are all tools that will increase your effectiveness and decrease the demand on your time, attention, and energy. 

Stay Engaged 

This is the easy part – at least, at first. I’m still in the range where engaging with almost all the comments on my posts is reasonable, and for a while – potentially a long while – you will be too. But be sure to engage authentically with your followers and with other accounts as well. Contributing to conversations on other accounts and other pages is likely to draw attention to your own.  

You can become a successfully published author without social media. Remember, it’s up to you to decide what success means, and once you do, it’s up to you to determine the most effective path toward achieving it. If building and maintaining a social media presence is part of that path, it doesn’t have to be a scary time-suck. If you plan it out, prepare in advance, and stay engaged, you’re likely to build a solid foundation that will increase your reach and marketability. Through consistent application of these principles, you can achieve success regardless of how you define it.