How Authors Can Build a Thriving Audience on Instagram
Instagram is my favorite way to connect with people. It’s the best way to introduce yourself to new people all over the world and introduce them to your books and writing.
But does Instagram give you more problems than results? Well, keep reading because I’m going to share some of my best strategies and tips to help you grow your Instagram following with the right people, get you more engagement, and see bigger results.
Know your Ideal Reader.
Knowing who your ideal reader is will literally change everything on Instagram - as well as your book marketing. I am a firm believer that any problem or question that you have with marketing, social media, or sales can be answered by looking at your ideal reader. When you can focus on talking to one person, you are able to find specific details that resonate with them. And details are what set you apart online. When you are general and broad in what you talk about, you end up getting lost in all the other noise that readers are exposed to online. Being intimately acquainted with your own ideal reader will help you stand out from everything else online and help you connect to people who want to hear from you.
Share a variety of posts.
Authors don’t need to only post about books or reading. If you do that, you’ll run out of things to post very quickly! When you know your ideal reader, you’ll know what other topics interest them. You can post about healthy eating, exercise, movies, TV shows, pets, funny things your kids say - the opportunities are endless. So step outside of only posting about books or writing - you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the response!
Check out my Instagram Ideas Bundle - it removes all of the guesswork of what to post, what to write in the caption, and more!
Leave comments.
Commenting and making that first connection is one of the best ways to turn your Instagram profile around. When you take five or ten minutes a day to leave comments or like posts, it will do more for creating engagement and connections than an ad ever will. Search some hashtags (like #amreading, #yafiction, or something genre specific) and start commenting on those posts. It will get your name and profile in front of a new audience. Once they see the content you share, they just might follow you.
Don’t post and ghost.
There's a mentality of "schedule it and forget it" when it comes to social media. We just want to check that off of our list so we can get on to the next thing. One of the most important aspects of Instagram is actually interacting and engaging with your audience. You can still schedule your posts ahead of time, but making sure that you check in daily to respond to comments, like other people's posts, and leave comments on other accounts is so important to see real growth on social media.
Use specific hashtags.
This will take some research and knowing your ideal reader, but it is worth it! Hashtags are how people find your posts - it’s a way to categorize your post by it’s topic, making it easy for someone browsing by hashtag to find. But here’s the key: use a mix of popular and less popular hashtags.
Include calls to action in your captions.
A call to action is simply asking people to do something in the caption of your post. It can be asking them to leave a comment, to answer a question, or to click the link in your profile. Asking people to respond in a specific way is a great way to build engagement and a deeper connection with your readers.
These are the key strategies that helped us and our clients gain thousands of new connections on Instagram. Put them to practice and you will see results!
If you want to go a step further and get all of the tools, resources, and help that you need to market your book, grow on social media, and sell more books - join The Author Circle membership!