Friends, the new year stretches before us, a blank canvas begging to be filled with incredible content and soul-stirring inspiration. But the world of social media can feel daunting at best, so here are five social media tips to jumpstart your writing journey and share your God-given gifts with the world:
- Respect the platform’s purpose.
Each social media platform has a different “feel” and communication style. X, formerly known as Twitter, is perfect for real-time conversations (and the occasional pitch event), Facebook is the place for community, while Instagram and Tik Tok thrive on storytelling.
Understand the rhythms of each platform and tailor your content accordingly. A heartfelt devotional might blossom on Facebook, while a witty tweet about faith could bloom on Twitter.
- Research the space.
Your audience is consuming content multiple times a day. Spend time researching to see how your community interacts on each platform. You might find that Instagram and YouTube are the biggest spaces for your audience, which means you can concentrate on video, and spend the majority of your time focused on those two platforms.
To get started, search broad hashtags on Instagram and start scrolling through the Explore page or through different accounts until you find someone who is either speaking on the same topic(s) as you or writes in your genre or category. Then start searching through the more specific hashtags you’re seeing as part of your research.
As an example, I write Christian Living nonfiction and love planners. I can start with the hashtag: #FaithPlanner or #FaithPlanning to find people who are within my audience. And because the planning community has a big faith element to it, I can also create content that is adjacent to faith-planning, such as the #biblejournaling community.
Give yourself permission to play around on the apps and spend time looking for your audience. They’re there!
- Recycle your content.
Grab one of your blog posts and re-share the information in a new medium. For example, if you have a post called, “3 Tips for Having a Positive Attitude During the Holidays,” you can copy and paste each one of those three tips onto three separate graphics and post it on Instagram as a “Carousel.”
Or you can film a short 90-second video sharing those three tips.
Then film three 30-90-second videos where you go into more detail about each one.
Repurposing your current content can save you a LOT of time!
- Remember to tell stories.
Remember that your audience wants to experience life alongside you, not sitting in their homes listening to someone berate them. Instagram Stories is the perfect place to share behind-the-scenes moments and interact with your audience because there is no expectation of perfectly curated professional filming.
It’s easy to remember what the Stories feature is for. Just think, “Share a Story in the Stories,” and get rid of any self-doubt or nervousness. Take a picture or upload a video. Add text. Play with stickers. Add links. Have fun and your audience will respond.
- Remain authentic.
In a world saturated with filters and facades, authenticity is gold.
Be real.
Be vulnerable.
Be you.
If you’re uncomfortable being on camera, you’ll be thrilled to know that “faceless accounts” are all the rage. You can share your writing journey, your joys and struggles, and the moments where God meets you in the everyday. Just be sure to tie it in to who your audience is and what they need.
My dear friends, don’t hide the message God has placed on your heart. It’s time to share and share it well. I wish you all the best as you jumpstart your social media in 2024!
Question: What type of social media do you use most often? Please share a favorite quote, scripture, or thought that brought response from your followers.
About Bethany Jett
Bethany Jett is a multi-faceted creative who wears many hats: associate literary agent, award-winning author, and marketing strategist. But her favorite roles are that of a military wife to her college sweetheart and mom to their three teenage sons. Her motto is “Teach as you go,” which she lives out as the co-owner of Serious Writer, a company that teaches and empowers writers and authors. Connect with her at BethanyJett.com.