Instagram is a great platform to boost your career as an author, as you can share posters, book trailers, news, and more. Let’s explore what an author can look forward to on Instagram.
1. Promote Your Books
Not having a publisher comes with perks, such as being in full control of your book—including its marketing campaign. To make the best of the situation, your plan and content must be practical and useful.
Almost every tool on Instagram is of use to you, from Reels and hashtags to the Shop feature. Here are some examples of how to make the most of different Insta features.
Post Promotional Images
You can create posters with mobile apps or websites like Visme to announce upcoming releases or events. Once you gather enough reviews, you could also put the best snippets on an image. Reaching a sales milestone is a good excuse, too.
This marketing content can then go on Instagram to promote your book and show the world how well it’s doing. When creating your images, remember Instagram’s ideal image and video sizes.
Post Videos, Reels, and Stories About Your Book
There are many ways to breathe life into your Instagram profile, but recorded content is the best, as long as you maintain a friendly but professional mindset.
A common marketing tool for authors is book trailers, which you can share on Instagram to catch people’s eyes more effectively. Animated content is great, but don’t hesitate to get creative by, for example, recruiting live actors and a camera crew.
Reels and stories are good for adding a personal touch to your marketing strategy, but don’t make them too casual or confusing. Simple footage of a fan or even your pet holding your book is more appealing than you begging readers to buy it.
Broadcast Big Updates Live
If you land an interview or want to chat with your fans about your book, a live broadcast is more interesting than a recorded video. Like everything else, however, it takes planning to get things right.
Learn how to use Instagram’s live broadcast for maximum effect, and try to reserve this feature for special marketing content. If you’re broadcasting all the time, it can become tiring.
2. Share Your Journey as an Author
Using all the features above, you can connect with people on a more personal level. You’re not just promoting your book, after all, but yourself as an artist.
It’s important to post regularly on Instagram to hold your audience’s interest. Beyond that, make sure your content is meaningful and good for your public image.
For example, you can share your experiences in creative writing and publishing. If you create or commission book art, Instagram is the best place to post it. Just watching your manuscript transform from a bunch of pages to a printed book can fascinate people.
Don’t be afraid to include your followers in your decision-making, too, like choosing between eBook cover design services or variations of the same cover. It can make the final book reveal that much more exciting.
3. Build a Network and Fanbase
Posting great content on Instagram leads to a bigger following that enjoys your art and presence. Among them could be other creatives or publishing professionals, who could be invaluable to your network.
Making the most of Instagram’s tools gives you different ways to attract and connect with the right people. You just have to be a lot more active on the platform.
For starters, instead of using hashtags blindly, explore how popular authors and publishers tag their content and what bookish people use the most.
Then, tag your photos and videos accordingly for maximum visibility, especially important for brief posts like stories that you don’t intend to highlight.
At the same time, get to know other literary professionals on Instagram, whether they follow you or not. Aim for anyone, from fiction writers to graphic designers and librarians.
If you love their work, support it. If you have common interests, tag them when relevant. Even better, find ways to collaborate, tag each other, and boost your respective careers.
4. Monetize Your Instagram Account
As Facebook and Instagram introduce new ways to make money, it’s worth learning how to potentially monetize your business account’s content later down the line.
The platform already has several options on offer for established brands, which also means that your account needs to be reliable and popular in order to be eligible for monetization on Instagram.
So, while learning about Instagram’s tools, make sure you read up on resources like Instagram’s Content Monetization Policies.
Here are the best ways for authors with business accounts to make money on Instagram:
Earn bonuses from popular Reels. Partner up with businesses and create branded content. Set up a shop on Instagram and sell books, merchandise, and more. Create an affiliate program through your Instagram shop. Set up Instagram subscriptions for your users with special bookish perks.
Even if you don’t turn your author account into a business on Instagram, you can monetize your work, for example, by linking to your website, where your books, products, and services are available to buy.
5. Have Fun as an Author of Instagram
There’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy marketing your brand, and Instagram is a good place to learn this. As you delve into all the social network’s handy features, like Instagram’s improvements to reels, you get to engage with people and your own work in a very fulfilling way.
Make sure you post regularly and that your activity is diverse so that your audience stays engaged, and you remain motivated.
Besides updates on your books’ progress, you could offer tips, guides, contests, polls, online entertainment, and more. Think about what would excite your fans and deliver it as effectively as possible.
Get Marketing Ideas From Other Instagram Brands
Literature is a niche topic, but also very popular and multifaceted. So, there’s no limit to how you can promote your books and yourself as an author. Fortunately, Instagram’s toolbox is perfect for creative writers to boost their visibility and career.
If you’re unsure where to even start, take a look at what other authors do—as well as professionals in different fields, like photography, podcasting, or journalism. Consider what readers you’re trying to attract and explore the best sources of inspiration.
