I first wrote my beginner’s guide to Twitter in
January 2015, amending it in 2016 and re-writing in 2017. Since then, I’ve
added changes when Twitter made them, but it’s time to re-write this post
completely again, so here goes:
Why be on Twitter as a writer?
If you’re reading this, you’ll probably know that
Twitter is useful for authors for many reasons. Twitter is great for building
relationships with other authors, readers, book bloggers, librarians, book
shops etc and a good way to stay up-to-date with the publishing industry.
By being on Twitter, you’ll get to know who everyone is in the book world. Who
are the agents and editors, and which agencies and publishers do they work for?
And who are their authors? If you’re submitting your manuscript to
agents/ editors directly, or about to self-publish, now is the time to set up a
Twitter account, if you haven’t done so already and equip yourself with useful
information found there, plus start to build your network as this can take some
time.
In my beginner’s guide to Twitter for writers, @username
means the handle (e.g., I’m @neetsmarketing) of who I'm talking about in an
example and RT means retweet.
Please
note, I’ve written this guide from a UK user’s perspective, which
tends to have a hint of the personal touch. Other markets may be more open
about self-promotion than the UK one. The assumption in this post is
that you already have a Twitter account set up. To set up a Twitter account
click here, and to set up Tweetdeck, which allows
you to use columns for lists and searches, click here. You may prefer Hootsuite, but I
find Tweetdeck works better for me. Examples use Twitter.com, but phone and tablet apps work in a similar way.
Set up using Twitter.com:
Choose a @username matching your author name (in image above is @neetsmarketing):
Sometimes
your author name will be taken already, but you can add author to your name or:
writer/writes, books, UK, or by including a middle initial etc. Underscores can be used, but I’d use them as a last
resort, mainly because they're more difficult to remember (and you want your
network to get to know your @username). And if @egusername is taken and you use
@eguser_name, someone may use @egusername by mistake when mentioning you,
meaning tweets meant to be seen by you appear in someone else’s notifications.
I also find that unless someone is already well-known, usernames with
underscores don’t always come up in Twitter searches.
This should be your author name. You can add
‘Author’ after your author name. Some authors add emojis afterwards as well to
match their brand. e.g., hearts for an author who writes romantic fiction etc.
When setting up a Twitter account, add a
profile photo that looks like you currently, if possible. Ideally, use a
profile photo which makes you recognisable when meeting someone in real
life, at a writer’s event or book launch etc, as then you’ll find someone
you know online is more likely to approach you. Sometimes authors change their
profile photo to their latest book cover (if the book is about to be or has
just been released), which can be worthwhile. Use the same profile photo on
Facebook, Instagram etc too-this way everyone will always know it’s you and
follows/friending will probably be automatic whenever they see you.
 |
| Thanks to Anna Belfrage @abelfrageauthor for this beautiful Twitter header example |
Header Photo:
A header photo should fit your
brand, and could be a Twitter banner created by you, your publisher or a
graphic designer you hire to include one or more of your book covers. Or it could be a
photo of a location in your latest/upcoming novel.
Canva is useful for creating social media graphics, and
you can use the template, Twitter Header.
Bio:
Put enough in your bio to make someone want to follow you as
they’ll make their decision in a split second. If you’re a member of organisations such as the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) or Crime Writers' Association (CWA) include this and
other RNA or CWA members are likely to follow you back. Include as much about your
brand as possible: Which genre are your books, who are they published by, who's your agent (if applicable) and when (if historical)/where
are they set? If your books are set in Italy, include this and Italy fans are
likely to follow back. If you write 18thc novels, include this so those writers
and historians follow you back. Add one or two interests if you can, and if there's space, include a link to your
Instagram account, or at least the username.
 |
| Thanks to Sue Moorcroft @SueMoorcroft for this Twitter profile example |
Pin a tweet to your profile:
Potential new followers are likely to see this when
viewing your profile, along with your bio and it saves time
for those in your network who wish to reciprocate when you’ve retweeted one of
their tweets. Choose a tweet that makes you look good, obvs, with lots of likes
and retweets. A pinned tweet usually would be what you’re trying to sell at
the moment, or a tweet that defines you/your brand.
Find Settings and privacy under ‘More’ below
Profile. Go through each option and check you’re happy with everything. I wouldn't protect your tweets if you're looking to raise your online presence.
Who to follow:
Follow writers, potential readers, agents, editors and people who know
about/are interested in subjects and themes from your book e.g.,:
country houses, cooking, Italy, gardening, art. To search for accounts with
words mentioned in the bio (or similar accounts), e.g., librarian, book
blogger, reader; key words relating to your brand: go to #Explore (left
under Home) or search box with magnifying glass, type in the search bar for example ‘book blogger’ and select
People.
 |
| Search in Twitter using #Explore or magnifying glass in Search Twitter box |
Aim to follow others like you, and look at who your
peers and idols are following. Some writers say that having other writers as
followers isn't going to help them, but writers can be incredibly supportive of
each other. They're more likely to read your
blog and share your posts. And writers read. They might buy your book, and
write a review or tell friends and family (who are likely to be avid readers)
about it or book clubs. Plus, if a writer in your genre is raving about
your book to their followers, they are introducing you to their readers.
It looks better if your following number is lower than your followers number. Check and control the number of users you follow with a
website like Who Unfollowed Me? to see who isn't following you back (you may wish to stick with some of those though), and who has followed you and unfollowed as soon as you followed back. I wouldn’t advise tweeting the 'Who Unfollowed Me?' tweet set up for you when you login though (same applies to similar websites who encourage you to tweet unfollowing stats). With
this kind of website, you're usually limited to a set number of unfollows per
day without having to pay.
Tweeting:
How do you compose a tweet?
-You have 280 characters, but don’t have to use
them all.
-Avoid spelling mistakes/typos if you can. Tweets can’t
be edited, but if you make a real mess of a tweet, you can delete it and start
again. This can be a pain if you only notice after it’s been liked and
retweeted a few times, so it depends on the situation and how important the
tweet is.
-Make sure any links included work (they often
don’t).
-Include @usernames for anyone mentioned, rather
than actual names-unless they’re not on Twitter (make sure you have the correct
@username-I often see the wrong ones used, by big organisations too). If the
wrong @username is included, the right person won’t know you’ve mentioned them,
meaning less engagement for the tweet and looking a bit silly.
-add images/video/gifs to get more engagement, but not to all tweets.
 |
| One of the Sanditon gifs |
-Use relevant hashtags to expand your reach
(ideally no more than two, three max). Make sure you’re using the correct
hashtag in relation to events (often, I see two or three floating around for an
event, meaning your tweet won’t be noticed if you’re not using the official one).
Don’t over-hashtag as it looks spammy. And don’t include hashtags in all of your tweets if you want to add a personal
touch (advisable for writers). More on hashtags below.
-You can tag users in photos (if they’ve given Twitter
permission in settings). This is a space saver and can make a tweet look
cleaner as their @username doesn’t come up in the text part of the tweet. It works
well if you want to tag your publisher and agent in a photo of your book cover
for example.
 |
| The 2019 RNA Conference |
These get a fair bit of attention and they can be fun or serious. You could ask users how they like their eggs or I’ve used Twitter polls to ask which blog post I should write
next.
To create a new Twitter poll, click on the tweet compose box, then click the add poll icon which looks like a graph (between GIF and smiley face) to create your own poll. Voting is anonymous and you can create up to four choices, plus set how long you'd like the poll to last for.
Threads:
These are great if you want to take up
more than one tweet with information about something. Joanne Harris @Joannechocolat tweets a lot of useful threads for writers. Often agents and editors
use threads to explain what's happening in publishing or to give advice on submitting or editing. Below is an example of a fantastic thread by Literary Agent, Kate Nash using research on what's popular now and on trends, leading to 'what themes will be popular in fiction in 2020'? This thread is well worth a read if you're a writer, and you can click through to all the tweets in the thread below the image.
BUT, what do I tweet about?
I’ve been asked this question a lot
when teaching.
For this, you need to be aware of what
your brand is: subjects and themes from your books and a bit about you. Look at what your
peers and idols are doing. You can learn a lot on social media by observing those who do it well.
Example of five tweets in one day (choosing one
from each no):
1.Pre-order, new release, book blogger review, ebook
99p offer, cover reveal, info on an upcoming library talk etc (promo tweet).
2 Link to your latest blog post/guest post/article or to one that fits with your brand.
3. Chatty tweet about what you’re up to this week
or a comment on everyday life (e.g., below).
4. Use a ‘What’s Trending?’ hashtag (more below).
5. Sharing info about someone in your network-perhaps
an author with same publisher who has a book out (by creating your own tweet or
quoting their tweet rather than retweeting theirs-see retweeting below).
Play
around with layout, text, photos and timing:
You can keep all of the text together, or have
lines in between. Try with and without emojis. Add and exclude photos, videos
and gifs. Use graphics for blog posts and book promo. Create tweets with and
without hashtags, and vary hashtags. Vary time of day for promo tweets.
Event tweets:
If you’re going to an event such as a literary
festival, writers’ conference, book launch, there will be loads of content for
you to share. Take lots of photos and use the right hashtag, if one is being used (see more under Hashtags below).
What’s Trending:
It’s worth keeping an eye on what's trending on Twitter as often you’ll find there's a hashtag/topic relevant to you and your brand. Favourite TV programmes and those relevant to your brand usually appear here when they're being broadcast (e.g., Poldark or Sanditon if you write in that era or around then). There may be anniversaries relevant to your book such as Remembrance Sunday or Mother’s Day, in which case when the day approaches check to see which hashtag for the anniversary is appearing in What’s Trending (as usually there will be more than one hashtag used). Once you’ve got into the habit of looking at What’s Trending, you can predict what some of those hashtags will be e.g., #October1st and #TuesdayThoughts are trending as I write this post. See more under Hashtags below.
 |
| Example of What's Trending |
Get out
of the house:
If you’re struggling for content to use in tweets,
get out of the house and take loads of photos. Go on a research trip or scenic
walk etc. Or you could stay in the house and take photos there-of piles of
books, bookcases, baking achievements, the garden etc.
What I'd call a chatty tweet (no hashtags, or photos/videos/gifs):
The downside of using Twitter:
Twitter can be negative and not very nice, but there are ways to avoid that side of it, by blocking and muting (words and hashtags as well as users-see below) and by staying away when it isn't uplifting. Do be aware that your tweets are visible to the public (unless you’re protecting your tweets which I wouldn’t do if you’re trying to raise your profile online), so think before you tweet.
Building a network by interacting and sharing
content by others:
If you don't share content from others like you, how can you expect anyone to share yours?
Retweeting:
This is a way for you to share content by others, especially those in your network and for others to share content by you. Don’t make retweeting the only thing you do on Twitter.
You can either directly retweet a tweet, or you can add your own comment (also known as Quote Tweet). In the below tweet, I've added a comment. I could have instead retweeted the original tweet by clicking on the two arrows with no 3 next to them.
 |
| Example of a Quote Tweet (tweet with comment)-thanks to Elaine Everest |
Make the most of the Quote Tweet option when retweeting, by adding your comment when you have something to say. Usually the original user will retweet your Quote Tweet if it's helpful to them. And if someone quotes your tweet in a positive way, retweet their tweet. More on retweeting in my post, 3 Ways to Retweet on Twitter.
Don’t be a Spammer:
Don’t include ‘Please RT’ in any tweet as it looks desperate and will probably have the opposite effect. And don't mention someone with information about your book, blog etc, expecting them to RT this. See more on spamming under ‘When to Use Direct Message’ below.
Respond to notifications:
It’s really important that you're aware of any notifications you receive and that you action them
accordingly. The way
to build a network is to acknowledge when someone does something for you, and by
trying to reciprocate in return where possible. These days, you can't possibly thank everyone for a simple RT, but perhaps RT in return, especially for those in your network. If your tweet receives a phenomenal number of RTs as part of a popular hashtag, a general thank you tweet including the hashtag works.
Support peers and idols by congratulating them on writing achievements, bestseller flags, winning of awards etc.
If someone mentions you (i.e., includes your @username in a tweet):
Try to reply in some way (unless
they’re spammers, are being inappropriate etc- see below on how to
block/report spam). Liking a tweet (clicking on heart) is an acknowledgement and
is the equivalent of liking or reacting on Facebook, but it's better to reply,
if you have time (I also like tweets to monitor what I've actioned in my
notifications).
If someone goes to the trouble of constructing or quoting a tweet mentioning your book, blog post etc, try to say thanks. It can look
unappreciative if you don’t acknowledge when someone makes an effort to help you out (and it's unlikely they'll do it again). Obvs this doesn't apply to tweets linking to negative book reviews.
If someone mentions you
in a tweet without including your @username, you won’t see the tweet unless you
search for it. Readers often do this. Search for
your name in Twitter often to find these tweets, or add a column in
Tweetdeck/Hootsuite to catch them.
Be aware that if you're mentioned in a tweet with other users and you reply, the tweet will automatically include their @usernames, giving them a notification. You don't always want to include everyone in replies, and can untick their names before sending the tweet. Click on the names and a box will appear giving you this option.
Hashtags:
There is a bit of confusion around hashtags, but once you get the hang of them, they're easy to understand. Searching a hashtag is a way to find tweets on particular topics, trends, events etc. Most books have their own hashtag now.
Hashtags can be used to reach beyond your
followers. If you compose a tweet without a
hashtag, only your followers (and their followers if they RT) or those subscribed to a list with you included
will see it, or someone searching through your tweets (as long as they’re not
protected). The other way someone will see your tweet is due to the algorithm (more
on this below under Are hashtags still effective then?).
Using a hashtag means your tweet is more likely to
be seen by others following the hashtag e.g.,
#amwriting #WritingCommunity #amreading #histfic #romance #chicklit #crimefiction. Those using Tweetdeck or Hootsuite might have columns for hashtags they're especially interested in (I do). Only use
two hashtags in a tweet at the most, three max otherwise your tweets look automated and spammy.
Using the wrong hashtag can make
you look as though you don’t know what you’re doing, so research one before
using it (try Hashtagify). Use hashtags for popular TV or radio programmes etc which you enjoy,
or which are part of your brand e.g., #poldark #sandition. Use hashtags for
#coverreveal #preorder etc too. There are so many out there, with some being
more effective than others (look at what your peers and idols are using), and it’s
worth investigating what would be useful to you. If you attend a writing
event, use the (right) hashtag to find other attendees or to report from the
event e.g., London Book Fair #lbf19.
Find readers through common interests by
looking up hashtags for subjects you’re interested in, and find hashtags related to your book(s). If your book is set in Cornwall, find readers
through #Poldark, for example (see Liz
Fenwick's guest post for more on this).
Make the most of blog sharing hashtags such
as #MondayBlogs to promote blog posts (not book promo though). You should only take part in these hashtags if you’re prepared to
reciprocate by retweeting other tweets which include the hashtag. Find out more about #MondayBlogs here.
Twitter chat hashtags: there
are a lot of these, which take place at set times such as #askagent, #PitchCB, #HistFicChat and #UKRomChat. They can be fun to join in with, plus taking part in a Twitter chat can be a
way to grow your network.
Are
hashtags still that effective then?
Since I last re-wrote this post in 2017, Twitter
has changed and so has the role of hashtags. I see a lot of tweets in my timeline
because of the way the Twitter algorithm now works. Hashtags are still
relevant, but I don’t find them as relevant on Twitter as they once were. For
example, if someone writes an effective chatty tweet without any hashtags and it
gets lots of likes, Twitter shows that tweet to more users and it gains more
likes and retweets because of this. Often you’ll see tweets in your timeline by
a user you’re not following because someone you are following has liked it.
From this, you can see that if you like a tweet, you are helping that user and
so ‘likes’ have become a lot more powerful since the algorithm changed. However, #amwriting and #WritingCommunity continue to get some attention (often a lot) when included in tweets.
Here’s some useful info on the Twitter algorithm so
you can see what I mean:
When to use Direct Message (“DM” or
“PM”):
For me, Direct Message is best used when you talk to someone online often
and want to ask it they’d like to be a guest on your blog and if yes, what’s
their email address. Or if someone’s
won a giveaway competition and you need to ask for their postal address. You
can usually only DM someone if they’re following you, unless an
account has enabled the option to receive DMs from anyone (more likely for a
business, although this is likely to give you a lot of spam and unwanted messages). I prefer Facebook Messenger for these kinds of exchanges,
although it’s easier if you’re Facebook Friends with who you’re talking
to, otherwise your message could be filtered and they might not see
it. Some people do ignore Twitter DMs too, which is worth bearing in mind.
Don’t DM new followers with spam,
asking them to like your Facebook Page, visit your website, buy your book etc.
This can lose you followers, or get you reported for posting spam. And it’s
annoying.
How to block someone and/or report them
for spam:
Go into the @username profile, click on the three
horizontal dots and the option to block or report will appear as per the image below (am not suggesting you block me!-can't really use anyone else's profile as an example...).
Muting:
If you know someone professionally or personally and they do a lot of promo
and/or over-retweet, you can opt to mute them without causing offence. This means you'll no longer see their tweets, and they won't know. You
can also mute words and hashtags which is really useful:
Stats:
As someone who used to spend hours on stats and
management reporting in my previous career, I’m not a big believer in spending
all day analysing them and think it’s better to spend precious time creating tweets rather than
analysing them at length. Just check in every now and again and make sure that
on the Home page, the arrows are green and pointing upwards, unless you’ve had
a break recently. It’s fairly easy to see which tweets are working and which
ones aren’t. You can play around with tweets to see what works (I do this a lot
as research). Click on Tweets next to Home, and look at the engagement rate,
which should be as high as possible. There is a lot more to see here if you have the time to browse.
Impressions are the number of times your tweet has
been seen on Twitter. Profile clicks are likely to gain you new followers if you have got your bio set up properly, you have a good pinned tweet and your recent tweets are interesting.
Put a Twitter button and feed on your blog and/or
website:
Why write a fabulous blog post, but not promote it
on Twitter? (and elsewhere). Why not have
links to your Twitter @username (and Facebook Page) on your blog?
Sometimes I see a great post that I’d like to share on Twitter, but I can’t
tell if the writer of the post is on Twitter (usually they are), and sometimes
I can’t find their name on their own blog. This is a missed opportunity to have
your work shared. Put a Twitter Button,
and if you can a Twitter feed on your blog and website.
Taking Twitter to the next Level:
Using Twitter lists:
Set up Twitter lists for groups of people in your
network such as members of RNA, HNS, CWA; other authors with same publisher and/or agent, writers, readers, book bloggers, librarians, bookshops; plus for subjects relating to your brand. Twitter lists are great
for finding good content to share. If you
want to stay on top of blog posts/writing news written by, for example RNA
members, you can scan the tweets in your RNA list. You don’t have to
follow someone to add them to your list. Set up private lists rather than public
ones, otherwise everyone you add will receive a
notification. Find out more about Twitter lists in my post, 'What
Can Twitter Lists Do For You?'
Subscribe to public Twitter lists created by others in
your network/relating to your brand as well, if
those lists are useful to you. In this case, you'll see tweets from users on the list without having to follow them all. See this public list for the Book Connectors Facebook Page, by Anne Cater as an example.
Schedule promo tweets to get ahead with
Tweetdeck/Hootsuite, and there are other Social Media Management Tools too, such as Buffer. I find Tweetdeck easy to use.
Scheduling takes off the pressure, leaving
you able to drop in when you have a spare moment to share content from others,
and to tweet live.
Do searches:
I add columns to Tweetdeck for important Twitter lists, hashtags and searches. Tweetdeck is useful if you use more than one Twitter account and want to follow someone
from all accounts at the same time, or retweet from more than one account (be
careful when scheduling, liking, and replying to tweets if using more than one
account, by ensuring you’ve clicked on the correct account).
Set up columns for hashtags, and relevant search
words including your own name, book titles, links to your blog and
website.
Use temporary columns for events such as the London Book Fair: #lfb19
That's it! Hope the post is helpful. There is so much to know about Twitter, but you should have what you need to get up and running here.
Twitter Help Center:
About me (Anita Chapman):
One to one work with authors:
Find out more about my New Client Package via my website. This is the most popular of my packages and it includes a call and social media plan, usually in the run up to a book launch.
Sue Moorcroft said, ‘Asking Anita to write me a
social media plan was a revelation…’
Sue Bentley said, ‘All writers need an Anita
Chapman…’
Karen King said, ‘Anita was recommended to me by a
fellow author, and I’m so pleased that I took their advice...’
Other neetsmarketing posts about Twitter:
