Greetings to all the Story Empire readers today. I’m posting late since I appear to be lost in some sort of time warp from finishing up a manuscript revision. My apologies for the delay today.

September begins several months of higher books sales and many authors are working now on more active approaches to promotion. Many people will rely on social media and reaching larger numbers of readers. With this in mind, here are some thoughts about gaining a higher reach than you may be getting with your social media (me included). It may be a longer way to the goal but it may end up being more rewarding.

Not everyone has a following of tens of thousands of readers which limits the reach your social media posts may have. Getting some shares from followers and friends can assist in gaining more reach than you otherwise would have. There used to be a great service that amplified the reach of social media posts which was called Creator Collabs. This service worked in such a way that social media posts gained much bigger reach than most people might have. I used it in the past and if did affect my books sales in a positive way. But that service has gone away and, if you are like me, you struggle for social media reach. So the question become, how can you improve the effectiveness of social media?

The most obvious and effective way to expand the reach or your social media is with hashtags. These are not new at all so it’s not something which breaks new ground. What is important with hashtags is understanding what to use and when. Using a hashtag inappropriately gains little response. For instance, if you post your sales to a hashtag that is more about discussion of books, then you’ve lost already. Your post to such a hashtag should be about what you are reading that catches other people’s eyes. Want to get that done another way, ask someone you know, or who is a fan to start that discussion about your book on that hashtag. If you request people to discuss your book on social media, you are more likely to get people interested in your books. I know, that seems artificial or self-serving, but here’s the thing: nobody is going to talk about your books unless you ask or remind them because you aren’t that big name.

The main idea is to understand what hashtags are for and develop a strategy for using them appropriately in the hopes of getting positive attention. Yes, talk about books you like where you can and others may check you out and share about yours. Create conversation in the right locations on your own or through someone helping you and you can boost your social media effectiveness.

What else can you do? Try working with other authors to share about each other’s books like a network. You may have noticed that there are authors who write similar books who post about those books at the back of their own publications. Those authors reciprocate and it extends reach and visibility. The same can be true of social media where occasional posts about books can be incredibly helpful in starting discussions about your work – and those of other authors. The engagement creates a flow of communication that is organic, putting you in the middle of conversation and which may well build your following.

Building on this last bit, try to ask questions pertinent to your genre. This shows you have your finger on the pulse of the current genre news as well as attracting people to respond to your question. You may be surprised at the answers and have a little fun at the same time. In this way, you may just build a following who begin sharing your posts and your books more often. At that point, you can slide in those requests to share or some promo information – even help another author.

With all that in mind, here’s a list that will help you investigate some hashtags better. These can provide a better understanding of a number of hashtags so you can use them appropriately and build social media momentum by taking part in more effective ways.

#SciFI #Fantasy #Romance #Horror #Love #UrbanFantasy #MustRead #BookGiveaway #FollowFriday #Novelines #FreeBook #FridayReads #TeaserTues #Bookish #Shelfie #ReadMore #reading #booksarelife #bookcommunity #bookpassion #bookrecommendation #greatreads #bookobsessed #bookworms #totalbooknerd #readmorebooks #alwaysreading #booksbooksbooks #booknookstagram #bookcollection #bookoftheday #paperbacks #yalit #ireadya #youngadultbooks #yabooks #yafantasy #literature #literaturelover #romancebooks #romancenovel #romancenovels #contemporaryromance #ilovebooks #bookaddict #currentlyreading #bookclub #amreading #epicreads #bookaholic #bookish #bibliophile #goodreads #lovebooks #bookporn #kindle #booklover #readinglife #bookmarks #booktag #beautifulbooks

How have you struggled with social media. What holds you back when it comes to using social media? How can you improve your social media usage?

Thanks for reading today on Story Empire and please feel free to share this post wherever you like. Please leave your thoughts and questions on the comments and I’ll respond as soon as I can.