Social Media and Spreadsheets.

I’m interested to learn how people manage their social media accounts for writing and which different platforms are best.

My experience is fairly traditional and old-fashioned, I think. It has grown out of an understanding of how much time I have to create posts and what I can achieve easily with basic technological skills. In full transparency, my social media etiquette is set out below.

My social media presence consists of: an author website, a Facebook account, an Instagram account, and a Goodreads account.

My author website is central to everything I do.

 ·      I direct links here from my Amazon Ads and Facebook Ads so that potential readers can learn more.

·      Although most of the content is static, I update some pages every few weeks, such as blog posts (which I think up randomly), or by adding reels I have made for other platforms.

·      I also add to my Reviews page from time to time with new comments left on Amazon or Goodreads.

My Facebook page is my busiest platform, and I aim to post here twice a week.

·      At first, I would post whatever I thought would be of interest in my genre, or whatever came into my head.

·      I quickly realised that this needed a rethink, as coming up with new ideas all the time was difficult and took up a lot of time: I needed some kind of system.

·      Now use a spreadsheet which I link to my books. I work my way through my published novels and highlight places or facts which can be turned into posts. Then, I delve into the photos I’ve taken on my research field trips to illustrate them.

·      The beauty of my spreadsheet is that if I’ve written about the same thing before, it will come up as a prompt when I type it in, so I know if I’m repeating myself.

·      I like to include external links on my Facebook posts too, for readers to explore places or documents on their own.

·      I try not to advertise my own work too blatantly, apart from occasional updates on how the next book is coming along. My theme is largely linked to my novel topic or genre.

·      Sometimes I put in photos of day trips or visits I have made that fit that theme, to mix it up a bit.

·      For me, Facebook is where I interact with my readers the most, and I have made some loyal online friends there.

My Instagram posts are organised in a similar way.

·      I post here twice a week and use the same spreadsheet formula I apply to Facebook.

·      My Instagram posts are much further ahead on the spreadsheet as I find thinking of new ideas for this platform much harder.

·      Instagram is suited to short clips as opposed longer explanations, and I find videos and high-quality photos work best.

·      If I’m honest, Instagram is a bit hit and miss for me, and I don’t think I’ve mastered it at all. But now I have an account with followers, I’m keen to improve.

Goodreads takes a lot less maintenance and feels like my comfort zone.

·      After setting it up and filling out the Author page, I now use it mostly for book reviews.

·      I always have a long list of books on the go that I want to read, and I discipline myself to write a review when I’ve finished.

·      My personal approach is never to write a review if I can’t give it more than 4 stars; if I have not enjoyed a book, then I don’t write a review.

·      I don’t want to criticise someone else’s effort just because it doesn’t match my personal preference, or because I’m reading it at a time when I’m not in the right mood to engage.

·      Goodreads, for me, is the root of what I do as a writer. I am a tiny speck in an ocean of books that cover every topic under the sun. Just like everybody else, I, too, have my place and belong on one of the waves.

Apart from my website, all the other platforms mentioned above are free to post on. I build the commitment of managing them into my working week, and they always form part of my to-do list.

But if you know of a better way, then please drop a line in the comments.

Are you a spreadsheet person like me, or do you organise yourself differently? Do your posts go viral with very little effort, or do you have a calculated plan to reach out to your readers? Which platform works best for you, and why?

Please share your tricks of the trade so that we can all learn together.