7 Twitter Tips for Writers to Live By

“I’m an author and I’m not on Twitter.”

SAID. NO. AUTHOR.

Today, I’m giving some Twitter tips for writers. But I don’t know why I’m even writing
this when being on Twitter for an author is like having your social security number. It identifies you! The big difference is, your social cannot help you thrive while Twitter can do that and SO MUCH MORE.

Now, listen up. I will tell you the most critical but obvious tip not included in the list.

You need to sign up on Twitter.

Once you do so, go through the tips I’ve rounded up for you so you can maximize the benefits of using Twitter.

Stick to 140 characters

You’ve been writing your whole life. You can spend a whole day writing at least 3 chapters of your manuscript. Now, you’re faced with a little phone app that gives you just 140 characters to say what you want to say.

Unfair? Never.

Your books can tell how smart you are. But saying everything you want to say in just 140 characters is also representation of how your brain works. You can write more than that and post it on Twitter but majority of your followers will not click that tiny url that will bring them to another page so that they can read your full text. All 140 characters show up at once and that’s all they want to see.

Hashtags

Here’s a surefire way to make your tweet as relevant as possible to a lot of people other than those following you. See those words with a pound sign (#) at the beginning? Those are your helpful hashtags. It’s a compilation of tweets under the same topic. If you wish to talk about dogs, use #dogs and people will likely find your tweet among the tweets of those people who use the same hashtag in their tweets.

Your hashtags also form part of the character count. Keep your messages short to make space for one or two hashtags.

You Twitter profile consists of your bio, headshot, and header photo.

If Twitter is a man, it’s a man of few words. Just like a Twitter post, use as few words as possible to describe yourself. Most authors simply write “writer” or “author” in their bio and then add their website. I mean, who doesn’t want to bring traffic to his or her other social sites? Okay, I see all of you nodding your heads in agreement with me. You get it right.

As your reach goes far and wide, your audience goes back to your Twitter page, click on that website link in your bio, and find you in other places on the web such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.

Last but not the least, put a professional-looking profile picture and an image of your latest book (highly recommended) as your header photo.

Choose your tweets

Or “choose your words”. Most of us know this as a basic knowledge. We cannot take back what we said. But we can delete what we’ve tweeted…only if no one had taken a screenshot of that.

You’re out there on Twitter to boost your self-image as an author and engage your readership. It’s most important that you put up to that image because a lot of people are seeing you as a role model. However, it is NOT recommended to tweet about your content all of the time. Follow the 80/20 rule where you tweet about other people’s content 80% of the time and 20% your own.

Tweet sparingly

Not because you were given only 140 characters to tweet should you post a series of tweets talking about the same topic just so you can say everything. NO.

Flooding your timeline will likely make your followers unfollow you. Let your few valuable tweets do the work. While you’re sipping your coffee at a café down the street, your followers are already posting away their opinions on what you have just tweeted. Most of the time, all it takes is just one tweet a day. Two is permissible (not within an hour or two). Three is forgivable (with long intervals).

More than four? No.

Or… at least make sure it’s not about the same topic and there’s a real need to put it out there. Otherwise… NO.

Keep up with the trends

Who are these Twitter users suddenly following you but you don’t personally know?

And can somebody help you sort through a bunch of emails from people and companies you previously didn’t have a connection with? Who are they who want to collaborate with you on a book or asking to pay for your services to write an article for them?

Ehem, you’re welcome 🙂

Twitter track trends based on your interest. And your interests are mostly based on who you follow and where you are. Twitter trends are compiled in the form of hashtags. Don’t ignore them just cause. Use them for all intents and purposes. If a trending topic comes up and it’s related to your content, use that hashtag to widen your network.

You’ll be able to meet people from all around the world, network with other authors, and even meet them in person to do a project together.

Exist

You probably have not read this tip anywhere else except here.

With several priorities you’ve got on your plate, you may be tempted to have someone manage your social media accounts. However, that doesn’t get as real when you’re not the one replying to your followers or tweeting your content.

Why is it not recommended to have someone post for you?

Because your followers can tell.

They know that you exist on Twitter only by name. But they want you to EXIST FOR REAL. They want to interact with you. They want to see that you, as their revered author, value them as a vital element in growing your following, readership, and network.

I have one final tip that, eventhough I didn’t include in the list, could even be most valuable to you whether you’ve been using Twitter for a long time or not.

I prefer two awesome tools to help me increase my twitter audience and sell more books. Check them out below!

Twitter Marketing For Authors

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