Do you know what’s the quickest way to stand out on the internet?

Create a controversy!

Well, unless you’re aiming to become Hollywood’s hottest man or woman on earth, I highly suggest you completely forget this option.

But, guess what? You can stand out on Twitter even without getting filmed having a wardrobe malfunction. You can stand out as your own true self…AS AN AUTHOR!

That’s the great thing about social media.

Everybody has a place.

Yet you don’t want to be a firefly on the wall or an outcast hunched in a corner. The power to stand out is in your hands. It’s in the way you tweet, in the kind of content you share, in the way you engage your followers, and many other ways which you’re [kind of] taking for granted [‘cause you think they don’t matter].

In order to stand out on Twitter, you must go back to kindergarten.

“Huh, what?!”

Calm down. 🙂 I’m not going to ask you to recite nursery rhymes.

But what I’m going to tell you is different, simple and extremely effective.

I’ve prepared 5 tips for you today to get your started.

A for Attract

[scroll scroll scroll…stop…scroll back up…scroll slowly…fast this time…slowly again…]

That’s how you are, I know, when checking Twitter. Who actually reads every tweets coming out the feeds? Not me, for sure. But what stops me from scrolling fast were images.

“Ahh, images… Isn’t Twitter just for a 140-character status update?”

Of course not. That feature has been there a long time including posting videos but you probably thought Twitter’s not made for that. I know you think images and videos are normally for Facebook only. But, no.

Don’t just say it, show it!

And here’s another tip – PIN IT!

Say you’ve announced you’re coming over a city to speak for a conference and you’d like people living near the place to show up if they can. You posted a tweet with the image of the flyer but you know that the typical shelf life of a tweet lasts only 20 minutes. Pin it in order for the tweet to stay on top no matter how many more tweets you post after that. Simply click the 3 dots under your post and select “Pin to your profile page”.

Ah, here is another bonus pro tip, you can get all your social networks connect using tools like hootsuite.com

E for Engage

You’re on Twitter not to bombard your followers with infomercials. They’ve had enough from watching television. You’re also not there to sell your book although this can be the result of doing what Twitter really is for.

For authors like you, Twitter is a place for you to build relationships.

“You mean online dating?”

Hey, I know you talk naughty when you’re with you closest buddies but, no, Twitter isn’t replacing Ashley Madison. Period.

When your followers are loyal to you, they’d speak nicely of you and you can even earn more followers. It’s easy to earn the good side of a person if you give them attention. And your followers are no different from the people you personally know. They want your attention because they admire you. So treat them well. Invest some time into engaging them within professional boundaries.

“What’s that other site where you swipe…?”

And, no, Twitter isn’t Tinder.

I for Influence

Every few times, share content by other writers. As you have influencers of your own, you are also an influencer to the people following you. When you share an article, you can do two things: (1) Pull up a quote from the content and post as caption, or (2) give out your own opinion.

Influence your followers to follow your influencers by recommending who you look up to. That’s one way of having that “something in common” with your followers. You don’t want trolls. You want great minds.

O for Own your Genre

Whatever you post, however way you engage with your followers, be sure to stick with your genre. If you write Sci-Fi, don’t get easily carried away posting something without relevance. Sometimes, you’d be inclined to help out a friend who writes romance fiction. You can help her out in another way (maybe buy his/her book and write a review on Amazon) but you don’t need to post about it on Twitter. It will be inconsistent with the genre that you’re known of.

Better be useful. If you are to share something, how about some tips on how to get started writing a Sci-Fi? Or be creative by asking your followers to come up with character names, choose some winners, and give prizes. ( I suggest for your to really use the names that won the contest because it will establish greater loyalty from your followers.)

Quick tip: Use hashtags that end with “chat” (eg. #SciFiChat, #KidLitChat, etc.) to connect with people interested in your genre.

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It’s all in the consistency no matter what kind of activities you do online especially on Twitter. Being consistent makes your followers trust you, like the subject matter expert.

U for U

Yes, you! Your Twitter account can’t be as real without YOU.

First and foremost, have a nice profile. Some writers would simply put “writer” in their bio. While some put “writer from outer space” to add a bit of punch. You can do either but try to avoid “cat-loving coffee-lover”. I will not explain why.

Use a professional-looking picture and background photo. Those are the first things that people see when they check out your profile. Make a good impression that lasts.

Lastly but most importantly, don’t hire someone to manage your account COMPLETELY… it's fine if you have a VA to post for you from time to time, a lot better than only posting every 2 months… but make sure you take some time and sprinkle some personal things in between… so your fans can see it's really you!

Quick Tip:  Some writers would post a status with any one of the following hashtags –   #AmWriting #AmEditing #WritersLife in order to connect with other authors.

If you really want to stand out, put your heart in it. Make a good impression. Connect authentically.

Be U.

Sometimes, it’s hard to imagine how to stand out in a flock that consists of millions of people. Still, there are ways to get noticed. At first, it takes some time, like boiling water. But for as long as you consistently follow reliable guidelines such as the 5 above, you will harvest some fruits out of your efforts. Just because nothing happens today, it doesn’t mean that nothing will happen tomorrow or the next day or the day next to that.

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