Today is a marketing day on Writer's Wisdom Wednesdays and we're looking at Pinterest. For this post, I went to writer Nicole Miller with my questions, because working with social media is Nicole's niche.
Nicole, you have social media knowledge and use it in
your day job. You’re also a big believer in writers participating on Pinterest.
As writers, we’re taught that there needs to be relationship in all our social
media posts so we won’t come off sounding like one big advertisement. What
types of boards and pins do you find most effective for writers, and what ratio
of balance should a writer have between personal and professional boards? What
kind of boards or pins might be considered undesirable?”
For most authors, the mention of a new social media platform
strikes fear straight into the heart. So my first rule in considering new
social media outlets is considering: Is this something I enjoy?
If you don't like using the platform and are participating
because you "have to," it will come across that way. If you're not
genuine, engaged and consistent, there is no need to even bother. Trust me,
you'll be happier in life for it.
But for those who have dabbled in Pinterest, the online
pin-board for images and videos that easily lets you comment, like or
"repin" items, you probably knew right away whether or not you were
into it.
As writers, Pinterest offers you a way to visually display your
plot locations, character influences, published books and even recipes inspired
by or from the book. This is a way to bring your words to life.
Create boards and pin items that resonate with you, your novels,
your interests. There is no one-size-fits-all formula, but a general rule of thumb
for authors would be to have a board for each of your published novels, topical
boards (historical time periods), books you love, other personal interests
(cooking, decorating, photography, etc.)
Pinterest is also a powerful tool for your own story creation
and brainstorming. The outlet offers "Secret Boards" that are visible
only to you until you decide to publish it. This allows you to draft a
manuscript without giving away too much.
For examples of fiction writers using Pinterest well, see Jody Hedlund
(http://pinterest.com/jodyhedlund/) and Tricia Goyer
(http://pinterest.com/triciagoyer/). An example of a nonfiction
writer/blogger using Pinterest to engage with his audience is Jon Acuff:
http://pinterest.com/jonacuff/. These writers also do a good job of interacting
with other pinners and posting their own content.
Quick Pinterest Tips:
1. Always properly attribute your pins. If you pin from a
website (including your own) then the pin will always link back to that
page.
2. Keep to the social media 90/10 rule. Spend 90 percent of your
time engaging in conversations, re-pinning, liking and engaging others, and
less than 10 percent of the time promoting your own work.
3. Consistency is key. A handful of posts a week will pay off
more so than a hundred posts at one time.
4. Make things pretty. There are free photo editors
(http://www.picmonkey.com) and quote generators (http://quote4fun.com/create/)
at your disposal. Take a quote from your book or add words to an image to make
things more enticing to "share."
5. Be genuine. Be interesting.
Pinterest generates a vast amount of traffic and taps into a
small, highly engaged audience of pinners who could fast become your readers.
So take a deep breath, check out the platform, sign up, install a "Pin
it" button into your browser and pin away!
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