Monday 22 August 2011

Five Top Twitter Tips For Writers

I'm relatively new to the world of Twitter. I held out for a long time because I thought that 140 characters was a ridiculously small amount of space to say anything worthwhile in. But since activating my profile a couple of months ago it has become a staple in my tabs bar, and a place for much procrastination.

But how can you get the most out of your twitter account? The micro-blogging site can be a really effective tool at any stage of your writing journey, but only if you you it correctly. That's where these ten tips come in.

1) Have a small focus: Twitter is at its best when it's used to track a particular industry. If you are looking to become a professional writer, then you should primarily follow other writers, publishers, agents, and aspiring authors. If your best friend is on twitter, then yes you can follow her too. But if you follow widely and indiscriminately, then the tweets in your feed will be mostly useless to you.

2) Follow people who give value: This links in with the first point, but there are many people who tweet useful links for different professions. Elizabeth Spann Craig is a published author who tweets links to useful advice from people at all stages of the writing cycle. I've found her links (and her own posts) invaluable.You can find her at @elizabethscraig.

3) Go for quality, not quantity: It's true that the more people that you follow, the more people who are likely to follow you. While you should bear this in mind, following people just to up your own follower count is counter-productive. First of all, as I said before, if you don't enjoy the person's tweets then you get no value from the follow. Also, if a person is only following you because they want you to follow them then they won't be interested in the content of your posts. This will be a particular problem if you intend to tweet links to your blog, or build a buzz about a book release. It's better to build meaningful relationships, rather than shallow connections.

4) Keep self-promotion to a minimum. Yes, twitter is a good vehicle for promoting your book/blog/published short story, but keep it polite. There's a difference between telling someone at a party that you have a book coming out, and jamming the title into every topic of conversation, from the price of baked beans to Kim Kardashian's wedding. Have some news that you think would interest your followers? Tweet with a link, no more than twice in one day. And that second time is only to account for different time zones.

5) Have fun: Twitter is a fun medium. You get to find out news as it's happening through a cascade, often before the main news sites and channels have released it. You get to read pithy takes on current events, find out random facts and meet some very entertaining people. Who doesn't want to follow a person who's having fun? Enjoy yourself and the rest will take care of itself.

Oh, as writers we hear a lot about developing a platform, but sometimes it can be difficult to do. Luckily, Rachael Harrie is holding her third Writer's Platform Building Campaign. It's a great chance to meet new writers, and you can sign up until August 31st. Head over here now to take part.

21 comments:

  1. good advice for a twit-phobe like me =)

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  2. Tweet Deck is mildly addicting!

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  3. I definitely need to spend some time learning to use Twitter more effectively. You are spot-on though, on not overly self-promoting. I get really annoyed with people who are constantly talking specifics about their own book. Book promo goes with book releases and other than that, we are better off tempting people to us with good 'other content'. I think lists can help if you want to have different kinds of people you follow, but I haven't figured that out, so I know my feed is overly filled.... some day...

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  4. Thanks for the tips - I've only been on Twitter now for a few months and I appreciate the advice!

    Nice to meet you, fellow Campaigner! ;-)

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  5. Good advice on how to use Twitter!

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  6. Excellent tips! I LOVE Twitter, just thought I'd throw that out there. :)

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  7. I never knew what to do on Twitter. Thanks for the advice! Going on twitter now!

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  8. I just joined the writer's campaign and am excited to connect with another writer. I focus on YA, women's fiction (short stories) and literary essays. I can't wait to connect with you as a writer!

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  9. Also just joined the Writer's Campaign (year 2 for me)

    nice to meet you, and i am also very interested in the steampunk genre. I have asked Rachel if she would consider a new SP category in the campaign. Drop her a line if you are interested.

    sarah

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  10. Great advice, and I agree Tweet Deck is addictive! Welcome to the campaign. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  11. I'm a devoted Twitter fan although it took time for me to join as well - like you, I thought it's a stupid restriction on the number of characters. :) But it is actually really good.
    I've found you through the campaign as well, nice to see someone close (I'm in Belfast myself :) )
    - andrea

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  12. This was super advice on Twitter! Thanks!

    And so glad you'll be a fellow campaigner!

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  13. Good advice! I follow most of the 'rules' although I also follow some witty 'celebrities' (i.e. Kelly Oxford - who is a celebrity because of Twitter), who are unlikely to follow me back.

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  14. Apparently I can't follow the rules for twitter. I like to have a blend of people that have interesting takes on everyday stuff and ones that share really great links. The list feature really helps if you follow more than three people.

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  15. Couldn't have said it better myself... rules I live by on twitter - especially not following just anyone. Am a fellow campaigner..looking forward to reading more of your posts.

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  16. I have never been on Twitter (I'm an oh God not another thing to deal with sort of person) but you've nudged me a step closer. Thanks (I think).

    Fancy that I used to be attached to riding to work on my brontosaurus and chiseling words on stone...

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  17. Hi from a fellow campaigner, I'm in your WF group.

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  18. hey there.
    I just joined up. We're in the same group!

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  19. Hi, I'm a fellow campaigner. I'm looking foward to reading your blog.

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  20. I like the "Keep calm and write on" picture on your sidebar :-)

    xx Campaigner Rachel

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  21. Hi, Thanks for the tips on twitter - I have only recently joined and am still trying to learn the ropes!
    Joanna (Helen Clancy)

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