Is Instagram For Writers?

I was recently nudged into joining Instagram by a gentleman that I do a bit of pro bono work for. He wanted to expand the base for his audio interview site. So I finally figured it out, and there I was. Kind of like when I first joined LinkedIn - I was standing in the middle of the room, eyes big, wondering what to do next.

I still haven't posted anything referencing the site that nudged me onto Instagram, but I have posted about the book that my co-author Brad Tesh and I just published - Invisible Me. Then I got the idea that I could post about my existing books (including the book that Brad and I previously published). So there really is a reason for me to be on Instagram! (Besides, this way I can follow F1 driver Lewis Hamilton's posts!) And I found a lot of people there that I follow on other social media sites - so of course I followed them on Instagram too!

So what are some of the reasons that it benefits writers to post on Instagram? One reason is the same reason that the gentleman that I work with wanted me to promote his site - that it appeals to a younger crowd (millennials). Also, we have to get over the fact that as writers we use words, not images, to paint the picture of our stories. Instagram has a huge user base, a veritable gift for expanding our reading audience!

How can we best create a solid presence on Instagram? Make sure that our author bio resonates with the audience that we want to attract, and include a link to our author website and/or blog. 

How can we best use Instagram to promote ourselves as writers? Another learning curve for me - the judicious use of hashtags. What this does is help our posts be seen by those that are not already following us. Where can we find relevant hashtags? Cheat a bit - check out other writers, and see what they are including in their posts!  Make sure that you are not constantly promoting yourself! Make around 25% of your posts promotion, and 75% something interesting to the audience that you want to attract. Like other writers posts, and comment when relevant. (I am a bit old fashioned - I would recommend leaving only positive comments.) Post pictures/images that are interesting. Post several times a week, to keep your name out there. If you want comments, ask questions in your post. 

Where can w find writers to follow on Instagram? Here is one site with some excellent suggestions grammerly.com. Another interesting site is paperbackparis.com. 

There is a dark side to Instagram. Someone created an account using my name - a fake account. They were not posting anything, but they were contacting my friends, in a way that wasn't me at all. I notified Instagram, and that account was taken down within 24 hours. In my book, Instagram rates high on enforcing rules and follow-through!

Think about using Instagram in your marketing ... and check out what I am doing there! 

(c) March 2019 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

Instagram Marketing

I personally do not use Instagram, for marketing or for anything else. However, I have seen a couple of articles being tossed around about Instagram and marketing, so I decided to look into it. A few of the things that I saw being stressed were that it was mobile, and that it was a way to communicate directly with potential customers. When people get to know us one on one, it helps to build both credibility and trust.

The app is for both iPhones and Androids, and allows you to share both photos and videos with your target market. I am not a photo person, although I do use them with my blogs to break up the text and create interest. I do the same thing with my review work - to show as many pics as I can to generate interest in what I am reviewing. 

Pinterest operates on somewhat the same concept, and is also a site that I have no interest in using. Instagram, because it uses both photos and videos, is better able to take your information and form a story with and from it. Both Instagram and Pinterest give the user the ability to "like" a photo or video. (Note: Pinterest supports You Tube, Vimeo, and TED videos.) People are able to find you, and follow you, on Instagram through the use of hashtags. 

Through the use of images and hashtags, you can develop a visual strategy for attracting prospective clients/customers. You can also place a link to your site along with the hashtag. While I am not using this technique right now, I think that it could be used by people like me - writer's that are publishing their books independently.  

Instagram allows sharing of images through Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Tumblr, or e-mail. You can also interface with Instagram through your desktop, which also allows you to access Statigram, which analyses all of your Instagram data. 

I am still in the consideration phase on this, but I may be able to develop strategy using Instagram that would beat something else that I am considering, which is placing videos on my blogs. It is a brave new world!

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited in all venues without the written permission of the author.