When it comes to finding readers for your book, there’s no better source than social media.

As a society, we spend so much of our time on various social media platforms which make these platforms perfect for advertising of various kinds – including your book!

Now, you don’t necessarily need to be active on social media as an author, nor do you need thousands upon thousands of followers.

However, certain social media platforms are a goldmine for garnering interest in your book and engaging with your readers.

In this article, we will be discussing the best social media platforms for authors, no matter what genre of books you write. If you’re interested, read on for more! 

 The Best Social Media Platforms For Authors 

The best way to build a strong presence on social media is to find the platform that best allows your brand to meet the target demographic. 

Of course, there are some generalities you can follow to do this – people who use Snapchat are younger than people who use Facebook, you will find a huge business culture on Linkedin, etc.

Understanding these generalities is a great starting place for finding the best social media platform for you. However, it runs a lot deeper than that. 

It is helpful to consider how people are using their various social media platforms – what is popular on that platform? Instagram, for example, focuses heavily on posting pictures and using hashtags, but TikTok primarily focuses on short videos with trending sounds Meanwhile, Twitter is a platform used for news as well as short, concise insights or jokes. 

So, before you choose a social media platform you need to know exactly what you want to offer and what platform will best allow you to do this. Ask yourself the following:

1.  What Sort Of Content Do You Want To Post About Your Book? 

This question focuses on the tone you want for your brand as an author, as well as asking yourself the type of social media you would enjoy creating content for regularly. 

2. What Is Your Book About?

This question pertains to your social media content. No matter if you’re posting photos, videos, or tweeting, it is important that your content shows people what they’re getting when they read your book.

3. Who Is Your Book For?

This question is all about your audience. It is important to consider who your audience is and why they would be interested in you.

It goes beyond simply knowing where people are, the same person who reads and writes insightful posts on LinkedIn will also watch reel after reel on TikTok.

It is far more important to understand what people like to do on each specific social media platform.

So, with these questions in mind, here are the 5 best social media platforms for authors! 

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great social media platform for nonfiction authors. LinkedIn is not seen as a traditional social media platform.

It is a space for professionals to connect and network. The individuals who use this platform want to see professionally inspirational stories and insightful articles.

They want the information they receive to be relevant and timely. 

Content is better received in text form. This is because people who use LinkedIn typically scan through posts to find the information they need since they are reading articles for a specific purpose, and you cannot scan through a video in the same way. 

On top of that, LinkedIn is not filled with lots of content, as most users do not post or rarely post.

This leaves lots of room for new content, so it’s likely your nonfiction book would be well-received on LinkedIn, especially if you market it correctly to your target demographic. 

2. Instagram

Instagram is a platform that focuses on visual content – photos, stories, and reels. To grow your brand on Instagram, it is a good idea to use hashtags, and interact with your followers (see also ‘How Many Followers Do You Need To Get A Book Deal?‘) and other authors on the platform. 

As an author, you can post whatever you want to your Instagram feed – many people like to make aesthetically pleasing feeds that follow a specific color scheme or theme.

You can post snippets of your book, new projects you’re working on, quotes from your book, character profiles, or artwork within your chosen theme, anything goes! 

On Instagram, your followers will also love to see photos of your personal life – as much as you’re willing to share.

It is important to make human connections on Instagram if you want to gain followers, so photos of your workspace, your current read, or a selfie are sure to be a huge hit!

Instagram is also a great place to organize giveaways of your book to promote it. 

3. GoodReads

GoodReads is an excellent platform for authors! GoodReads is a platform built around reading and reviewing books.

GoodReads will recommend books to readers based on the types of books they have read and reviewed. You can add books to your shelves, track your reading, and rate and review the books you have read. 

As an author, you will be able to see reviews of your book and interact with readers. 

You will also be able to make connections with other authors, especially authors who write within the same genre and help each other out by promoting each other’s books.

4. TikTok

TikTok has grown in popularity in recent years, and it is an excellent social media platform for promoting your book.

TikTok is a platform that centers around short videos with sounds. You can use hashtags on TikTok to reach groups of people to follow those hashtags.

So, if you use the correct hashtags you will easily find your target demographic and build your following. It is also easier to go viral on TikTok than on any other platform. 

To grab users’ attention on TikTok, it is best to post short, quippy videos about your book using current trends. These trends can be a dance or a sound. Don’t forget, timing is everything here!

5. Twitter

Twitter is a great way to connect with other authors, readers, and publishers. It is important to use the right hashtags on Twitter to connect to your target demographic – so anything pertaining to writing, your genre, readers, etc. 

There is a huge writing community on Twitter so you can easily find authors who are in the same place in their writing journey as you, and you can help each other grow by sharing each other’s tweets.

Readers love to connect with writers on Twitter, and the best way to do so is by writing short, pithy content about your book – chapter excerpts, random facts about your characters, etc. 

It is also a great platform for sharing your writing process, small details of your personal life, etc. 

You are more likely to gain followers if you show you’re a person willing to make human connections on Twitter, rather than simply using it as a tool for self-promotion. 

Final Thoughts

Social media is an excellent way to promote your book, but you need to ensure you are using the right platform.

This is based on the type of content you want to post, your target demographic, the genre of your book, etc.

The 5 platforms above are excellent for authors, and we hope more and more readers will find and enjoy your book!