A question about social media. I am an artist (figurative painter) and I am getting ready to publish my first novel.
Shall I use my artist Instagram account to promote my book, or start another one, solely dedicated to my writing? I have been advised to do the latter, but gaining followers is hard, and it also feels like split personality. Thank you for your thoughts.
Shall I use my artist Instagram account to promote my book, or start another one, solely dedicated to my writing?
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Kristin
I set up an entirely new account. I think it’s best that way so that way you don’t annoy your art fans with your book promos. I’ve been able to gain more fans since December than the YEARS on my other account.
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Patricia
I am also an artist. I recently included my writing in my page. It is now Patricia Gilmour Artist and Writer. Somehow the page I created as part of my art course had attracted a following so want to utilize that and am now promoting it as I have a painting and a poem coming out soon in an anthology.
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Anne
Use the same one.
In order to gain and keep a large number of followers on any platform, you SHOULD be posting more than just promos for your work. You should be sharing a wide variety of content. If all you have is the same self-promotion, people will start to ignore your feed, and no one will share your posts (sharing means more people will see not only that post, but other posts later on.)
Funny things like random cat & dog memes can help to get new followers, and keep current followers engaged with your feed. Occasionally post what you had for dinner, or your memories of a loved one, etc.
Each platform has its own tricks for getting seen and read.
Twitter is currently dying. I wouldn't waste your time there these days. (I'm not just saying that as someone who doesn't like Elon. You literally have to pay to be seen by others, and even then you will only tend to get a few Likes unless you're a celebrity. The algorithm is no longer set to properly connect your feed with others who share your interests. It only connects you to Alt-Right accounts who promote Elon's agenda.)
I have had a LOT of positive experiences on Mastodon. My interactions there are (literally) at least more than ten times what they used to be on Twitter, with only 1/8th the followers/followings (My Twitter was close to 10K before Elon took over and my followers left. Now I am down near 8,800 and getting ZERO Likes & RTs. My Mastodon has about 1,900 followers. My posts there get between 20-200 Likes & RTs each time.)
If you get on Mastodon, the Twitter system of simply getting people to follow you and posting things without RT-ing anyone else doesn't work. You need to interact daily with other accounts, follow people back, and use hashtags generously. (There is no algorithm there to guide people to your account. You are seen if you use hashtags and follow back.) Be sure to keep your feed interesting.
There are no paid ads on Mastodon, but you are welcome to promote your own work or the work of others. Patreons are common there.
Photos and artwork do well there, as long as you use hashtags for them (but also learn to use Alt-Text for visually impaired folks, as Mastodon is very open to that). Image hashtags that do well are #Photo, #Artwork, #Mosstodon, #FensterFriday (#WindowFriday), #ThreeGoodThings, etc. Writers do exceptionally well there, also-- again, using hashtags (like #AmWriting, #WritingCommunity, etc).
Mastodon currently has well over 12M accounts, and over 10K are being added daily. People really are running away in droves from the Bird Site.
Instagram is very visually based. My text-based blog has not gotten a lot of traffic from there, but other folks here might have better advice on that.
I was not on TikTok for long. My husband is an IT Professional and his company does not allow TikTok and any devices which might have access to company information. They have found that the app has often been a gateway for viruses and data theft, FAR more directly and frequently than with any other social media apps. He has had to fend off multiple cyberattacks from other countries, and some can be traced back to that app. I do not recommend installing it on any device where you keep private data, or access your financial institutions and other private data from a browser on that same device.
In order to gain and keep a large number of followers on any platform, you SHOULD be posting more than just promos for your work. You should be sharing a wide variety of content. If all you have is the same self-promotion, people will start to ignore your feed, and no one will share your posts (sharing means more people will see not only that post, but other posts later on.)
Funny things like random cat & dog memes can help to get new followers, and keep current followers engaged with your feed. Occasionally post what you had for dinner, or your memories of a loved one, etc.
Each platform has its own tricks for getting seen and read.
Twitter is currently dying. I wouldn't waste your time there these days. (I'm not just saying that as someone who doesn't like Elon. You literally have to pay to be seen by others, and even then you will only tend to get a few Likes unless you're a celebrity. The algorithm is no longer set to properly connect your feed with others who share your interests. It only connects you to Alt-Right accounts who promote Elon's agenda.)
I have had a LOT of positive experiences on Mastodon. My interactions there are (literally) at least more than ten times what they used to be on Twitter, with only 1/8th the followers/followings (My Twitter was close to 10K before Elon took over and my followers left. Now I am down near 8,800 and getting ZERO Likes & RTs. My Mastodon has about 1,900 followers. My posts there get between 20-200 Likes & RTs each time.)
If you get on Mastodon, the Twitter system of simply getting people to follow you and posting things without RT-ing anyone else doesn't work. You need to interact daily with other accounts, follow people back, and use hashtags generously. (There is no algorithm there to guide people to your account. You are seen if you use hashtags and follow back.) Be sure to keep your feed interesting.
There are no paid ads on Mastodon, but you are welcome to promote your own work or the work of others. Patreons are common there.
Photos and artwork do well there, as long as you use hashtags for them (but also learn to use Alt-Text for visually impaired folks, as Mastodon is very open to that). Image hashtags that do well are #Photo, #Artwork, #Mosstodon, #FensterFriday (#WindowFriday), #ThreeGoodThings, etc. Writers do exceptionally well there, also-- again, using hashtags (like #AmWriting, #WritingCommunity, etc).
Mastodon currently has well over 12M accounts, and over 10K are being added daily. People really are running away in droves from the Bird Site.
Instagram is very visually based. My text-based blog has not gotten a lot of traffic from there, but other folks here might have better advice on that.
I was not on TikTok for long. My husband is an IT Professional and his company does not allow TikTok and any devices which might have access to company information. They have found that the app has often been a gateway for viruses and data theft, FAR more directly and frequently than with any other social media apps. He has had to fend off multiple cyberattacks from other countries, and some can be traced back to that app. I do not recommend installing it on any device where you keep private data, or access your financial institutions and other private data from a browser on that same device.
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Debbie
Great question! I'm an editor and worked for an author who is a fine artist and we agreed that for branding purposes, the book is part of her creative persona, so she kept it all the same and I think is doing well! Also, I am a jazz blogger and jazz author, and I keep those things together on the same socials (my editing self has its own Insta and website).
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Guest
Promoting your novel on your artist's Instagram accounts allows you to combine both your artistic journey with literary creation, thereby maximizing potential with both audiences. However, dedicating a writing account ensures focused content and avoids diluting your artist brand. Consider your goal: seamless integration or distinct identity for an effective choice. Thanks
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