Twitter can feel like screaming into the void until you get a feel for the Twitterverse. If you tweet using a link to your blog post or website to draw traffic, you can check your blog or website stats to track the traffic from that link. Using Twitter in the right way can enhance your promo, but if you aren’t maximizing your tweets with hashtags, you’re not being as effective as you can be. That’s a waste of your precious time that you can’t afford. Here’s why:
It can take time to build Twitter followers. You can have 100 followers, but if you understand the use of hashtags, you can get beyond your followers to a much larger online community. By using the Hashtag symbol #, you can connect with readers, tap into people following a particular topic, search for the latest in a book genre, look for industry advice or read about book recommendations. Even if you have many followers, by using the right hashtag, you can target your post to a specific audience that’s looking for what you have to tweet about.
Hashtags can also be used to promote a certain product brand, like #Kindle or #Nook. It can also be used to tap you into certain experts, like #AskAgent or #AskEditor. A fun way hashtags are used is punctuation to a joke or use of sarcasm, like tweeting ‘Snooki did another beach face plant #awkward.’
To keep up with the latest in hashtags or look up ones you don’t understand, go to #TagDef. Below is a really good list to start with hashtags geared for authors, readers, and industry topics.
Target Other Authors
- #AmWriting
- #AmEditing
- #BookMarket (Every Thursday, 4 PM, ET)
- #IndieAuthors
- #LitChat (Every M/W/F)
- #MemoirChat (Bi-weekly Wednesday, 8 PM, ET)
- #WordCount
- #WritersLife
- #WriteChat
- #WriteTip
- #WriterWednesday (or #WW)
- #WritingParty
- #WritingTip
- #YALitChat
Target Book Genres
- #RomanceWriter
- #SciFiChat
- #KidLitChat
- #RWA (Romance Writers of America)
- #ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers)
- #MGLit (Middle Grade Lit)
- #SCBWI (Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators)
- #MemoirChat
Identify Industry Information
- #AskAgent
- #AskAuthor
- #AskEditor
- #GetPublished
- #PromoTip
- #SelfPublishing
- #Publishing
- #EBooks
- #IndiePub (or #IndiePublishing)
- #BookMarketing
Goals Setting Specifics
- #WritingPrompt
- #StoryStarter
- #WordAThon
- #Creativity
- #WIP (work in progress)
- #1K1H (write one thousand words in one hour)
Target Readers
- #FridayReads
- #BookGiveaway
- #Giveaway
- #Kindle
- #MustRead
- #Nook
- #Ebook
- #LitChat
- #StoryFriday
- #MustRead
After this Twitter Tutorial, I thought it might be fun to launch a Twitter FollowFest on ADR3NALIN3. If you are interested in building your Twitter Followers, list your twitter link below on the Linky Tools link. Anyone wanting to do the same can auto-follow those on the list we’ll create. Get to know other authors or readers who love YA.
Support your fellow Twitter travelers.
ENTER your TWITTER account by clicking the ENTER HERE link below. Post your http code so others can follow you.
