Execution: Step 3. Creating and Distributing Social Media Content
Now that you have planned out what you’re posting and where you’re posting it, let’s quickly go over the mechanics of creating content for social media and how to post it.
Writing for Social Media
The challenge is that writing for social media is very different from creative writing, and tends to lean more on copywriting than the elements of long-form or fiction. The good thing is that as writers and literary people, we already understand how to use words, storytelling, and literary devices to hook people in and keep them reading. Instead of being daunted by social media, literary folks already have a head start.
As you start writing more and more copy for social media, here are some writing tips to keep in mind:
Align your posts to your brand voice.
Your tone will match your reader’s experience. If you communicate fun, exciting, and positive, they’ll feel that way about you, too.
Use “you” more than “I” or “we” to address and engage your readers.
Start with a hook: a question, an interesting statistic or fact, or a dissenting opinion.
Ask questions for further engagement, either as the hook or at the end to engage readers in the comments section.
Add value in the caption itself by telling a story, summarizing an article, adding how-to steps, or articulating key takeaways.
Creating Graphics for Social Media
Creating graphics for social media today doesn’t require you to be a graphic designer, nor will it require you to learn something as complicated as Adobe InDesign (unless you want to!). Instead, use Canva for your graphics (this book was designed in Canva). The free version has plenty of pre-made social media graphics in all different sizes and ratios for various social platforms. It also offers a lot of functionality around creating graphics from scratch.
Upgrading to Premium (which is $19 a month and is one of the most valuable subscriptions I pay for) offers a ton of options for branding, a stock photos library, increased features, the ability to immediately resize any graphic to a different ratio for another platform, mock-ups (so you can make 3D books with your cover!), and more.
Creating Video for Social Media
Video posted today on social media doesn’t need to be polished and professional. Many times video shared on social media is simply recorded with your phone, edited in-app (like Instagram or TikTok), and shared.
How to post on Instagram
Instagram offers three different options for sharing content: Posts, Reels, and Stories (they also offer a Live element, too). Before you create any content, be sure to have a strategy in place, that your content aligns with your key content topics, and will bring value to your audience.
Image, photo, or video posts: Since Instagram is a visual-forward platform, include an image or video. This can be a high-resolution picture or a designed text-based image. It can also be one image or a carousel of up to 10 images. Make sure that your image is clear, that the text is easy to read, that there’s color contrast for clarity, and that it’s clear and inviting to your audience as they scroll through.
Caption: Captions can be up to 2,200 characters. Use the caption to tell a story, communicate value, or communicate information. Write it in your brand voice. Be sure to include in this caption any relevant hashtags you want to use, any @mentions, and emojis (tastefully!) to draw attention. If you’re communicating important information like an event, include the key info in the image first, caption second. Also include a call to action (CTA) in your caption as well, specifically to visit a link in the bio to learn more. (Remember that Instagram will not hyperlink URLs added into the caption, so direct people to the links in your bio instead.)
Tag: Tag anyone who may appear in the image by clicking “+ Tag” on the post.
Alt text: Add alt text by clicking “Edit Alt Text” so that anyone who’s vision impaired can have a description of the image.
Style: As you continue to post, be sure that you’re creating a consistent visual brand style.
Stories:
Stories can be used to share original content, and are good for “less formal” posts. But it’s also a great place to share other people’s content — Instagram won’t let you reshare a post as a post, but you can reshare it as a Story:
Find a post you’d like to share with your audience and that would bring them value.
Tap the “Share” button (paper airplane). On the menu, tap “Add to Story.”
The post will automatically appear as a post. Don’t hit share yet!
Tap the photo to expand it to show the original account, and part of their caption so that your audience gets some context.
Typically your audience will be able to tap into the post to view it. I also add an @mention of the account so that your audience can tap on the account and be brought to the post. Do this by going to the “Sticker” option at the top and tapping “@mention.”
Use the “Sticker” section to add a lot of other features as well: links, quizzes, polls, a donation button, and other cool things.
Add a comment to add more context to your post by tapping the “Text” button at the top. You can also @mention the account in your note.
Now hit the “Your story” button at the bottom to share to your Story.
Reels:
When posting video on Instagram, you can record in advance, in the moment, or use templates to help guide your Reel creation. Your video can be polished or can be very informal, as is the current trend on TikTok. Once you create your video, add text, effects, trending audio, or other features.
How to post on Threads
Threads is a text-based social media platform centering on shorter posts and more conversations. Just post whatever’s on your mind.
Create a Thread: Tap on the + sign at the bottom of the app to create a post. Each post has a 500-character limit.
Add image or video: While a more text-based platform, images and videos still gain more engagement, so consider adding media: a relevant photo, a graph, a text-based image, or a video.
Add a CTA link: You can also add a link if you want your followers to visit your website or sign up for your newsletter. Look for a link preview to show up, too.
Add a hashtag: You can also add hashtags to Threads, though only one. This will help your post get in front of the right audience.
How to post on Facebook
Facebook also offers three different types of options for sharing content: Posts, Reels, and Stories (they also offer a Live element, too). Before you create any content, be sure to have a strategy in place, that your content aligns with your key content topics, and will bring value to your audience.
Image, photo, or video: You can keep your post to just text on Facebook, but since they garner more engagement, it’s best practice to include an image or video. This can be a high-resolution picture or a designed text-based image. It can also be one image or a carousel of up to 10 images. Make sure that your image is clear, that the text is easy to read, that there’s color contrast for clarity, and that it’s clear and inviting as your audience scrolls through.
Caption: Facebook captions can be up to 63,206 characters, but please don’t go that long! Use the caption to tell a story, communicate value, or communicate information. Write it in your brand voice. Be sure to include in this caption any relevant hashtags you want to use, any @mentions, and emojis (tastefully!) to draw attention. If you’re communicating important information like an event, include the key info in the post first, caption section. Also include a call to action (CTA) in your caption as well, specifically to visit a link in the bio to learn more.
Add link: If you’re linking somewhere, add the link to the bottom of your caption. Facebook will automatically generate a link preview with your post.
Tag: Tag anyone who may appear in the image by clicking “+ Tag” on the post.
Alt text: Add alt text by clicking “Edit Alt Text” so that anyone who’s vision impaired can have a description of the image.
Style: As you continue to post, be sure that you’re creating a consistent visual brand style.
Stories:
Original and sharing: Stories can be used to share original content, and is good for “less formal” posts. But it’s also a great place to share other people’s content:
Find a post you’d like to share with your audience and that would bring them value.
Tap the “Share” button (paper airplane). On the menu that pops up, tap “Add to Story.”
The post will automatically appear as a post. Don’t hit share yet!
Tap the photo to expand it to show the original account, and part of their caption so that your audience gets some context.
Typically your audience will be able to tap into the post to view it. I also add an @mention of the account so that your audience can tap on the account and be brought to the post. Do this by going to the “Sticker” option at the top and tapping “@mention.”
Use the “Sticker” section to add a lot of other features as well: links, quizzes, polls, a donation button, and a bunch of other cool things.
Add a comment to add more context to your post by tapping the “Text” button at the top. You can also @mention the account in your note.
Now hit the “Share” button at the bottom to share to your Story.
Reels:
When posting video on Facebook, you can record in advance, in the moment, or use templates to help guide your Reel creation. Your video can be polished or can be very informal, as is the current trend on TikTok. Once you create your video, add text, effects, trending audio, or other features.
How to post on LinkedIn
Writing posts on LinkedIn is a bit different than posting on Instagram or Facebook, as the content on LinkedIn is focused on professional insights, advice, and actionable takeaways. What used to be a site where people only posted about job updates has turned into a wealth of career and professional information shared from lived experience. As you plan content for LinkedIn, keep this focus in mind, as it will likely need a different strategy than other platforms.
Create a post: LinkedIn’s character limit is 3,000, and many people are using that full length when they post! As you write your content, keep it relevant to your profession, and include insights, actionable takeaways, or lessons learned.
Add image or video: While a more text-based platform, images and videos still gain more engagement, so consider adding media: a relevant photo, a graph, a text-based image, or a video.
Add a carousel: A popular visual is a carousel, where, like on Instagram, your followers can swipe through a series of images communicating tips or how-to steps. To create a carousel, create your series of images and then save them as a .pdf (you will not upload images). Then, add the .pdf as a document to your post.
Link considerations: Rumor has it that if you include a link in your post AND use the link preview it generates, you won’t get as much engagement because LinkedIn suppresses posts with links (I don’t really believe it). Some best practices to hedge against that can be to include the link in your post yet cancel the link preview and add an image instead. Or post the link in the comments, where it won’t be “seen.”
Add a CTA: Add a relevant call to action at the end of your post, whether it be to connect, visit a resource link, or sign up for a newsletter.
Write an article: If you’d like to go long-form, LinkedIn offers a way to write a blog post-like article and share it with your audience.
How to post on TikTok
Before posting on TikTok, spend some time getting to know the platform and the type of videos it features. There’s a “TikTok style” that you want to mimic with your videos. Once you want to give it a try, do the following:
Record your video: First, record your video either through the app or independently and upload a video.
Edit your video: Next, edit your video in the app. Cut the video together, add any effects you’d like to add, add popular music, add text, or any other additions you’d like to add to your video.
Write your caption: Now, write the caption for your video, which has a 4000-character limit. Be sure to include three to five relevant hashtags so your content can get in front of the right people.
Putting the “Social” in Social Media: Following, Commenting, and Engaging
Even though I mentioned the idea of a lighthouse drawing like-minded people to your content above, your social media strategy shouldn’t be like a lighthouse. Instead, your social media strategy should be, well — social. Follow, like, comment, and share content from accounts you believe would be interesting to your followers. It’s very easy to engage in conversation with followers through social media or ask them questions about how to serve them. Social media is a great way to find and interact with your audience if you’re an author. It’s a great way to interact with other authors, bookstore owners, or non-profits.
As you create your marketing plan, include with it a goal to follow a certain number of new accounts each week that relate to your area of expertise, and comment on a certain number of posts each week as well. For example, if you’re a book festival organizer interacting with other book festival organizers who are new or have questions about what they’re doing, provide your expertise and advice to them. If you’re a published author and see debut authors asking for publishing advice, offer it to them. These are great ways to build relationships, get your name out there as an expert, and increase your audience and reach.
In the next step, we’ll look at how to start a newsletter.
Hi! I’m Jessica, and I help literary businesses, organizations, and authors build and execute their marketing strategies. If you'd like to learn how to do this 👆, come work with me!
