It’s not really a secret, but authors have to spend a moderately ridiculous amount of time marketing; having an online presence is pretty much required. The fun part is when you meet new people and there is a bonus when you see increased sales. I’m a big fan of efficiency, and a bit lazy, so I know that while being strategic and planning out your campaign may feel like a burden at first, but ends up saving time while keeping your posts connected with your objectives. IMO, it also keeps it fun.
First step: goal-setting
Do you want increased interaction with your readers? Bigger sales? Influence? Ask yourself how you’ll know when you succeed, what those measurements would be. Some might have the goal of a blurb in Publisher’s Weekly, or one million views; others would be happy to have five people sign up for a seminar. Your goals are personal and the foundation of your marketing strategy.
Second step: audit your existing channels
Almost everyone is on social media. (If you aren’t, you’ll have a bit more of a learning curve.) Which platforms reach your potential audience? Younger audiences tend to prefer visual platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Facebook is excellent for groups. LinkedIn is the strongest platform for creating and connecting brands. Twitter (now called X) was once an excellent place for creating conversation, albeit short-form, but has become a cesspool of venal hate; a new channel, BlueSky seems to be stepping into the ring and is creating fresh discourse. YouTube is excellent for creating long-form content, especially when you are interested in having a stable library of content. Are there new channels to explore? As a sub-step, I suggest that you focus on two, maybe three channels.
Step three: create a posting schedule
While it may seem like you need to post daily, you’ll undermine your efforts if your posting feels forced or you it begins to feel like a chore. (Marketing is hard enough, if you start to dread it, you’ll just doom yourself.) Multiple posts a day can feel like you are “blasting” your readers, and gives you no room for spontaneous sharing. What’s the best balance for you? Consider dates that matter for your readers, like holidays or seasonal trends.
Step four: plan your content
I like to look a month out, highlighting special days and connecting my work and content as best as I can. Some like to plan further out, three or six months; even a full year. It’s a good idea to organize your content by theme or category to make it easier to offer variety and balance. Examples might be educational (like this post), promotional material, content you create (like memes or general writing), and trending topics. I also suggest thinking about the ratios you might follow, such as 80% informative/ 20% promotional or 10% humor/ 20% re-posting or promoting others/ 20% trending topics/ 50% original content. Ratios will vary by audience and your content.
Step five: create your content
Knowing what ratio you are aiming for helps with this. A key consideration is to make sure what you post is consistent with your goals and audience; as well as the platform you are using. I like using a mix of original creations and curated pieces from reliable sources. Research shows that combining visual and written elements increases audience engagement. I suggest drafting (or finishing) posts, creating visuals, and writing captions ahead of time. Doing so will reduce last-minute stress and allow for the inevitable delays from life.
In 2024, I had no specific strategy. I posted every day on Facebook and created a monthly newsletter, hoping to engage readers at no cost. I contemplated starting on TikTok or created YouTube content, but understood myself well enough to admit that I am just not interested in doing video content. At the end of the year I took stock and was generally pleased with how my readership increased along with more reader interactions. However, posting daily felt like a chore. It was drudgery, and that was taking all the fun out of it for me.
In 2025, I switched to posting content every other day. This felt so much better for me and I had enough new and interesting ideas that my readers felt like they were getting good information. I also made a point of keeping most of my content different across platforms (except that Facebook cross-posted to Instagram), so that my newsletter didn’t just repeat what was on social media, or my blog. I also added BlueSky to my content platforms. This frequency and ratio of content feels good to me and brings a steady, if small, stream of new people into my sphere.