Your job is to write, but you also must handle social media. It’s part of enhancing your author platform. A common problem for writers is how to balance their presence on social media with their writing time. Over the next 3 weeks, we’ll dive into social media and how to improve your usage.

Let’s start by discussing Twitter. Control your Twitter from day one. Start by using apps like CrowdFire and ManageFlitter. They have the ability to identify “unfollows”. You also can monitor who has followed you in return. This allows you to control your account better. Both resources have paid features that will allow you to control follows and posts; however, the free features provide enough for most aspiring accounts.

On CrowdFire, you can schedule an automatic DM. I use this feature to point towards my other social media resources. It’s also a quick way to send a “thank you”. Recognize that not all accounts will respond, and some don’t like DMs. I’ve found DMs help my other social accounts grow, but I’m always respectful. Don’t spam your followers with repeated unwanted DMs. I’ve received DMs with questions like: “What’s your most recent read?”. As a polite person, I responded, but the conversation dragged on and on. Mostly, they used me for a book sell. Eventually, after days of DMs, I blocked the new follower. Don’t force sell. Understand that you will sell more books with “thank yous” and polite discussion.

Twitter has blocking and muting features. Blocking features prevent all contact. Muting features prevent you from seeing a particular account’s post.

The key to Twitter is to find fellow writers in your genre and follow their followers. After several days, visit ManageFlitter and delete those who haven’t returned the follow. Some accounts might be worth following without a return. Consider this as you use these resources.

Make your posts predictable. Many people will never see your posts, so if they know what to expect from you and when, they’re more likely to engage. In addition, thank people for their retweets and involvement throughout the week.

Twitter is one of the easiest social media resources to promote your platform. Use it well, and you’ll witness growth on multiple social accounts.