This month we spent a lot of time going through different aspects of posting about your book and your brand on social media. Now that you know how to get started, make authentic connections, and discover topics, it is time for the most important part. We are going to talk about creating your social media plan.
Structure Your Social Media Plan
None of the things you have learned so far will matter without a clear strategy and mapped out calendar. For people who like to fly by the seat of their pants and hate linear structure, this is going to be annoying. You may need a plan more than most, because without one you will not keep it up.
The great news is that you can automate some of the tasks. However, you will need to sit down and make a calendar for each month in advance. Ideally, you have several months of planned content laid out so you can produce it, schedule it and forget about everything but engaging and having fun with your new followers. Here is how you put a plan together.
Your Social Media Outline
1. Find a monthly calendar template that you think will serve you best. Hubspot has one, and if you click on the link you will go to a page with a free download. We use a customized version of it that has worked well.
2. Think about the forms of your content. For example, we like to post a blog every week and our social posts include a feed post on Instagram followed by stories throughout the week based on the blog. We try to create themed months and weeks, which makes it easier to organize content. It also provides different formats for people who like to consume content in different ways.
3. Go back to your topics and themes. If one of your topics is world building because you write fantasy, then think about creating content about your process, articles you find online, different resources you use, people whose work you admire, etc.
4. Now it’s time to get specfic. Let’s plan a week of content on Instagram that includes a blog post about how you got interested in world building. You can choose to promote that blog on your website via a feed post on Monday, followed by two stories on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Mark those in your calendar.
You could also add a reel with a visual like a map and a caption that includes a mistake to avoid as you get started with your world. Maybe you post your reel on Wednesday. Mark that in your calendar. Now you have a full week planned for that topic.
Getting Content Ideas Using AI
Many of us have ambivalent feelings about AI. As writers and creators we worry that AI will take over our specializations and make us obselete. Although some of this may be true or false, in the meantime we all need to be familiar with how generative AI works. So, I am recommending that you try ChatGPT, prompting it with your world building idea to see what article headlines it generates.
You could also go to Google. Type in “world building” and see what drops down from the search bar. Scroll to see what topics are listed further down the search results pages where it says “People also searched for”.
You Can’t Break Your Social Media
If you are relatively new to social media with a modest following or zero followers, you don’t need to worry too much about how your plan is executed. You can’t break your social media at this level. What is most important is that you jump in and try out a system. If you are stuck or want a bit of guidance, we do offer a free 30 minute social media overview. You can also search our blogs or look through our Instagram feed for other posts and tips.
Attention Newsletter Subscribers: In the February newsletter you will find a brief how to video for the ChatGPT process I mentioned above. To subscribe to our newsletter visit the home page