SPF-049: Advanced Twitter Strategies for Authors – with Ian Sutherland
Having tens of thousands of Twitter followers to engage with – especially when you have a book launch coming up – is something that most indie authors only get to dream about. But this week’s guest, Ian Sutherland, a crime fiction author with a background in technology, has learned how to do exactly that. In this episode, he explains how to use Twitter to find more readers, providing workarounds to use the platform organically, (i.e. for FREE!), to get real results. And he’ll show how to do it without breaking the rules.
How to get free Twitter followers who will be interested in your book
The more followers you have the bigger your reach will be whenever you tweet. Ian explains how to get free followers and communicate with them in a way that converts them into loyal subscribers. Ian’s strategies will show you how to get those all-important free followers who will be most interested in your book.
What tweets will help you get more free followers?
Of course you want to tweet about yourself and your book. But what other content can you tweet that will help you build a loyal follower base? Blog posts? Genre-related information from around the web? Ian provides tips and resources on how to tweet out content that will add value to followers and fans – and keep them interested in your author brand.
How to turn your followers into mailing list subscribers
So how do you motivate your followers to become mailing list subscribers? Ian provides instructions on how to effectively invite your followers to join your list. It’s a simpler process than you might think!
Don’t be a bot – Keep it personal!
There are many automated ways you can put out content on Twitter but be wary of adopting a fully automated approach. Twitter is a social media platform, so guess what? You need to be actively social with your tribe for it work effectively!
Podcast #49 Giveaway
There’s a lot to take in with this week’s episode so you might be relieved to hear we have a handy takeaway for you. Ian has put together a two page PDF that sets everything out in an easy to follow format, and it is free. It’s a fantastic resource for any indie author who’s serious about building their social media profile and engagement opportunities. You can grab a copy of it here.
Outline of This Episode
- [3:23] John and Mark introduce this episode
- [07:08] Why Ian Sutherland is on this episode today.
- [13:15] The importance of growing your follower base.
- [15:07] How to grow your Twitter follower base.
- [17:53] Who should you follow?
- [22:35] What should you Tweet, and how often?
- [33:05] How to turn your follower base into mailing list subscribers.
- [44:45] Don’t be a bot – Keep the personal touch in your tweets.
Resources & Links Mentioned In This Episode
- Book: Advanced Twitter Strategies for Authors
- Ian’s Guide to getting more followers
- Tweepy
- ManageFlitter
- MeetEdgar
- Social Oomph
- Sendible
- Ian’s New Service