Instagram – stacey jaine mcintosh

Popular Hashtags For Writers

Posted on July 31, 2018April 20, 2019 by staceyjaine in Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Writing, Writing Advice

Do you ever find yourself wondering what writerly hashtags to use on Instagram and twitter? If the answer is yes, then look no further.

I’ve compiled a list that might help you navigate the never ending sea of confusion that surrounds hashtags.

Popular Hashtags For Writers

#AmEditing – a short version of “I am editing”

#AmWriting – a short version of “I am writing”

#AmReading – a short version of “I am reading”

#WritersWrite

#WritersRead

#IndieAuthors – independent authors need to use social media in their marketing strategy.

#NaNoWriMo – national novel writing month

#PubTip – publication tips

#SelfPublishing

#StoryStarter – a prompt for starting a story

#WordCount – used by writers who want to share their writing progress

#WIP – work in progress

#WritersBlock – used by writers who are suffering from writers block

#WritersLife – used by writers to add insight into life as a writer

#WritingPrompt – the perfect hashtag if you’re looking for inspiration

#WritingTip or #WritingTips or #WriteTip – used by writers who want to share tips about writing

#WriterMum or WriterMom – used by female writers who are also parents

#WritersfollowWriters – used for writers to follow other writers

#WritershelpingWriters

#WritingCommunity

There’s plenty more… like for example….

Day of the Week Hashtags

#MotivationMonday

#TeaserTuesday

#WIPWednesday

#ThrowbackThursday

#FollowFriday

#Caturday

#SundayFunday

Keep checking back, as when I come across other hashtags, I’ll update this post, but this is a good start for any writers out there lost in the sea of hashtags.

Using Instagram as an Indie Author

Posted on July 9, 2018July 9, 2018 by staceyjaine in Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Writing, Writing Advice

Instagram.

It’s a powerful and fun visual tool. It can help you to promote your books and your author brand. While not as fast paced as Twitter it’s still quite active.

I’ve managed to grow my Instagram account quite steadily over the last year.

Some tricks I’ve learnt during my time on Instagram are:

Post to Instagram at least once a day.

I’ve only been posting daily since April but I have seen results.

Don’t be afraid to mix it up. I switch between inspirational writing quotes to inspirational images, writing snippets and character inspiration. Occasionally, I post about my kids. I am a mum after all.

Do keep it on brand and relevant. Of course what’s relevant to you might not be relevant to another writer, but that’s okay.

Share what’s important to you. Your goals and achievements. Big or small. It doesn’t matter.

Don’t be afraid to share yourself with your audience. Whether it be highs or lows. Invite people to know the real you. As much or as little as you want. It’s up to you, but including people in your journey is how you get people to connect because they feel a part of the process and it’s with those connections that you begin to make an impact on somebody else’s life.

Most of all…

Dont forget to have fun!

What’s up with Social Media?

Posted on June 4, 2018April 22, 2019 by staceyjaine in Indie Author, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Writing, Writing Advice

I came across an interesting post about the pros and cons of social media in a Facebook group earlier that caught my attention. It’s actually what prompted me to write this blog.

Social Media. It’s huge and often daunting. And sometimes when you’re an indie author and you’re having to do it all, such things can seem a little overwhelming.

But let’s face it, you need a web presence. So you need to be active on some of the social media platforms.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Google. And that’s only the first six off the top of my head.

You might think that you need to have them all. Right? Wrong! But you do need a web presence. Readers need to be able to find you and connect, not just with your books, but with you, the author.

The trick? Start small.

Start with Facebook. Why Facebook and not a website? Simple. Almost everyone already has a Facebook profile. Setting up a Facebook page, when you already have a Facebook profile is easy. People either love Facebook or hate it. I personally love it.

Limit yourself.

Stick to two social media platforms to start with. That way you don’t get overwhelmed.

If you’ve already got Facebook you’re half way there. As a second I’d suggest Twitter or Instagram. Both have huge followings and are easy to learn the ropes of.

Be present.

There’s no point having a Facebook page, twitter or Instagram if they’re going to sit idle. I suggest posting at least once per day on each platform. It’ll take some time but you’ll eventually learn what works, when your followers are active and what content they enjoy seeing the most.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. And use hashtags. How else are you going to be seen without them?

Interact.

Don’t just post content and expect it to do well. It needs to be engaging. Something other’s will want to click on, and you’ll need to interact with others and comment on their posts. This will also help you to grow your audience and gain a decent following.

There’s a lot more I could write, but I’ll expand on what I’ve written here later. For now, the best course of action would be to think about what social media platforms you deem necessary as an indie author or writer and pick your favourites. Remember, the goal here is to not get overwhelmed, less is more. Later, when you have the hang of it, you can increase your viewership, by adding other platforms.

If you want to see what I’ve done with my social media profiles check out the tips and tricks here:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram