Borrow everything I know about using Instagram to market books

Reimagine your use of Instagram with this guide to my insights and practical tips. Get IG working for you, not the other way round!

Hello! I’m Nicola and I’m an Instagram Educator and Strategist for Writers and Authors.

After 12 years as a secondary school teacher, I retrained as a Social Media Manager in 2016 and then spent 7 years making small businesses more visible online.

In 2023 I started using my skills and expertise to support and teach writers and authors how to use Instagram to get more readers.

I love writing and I love books and I know that none of us are doing this to get rich: we’re doing it to get read.

We have stories to tell, ideas to express, thoughts to share, and conversations we want to be part of - but the marketplace is noisy, it can be hard to know where to start, and you might be wondering how you’re ever going to get anyone else to care about your book as much as you do.

My mission is to help as many writers and authors as I can to reach your readers by cutting through the overwhelm and frustration many of you feel when it comes to using Instagram.

In the archive 👇🏼 you’ll find prompts, tips, insights and workshops to show you different ways of working with Instagram that you might never have considered. For full access to everything, remember to upgrade your subscription.

PS. looking for something in particular? Leave a comment and I’ll send you something helpful, or I’ll have a think how I might create something✌🏼

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👀 For when you’re getting started

1. FAQ 1: do writers have to use social media?

2. FAQ 2: how much of my life should I share on social media?

3. FAQ 3: is it possible to be authentic on social media?

4. FAQ 4: I have nothing to say. What am I supposed to post about?

5. FAQ 5: how do I keep coming up with new ideas for posts?

6. FAQ 6: how often should I post to Instagram?

7. FAQ 7: when should it be a Reel, a carousel, a static image or a Story?

8. FAQ 8: is it worth spending time on social media before I get a book deal?

9. Unpopular opinion: Instagram is actually really good for finding readers

10. Non-fiction writers, you may not thank me for this one

11. Reasons to stay on Instagram

12. What's in an [Instagram] name?

13. How to upgrade your Instagram bio

14. Workshop: DEFINE your ideal reader to elevate your Instagram book marketing

15. Getting started with Instagram Reels

16. If you get a million views on a social media post, how many books will you sell?

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🚀 For when you’re launching a book

1. FAQ 9: how can I use Instagram to launch my book?

2. FAQ 10: how can I keep posting about my book on Instagram after it has launched?

3. Stop treating book promotion as a 'bolt on' - the best marketing is *drawn from* your book: creative ideas for non-fiction book marketing that don’t use social media

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🎞 For when you’re a Reels beginner

1. Getting started with Instagram Reels

2. Three simple bookish Reels formats for you to try

3. How to make (at least) three Reels from one video

4. The Reels format authors hate (that unfortunately is really great for connecting with readers): talk-to-camera video

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🤝 For when you’re combining Instagram + Substack

1. FAQ 13: how can I convert Instagram followers into Substack readers?

2. A Writer's Guide To Repurposing A Substack Essay Into Instagram Posts

3. Is Substack really 'The Great Escape' from social media?

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😓 For when you’re feeling stuck

1. If you're finding book marketing hard, that's because it is

2. An Instagram Manifesto: how I use Instagram and no longer feel rubbish about it

3. Workshop: Write Your Own Instagram Manifesto

4. FAQ 12: my Instagram posts keep flopping - what do I do?

5. Ways to stay sane on Instagram

6. Are you overthinking authenticity? Here are 6 questions that might help...

7. When is it time to quit Instagram?

8. Elevate your Instagram account: mini-audits for members

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⏳ For when you’re time-poor

1. Workshop: Use Instagram to Find More Readers While Protecting Your Time

2. A Writer's Guide To Repurposing A Substack Essay Into Instagram Posts

3. Borrow my method for saving time by repurposing Instagram posts: a case study

4. Repurposing is a big word for giving old ideas new life

5. Are you making the most of your ideas? 3 ways to repurpose your book into social media content with Pooja, The Content Repurposer

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💡 For when you don’t know what to post

1. Instagram ideas for fiction writers

2. Instagram ideas for introducing your book (over and over again)

3. FAQ 5: how do I keep coming up with new ideas for posts?

4. FAQ 4: I have nothing to say. What am I supposed to post about?

5. Own your expertise - not everyone knows what you know

6. Wrap up 2024, share your best books, and look forward to 2025 with these Instagram post ideas

7. 11 Story-Telling Hooks For You To Try

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🌱 For when you want to grow your account

1. How To Grow Your Instagram Account

2. Growth Sprint Training Week 1: Anchor Content

3. Growth Sprint Training Week 2: B-Roll Reels

4. Growth Sprint Training Week 3: Shareable Content

5. Growth Sprint Training Week 4: Collaboration

6. Growth Sprint planning

7. The Secrets Of Working With Bookstagramers: an interview with Tilly Fitzgerald

8. A Writer's Guide To Working With Bookstagramers To Find More Readers For Your Book

9. Workshop: DEFINE YOUR IDEAL READER to elevate your book marketing, replay

10. This one simple thing is costing you readers, and it's easy to fix

11. If you're struggling to find readers on Instagram, stop posting and do this instead

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👂🏼For when you want to learn from other authors

1. Best-selling memoirist and non-fiction author Leah Hazard about Meta misgivings, timing, being a lead title, career longevity and pivoting to fiction

2. Rom-com author, Hayley Dunlop, about failure, feeling 'silly', redefining success, the power of co-writing, and 'special interest'-informed marketing

3. Indie Romance author, Holly June Smith, about self-publishing, managing her time, and staying inspired with her marketing

4. YA author, Sue Reed, about hybrid publishing, self-driving her book sales, and how book promotion is about connecting with readers, rather than marketing to them

5. Life-writer, podcaster and academic, Elaine Gregersen about the promise and pitfalls of life writing, and its parallels with social media

6. Memoirist, Stacey Heale about the importance of connection and conversation on social media, how she navigates para-social relationships, and how she self-drove the marketing of her memoir

7. Best-selling non-fiction author, Jen Louden about marketing multiple books, being a committed literary citizen, and how 'Why Bother?' is the most important question you can ask yourself

8. Non-fiction author and poet, Annie Ridout about creating an online ecosystem where creativity and community transform into readers and clients

9. Non-fiction author, book coach and podcaster, Penny Wincer

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😮‍💨 For when you need to take a break

1. FAQ 11: is taking a social media break a good idea? Borrow my approach to taking a break from social media

2. Borrow my method for coming back from an Instagram break: WAKE UP INSTAGRAM, day one

3. Get back in front of your favourite people on Instagram: WAKE UP INSTAGRAM, day two

4. Give something back to the people who support you: WAKE UP INSTAGRAM, day three

5. Using Instagram like you're at an author event: WAKE UP INSTAGRAM, day four

6. The specific joy of being weird on Instagram Stories: WAKE UP INSTAGRAM, day five

7. So you're a writer, but what else is going on?: WAKE UP INSTAGRAM, day six

8. Allow me to reintroduce myself: WAKE UP INSTAGRAM, day seven

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💁🏻‍♀️ For when you want to know more about me

1. I'm not raring to go

2. Books I read and loved in 2024

3. The real work of supporting writers with Instagram is turning out to be something unexpected: how it started in 2017, and where I find myself now

4. A Substack manifesto in 10 commitments

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I love books, and I love teaching writers and authors how to find the readers your books deserve.

If you find any of my work helpful, please consider sharing it with another writer who’s also looking for ways to reach their readers ❤️