📲 The Grid: May round up
a FREE masterclass, six post formats for you to try, need to know Instagram updates, and more useful things ❤️
Hello! Welcome to this month’s edition of The Grid where I round up a bunch of useful things to help you promote your work and get more readers. I’d love to hear from you in the comments if there’s something you find surprising or especially useful.
👀 In case you missed it…
I’ve updated the directory post so it now contains links to the most recent resources and essays I’ve published, including the latest in the Reel-y Simple Reels series of tutorials. You can browse the whole post here:
🙋🏻♀️ FREE MASTERCLASS: Ten Essential Instagram Habits For Effective Book Marketing
Fri 13th June, 12pm-1.30pm BST, online.
Please note that to receive the recording, you MUST agree to receive further emails from me. You may unsubscribe later at any point.
I’ve worked with over 150 writers in the last two years, supporting them with book launches and building platforms on Instagram, and I’ve noticed that the writers who use Instagram most effectively develop and demonstrate a similar set of habits.
In this FREE 90 minute presentation I’ll walk you through 10 of these habits - what they are, and the impact each one has - so you can get a feel for what it takes to use Instagram to effectively promote, and find readers for, your books and writing.
Spoiler alert: it isn’t spending hours each day on Instagram, or ‘performing’ of any kind.
To come along to the LIVE presentation, and/or to receive the recording, please sign up with your email address.
📍Pinned posts
This clever series of Reels about camera angles and what they secretly mean might get you thinking differently about how you film your Reels
The advice ALL authors need to hear when you’re setting out to market your book for the first time. It will help, I promise!
Anything with the word ‘class’ in the title is an instant click for me, and this article from
, about how social class informs the stories we tell our children, was not a disappointmentthe giveaway is so ubiquitous in social media marketing campaigns that rarely do we marketers pause to outline the how, when, where and what entry mechanism(s) are best. This is a very useful example of leaving the ladder down from
💬 Need-To-Know Instagram Updates
I haven’t seen anyone using it yet so I’m not sure how far the rollout has reached but Instagram are FINALLY providing clickable links on Reels 💃🏻 the bad news is you have to pay to use the feature 🥴 As things stand, the standard Meta Verified plan at $14.99 per month offers no clickable links. The next level, priced at $44.99 monthly, allows for two clickable links per Reel. How many books would you need to sell to make it worthwhile? 💸
if you want to get geeky 🤓, Instagram are deepening the insights they’re offering into Reels performance. You’ll soon start to see data that tells you the exact moment when people like your Reel. This matters because it will allow you to identify which content elements, messages, and creatives resonate most so you can optimise your future content.
if data is your thing, I also recommend downloading the Edits app for enhanced insights, including retention graphs so you can see when people STOP watching your Reels 👀. Benchmarks for context (with caution as these are across niches): save rate 5%+ then you know the Reel is valuable and relevant; send rate over 0.5% and you know you’re hitting a nerve, or providing entertainment for your audience ❤️
PSSST… Too Much is growing up!
I’ve now been working with writers and authors for two years, testing and trialling different services, workshops and other support to see what it is that you reaaalllly want and need from me.
After some deep thought and planning about how I can best serve you, my rates and services are changing at the start of July.
If you’d like to book in for my current services, and take advantage of my current rates, then you can find out more on my website, and/or book a FREE 30 minute Discovery Call by clicking the button below.
🔦 Author Spotlight
Last week, revealed the stunning cover for her second book, Unschooled. Many of you will be familiar with Caro’s stunning prose and raw, unflinching explorations of what it means to exist as a woman, mother, and unpaid carer, from her memoir, Twelve Moons. Out in September, Unschooled ‘has much to say about an education system on its knees but it has hope at its heart – that it’s possible to live and even, with much effort, thrive outside the system.’ I’ve preordered my copy, and you can do the same here.
’s new audio-only spicy, bittersweet medical love story set in Scotland, The Anatomy of Us, (narrated by Jessie Buckley!) was released this month and reached number 6 across the whole of Audible UK! As Leah put it, ‘I’m sure it’s partly down to my own shameless self-promotion so thanks for helping me with that!’
I’ve been working with Leah since March to get ready for this launch and this is what she said about working with me: ‘I felt unsure about how to present myself and my work effectively but also authentically on Instagram. Nicola was incredibly patient, enthusiastic and creative, and I left each call with dozens of content ideas and a renewed sense of confidence. In the past month, my Instagram posts have reached nearly 200,000 accounts around the world, and both new and old followers are actively engaging with my work. I'd recommend Nicola to any author who feels like there's 'too much social' - there's not too much, you just need to know how to navigate it!’
And finally, indie romance author Hillary Bowen has announced her debut WW1 historical romance novel, Out With Lanterns, will be out on 17th June! ‘A newly independent woman. A man severed from all his anchors. A love that will remake their world’: find out more on Hillary’s website.
💡Six post formats for you to try in June
If you click through on any of these posts, please engage (like, comment, save, send) with the post to send a signal to the algorithm that this post is valuable, and as a way to say thanks to the creator who made them ❤️
Mood board + key words = a simple but effective way to introduce your book to potential readers
Spill the beans about the things you’re just not that into (and add a little bit of personality to your content mix) with this ‘Propaganda I’m not falling for’ trend
A novel way to introduce characters: RIP ___, you would have loved ___
Engage your community by getting them to ‘Turn the comments section into a _[insert genre/ niche/ specialism]_ group chat’
Want people to KNOW-know your account/ book is for them? Use this creative to articulate the things that matter to you: my mum said we can ___ if it’s ok with your mum
A great way to position your book for your potential reader is to create a Bookish Taste test featuring other books that would sit alongside yours
If you’ve found this edition of The Grid useful or interesting you can help me reach more people by liking, commenting, or sharing it with your networks - thank you 😊❤️
This is a great round-up across the board, and those need-to-know Instagram updates are really helpful. Also, thank you very much for mentioning my recent post on giveaways, very much appreciated.