This month's must-have tools, tips and tactics for smarter book marketing
š¤³THE GRID, October: post ideas for everyone to use, need-to-know Instagram updates, and more resources to support your book marketing
Hello! Welcome to this monthās edition of The Grid where I round up a bunch of useful things to help you promote your work and get more readers. Please share this post with anyone you think will find it useful ā¤ļø
š In case you missed itā¦
There are seasons when time or creativity are in short supply and what you really need is a list of āplug and playā post ideas to keep Instagram simple and streamlined.
In October I put together this list šš¼ of 17 proven post ideas
Another list is on its way in November to get you ready for the šfestive seasonš.
To use the monthly libraries of fresh and effective post ideas curated especially for authors and writers, along with explanations and examples to help you use them, become a member of Too Much Instagram by upgrading your subscription šš¼
š”Post formats for you to try in November
If youāre just looking for a couple of ideas to make it to the end of the week, hereās a taste of the hottest trends at the moment:
Stop talking dirty to me! Taylor Swift inspired trends are everywhere and this is fun way to show your audience you understand what will make them happy.
This trend would be a great way to show off your book! Switch between video clips of your book getting the cheers, and you getting crickets š¦
If you click through on any of these posts, please engage (like, comment, save, send or repost) 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 ā¤ļø
š An opportunity to reach over 3k potential readers for your bookā¦
, founder of The Writing Grove, is looking to collaborate with fiction and nonfiction writers whoād like to do a guest blog post and/or a joint post for his newsletter.
The Writing Groveās mission is to help aspiring writers build a sustainable writing practice that brings them joy. Lloyd has a list of 3100 subscribers looking to:
Find ways to make time for their writing and creativity
Receive quick, digestible tips on craft (dialogue, setting, plot, self-editing, etc)
Get advice/guidance on what to do next (e.g. how to finish a draft, submit to agents).
Lloyd is looking for authors to speak from your own experience (you donāt have to be an expert) and would love to hear from any writers who can speak to any of the above, whilst promoting your own work.
If youād like to pitch Lloyd with an idea, please email him on lloyd@writinggrove.com.
šPinned posts
Some useful content from across the internet š§
if youāre sick of social media and are just reading this to humour me (!) READ THIS about using old-school book flyers as part of your promo
I LOVE this piece about what it really means to build a platform. āI want to suggest a different approach: to see platform-building not as a sideline task, but as a continuation of your core work as an authorāguiding readers toward transformation. A book is powerful, yes, but itās part of something bigger. By sharing messages, stories, and posts that invite readers into the change your book brings to life most fully, you can build more authentic, engaged communities.ā
If youāre wondering which of the social media platforms is the right fit for you and your book, this is a comprehensive round up.
and in case you missed it, bestselling author and website designer,
shared her top tips for building an effective author website with Too Much subscribers this monthCOMING THIS WEEK: a new three-part, Halloween-themed, mini-series of the TOO MUCH SOCIAL podcast to keep you in touch with your book marketing during the school holidays and exorcise some of your fears! Episodes will be released on Mon 27th, Weds 29th, Fri 31st October - listen to them wherever you get your podcasts!
š¬ Need-To-Know Instagram Updates
Two days ago, I opened Instagram and was offered the option to SUBSCRIBE for an ad-free version of Meta products! I opted not to subscribe so it will be interesting to see what this means for the number of ads I start to see in my feed. I havenāt seen this trailed anywhere - have you been offered this option?!
Instagram is testing new algorithm controls that will affect - and hopefully improve - how the algorithms select content to show you. If this is rolled out, weāre all going to be able to add and remove topics based on our interests, starting with Reels. Iām interested to see how this plays out in terms of the practicalities of making sure they have the topics users want to see, and in terms of how it affects discoverability for creators.
Instagram is rolling out a new layout which they say is in response to the way most users use the app - for watching Reels and sending dms. If you switch over to the new layout your bottom navigation menu will be Home - Reels - DMs - Search - Profile (compared to the original Home - Search - New Post - Reels - Profile) and youāll be able to swipe sideways between the different spaces.
Instagram launched animated Collages in Stories - itās easy, fun and likely to be a favourite if youāre trying to make your Stories a more appealing place for your followers to hang out! I havenāt got it yet š but Iām looking forward to having a play and experimenting with what happens if I download the videos to repurpose as Reels! š š š¼
If you want to learn how to use Instagram Stories to turn Instagram followers into readers, Iām going to be sharing everything writers and authors need to know about simple but effective Stories with my paid subscribers in November.
Upgrade your subscription to become a member of Too Much Instagram šš¼
Make Instagram feel simpler and lighter so you can use it for your book marketing and audience building without burning out.
Inside the TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM membership I support you with content ideas, tutorials, weekly access to personalised advice and pep talks to give you direction, clarity and momentum.
To become a member, upgrade your subscription now šš¼
If youāve 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 šā¤ļø
That article is really motivating!
ā..because readers can sense when an author is motivated by service and connection rather than sales or obligation.ā