Like a lot of folks, I spend a considerable amount of time on social media. I have a number of author accounts, which I use to post about my writing and about other lifestyle things, like my keto diet, or random stuff sometimes too.

In terms of selling books, does engagement on social media translate into sales? I think the best way to do this is to rank them on a scale. For the purpose of this post, I will use my scale as displayed in the image. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. This author website/my blog:

I’m not sure whether to count this blog as social media really, since it’s mostly just me posting and sending out into the ether, and I don’t often get a lot of engagement. Out of curiosity I looked at the clickthroughs this year to my bookstores. So far in 2024, I’ve had 20 clickthroughs to my Amazon US store and 9 to my Amazon UK store.

In 2023, I had 80 clickthroughs to my Amazon US store and 66 to my Amazon UK store.

Do I know how many of those clickthroughs translated into actual verifiable sales? No.

Conclusion =

Sadly, no proof! Nobody has ever left a comment on this blog to confirm whether or not they bought my books through my website links. But, the stats on the number of clickthroughs to my Amazon bookstores is enough evidence to keep this from being marked ‘useless’. Inconclusive!

2. Instagram

I use Instagram mostly to see what others in the writing community are up to as well as post my own book updates or share promotional reels. Instagram is my favourite of all my socials as I tend to get the most engagement out of it. Over the years I have picked up a few ARC readers there too, and I have also gained some readers there who have left reviews of my books. I have also seen a comment by a reader saying to the person who shared my post that they had heard of my book after seeing it on a reel.

Conclusion =

Is it helpful? A lot! I have been contacted through DMs on Instagram by readers who have bought my books after finding them through my posts or reels. Useful!

3. Facebook

I have a private Facebook for a small number of family and friends, and a public Author Facebook. A few of my friends and family have bought some of my more popular titles, and on my public Author Facebook, I have connected with some fellow authors in the writing community; a few of those lovely folks have bought some of my books too.

Conclusion =

Is it helpful? A bit. Since I’m more keen on reaching new readers than those within my circle of family and friends (and there are only 5 f&f who have EVER bought my books in any event, lol) I count this as being of limited use.

4. Tiktok

Some of my recent videos on Tiktok have had thousands of views, or hundreds of likes. But, how many of those are from bots? Since Tiktok doesn’t allow anyone to add external links unless they have over a thousand followers (and my followers are in double digits, lol) and I haven’t had comments from anyone on Tiktok to confirm whether or not they have bought any of my books after seeing my videos, I think the evidence speaks for itself.

Conclusion =

Is it helpful? Useless! It is fun though, although it can be a time waster for me scrolling through random booktok accounts, or weight-loss before and after videos.

5. X (Twitter)

I’m not really sure why I have a Twitter/X account as I have virtually no engagement and dislike being limited in what I can write. Nevertheless, on a few occasions, I’ve had readers comment that they borrowed my books from Libraries NI after seeing my posts, and a few readers have also read my books on Kindle Unlimited after finding my profile.

Conclusion=

Is it helpful? A bit. In fact, useful enough that I do still post on Twitter/X from time to time. All publicity is helpful for an Indie author.

6. LinkedIn

I used to engage much more on LinkedIn about a decade ago; these days I tend to use it to advertise my blog posts or YouTube videos. I sometimes get congratulated on a book release, and often get a smattering of likes on posts, but I’ve never had anyone verify whether or not they bought any of my titles from seeing my posts.

Conclusion=

Is it helpful? Useless! All publicity is good publicity though, and as long as my book covers are visible to readers through posts, it’s worth posting on LinkedIn anyway.

7. YouTube

My videos on YouTube get very little views, likes, or engagement. I haven’t figured out a way to find out if anyone clicks through to my Amazon bookstores through there either. I tend to get SEO harassment through YouTube by scam digital marketers, which is proof that people are clearly seeing my videos though – even if I have to keep blocking the scammers.

Conclusion=

Is it helpful? Useless! I would prefer readers, not digital marketing scammers! But again, as above, publicity is publicity.

In summary

I have found that some social media is more useful than others for author promotion, but in my view, it’s free – all it costs me is time – so is it worth it? Yes. I think as long as I’m getting my book covers out there and making impressions on people, it’s a win-win.

Posted by on April 20, 2024 in promotion and tagged , , , , .

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About Leilanie Stewart

Leilanie Stewart is an award-winning author and poet from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She writes ghost and psychological horror, as well as experimental poetry. Her writing confronts the nature of self; her novels feature main characters on a dark psychological journey who have a crisis and create a new sense of identity. She began writing for publication while working as an English teacher in Japan, a career pathway that has influenced themes in her writing. Her former career as an Archaeologist has also inspired her writing and she has incorporated elements of archaeology and mythology into both her fiction and poetry. In addition to promoting her own work, Leilanie runs Bindweed Anthologies, a creative writing publication with her writer husband, Joseph Robert. Aside from publishing pursuits, Leilanie enjoys spending time with her husband and their lively literary lad, a voracious reader of sea monster books.

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