This week I reached 15,000 tweets! Read my first blog post to find out how I began https://wendysteele.com/2018/09/25/tweeting-milestone-15k-and-beyond/

In this post, I’m sharing tips on how I began to expand the world of Wendy Woo on Twitter.

A good photo goes a long way. Although Twitter is about words, I’ve found photos to be really useful.

Hashtags are a must, but before I get into talking about them, I wanted to say that the writing games where you share a line of your WIP have been inspirational. I began with #1linewed, liking and RTing others interesting, lyrical and pertinent lines, and then posting one or two of my own.

For new writers especially, joining in with #1linewed, #Btr2sday, #MuseMon, #Thurds or #FictFri to name but a few, is a really good way for readers to check out your writing style. One word of caution; post your Tweet with care because first impressions count. A badly constructed sentence with spelling or grammar mistakes does not say to the writing community ‘I’m an accomplished writer’. The hashtag games I’ve mentioned have a theme, but some games just ask for a line or two from your WIP that you want to share.

None of the above allow you to attach a buying link and I love that. If people are interested or curious about the line you’ve tweeted, they’ll check out your profile where you’ll have a link to where they can find you and your books.

A quick word about your Twitter profile; you have very few words in which to describe yourself. I chose to link with the words on the home page of my web site and my business card ‘Author. Wise Woman. Goddess.’ Those three words encompass the many aspects of me that I share with social media. With the link to my website, and the FREE stories on my YouTube channel, readers who see me on social media immediately have ways to read my blog, find my books, share my passion for dancing and plant based food, and listen to me reading them a story.

Finally, hashtags. Hashtags are vital. Instead of your tweet disappearing into the ether, hashtags direct it to groups where others may follow posts or be interested when hashtags become popular and show up as such on your home page. In my little marketing book, I have a page of collected hashtags and endeavour to sprinkle them through my tweets. As an independent author, #IARTG (Independent authors retweeting group) is useful and I make sure I RT others from the group. This summer #beachreads has proved popular, but may not work as well in the winter. Spend a little time exploring and find #hashtags that will work well for you.

I hope sharing my Twitter journey with you has been useful and I look forward to ‘meeting’ you there @WendyWooauthor.

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