Twitter/X has gotten a bad reputation for being a place where people go to complain or rant. But, it can be a very effective tool to not only increase your sales, but make contacts that can help you gain more writing jobs and to grow in your career. The social media site can be a game-changer for you as an author, but only if you know how to leverage its capabilities.

Get involved in hashtag communities.
Getting involved in hashtag communities will introduce you to writers all over the world, especially those in your genre. Using #writingcommunity is one way to get started. Anyone can use a hashtag, but you can’t just stick it on a tweet and leave it at that. Your tweet needs to be something that involves that community, and isn’t just shameless self-promotion.

In the writing community on Twitter/X, you’ll find many writers eager to share not only what’s going on in their careers, but the good things happening in yours. Check out other communities, too, like #amwriting and #writerslife.

Follow, follow, and follow…selectively.
You’re not going to grow your account if you don’t follow more people. One of the best ways to find new followers is to visit the followers of other authors or writers in your genre or within those Twitter/X communities. You also want to follow industry professionals like literary agents, conference chairs, and literary attorneys. Even if they don’t follow you back, you will gain invaluable information from their timeline.

Participate in #writerslifts.
Practically every day of the week, you can find someone doing a #writerslift on Twitter/X. It’s a great way for writers to boost one another. Sometimes, you’ll be invited to share news about your book, links to your book, or even to your blog, and that information will be retweeted by the original poster. They’ll, of course, want you to retweet as well, but don’t just retweet! Add your own comment to the post first. By doing so, you’re inviting conversation. This retweeting adds energy to your timeline, keeping it active.

Review and include other writers in your articles and tweets.
This has been one of the best things I’ve ever done with Twitter/X. I’m an entertainment journalist so, if I’m writing an article about a specific television series, I make sure to share that article with the executive producer and the other behind-the-scenes crew. By doing so, I’ve been able to connect with these individuals, which has resulted in obtaining interviews and quotes I can use in additional articles. In addition, just a retweet from some of those accounts boosted my views on those articles.

You should also share the link to any article, short story, or essay you’ve written, which should include a shoutout to the publication as well as any editor you worked with. That helps the site’s bottom line as well, which can be a positive for you if you’re interested in writing for them in the future.

Involve Your Followers with the #readingcommunity.
Your tweets should involve your followers. Do you retweet what they’ve shared? Do you engage them in conversation, congratulate them on achievements, or thank them when they retweet you? If you don’t think you have anything interesting to say to keep your followers active, consider the things you would talk about if you were face to face with them. Talk to potential readers, not just at them.

Twitter/X can be a powerful way to boost your bottom line, find an army of writers who are willing to help, and to discover new readers. That’s a lot of return on an investment of only 280 characters!

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Currently, a freelance editor/writer residing in historic Charleston, South Carolina, Rachel has written over 1500 non-fiction articles, short stories and essays. Her work can be found in Absolute Write, The New York Times, Short-Edition, The Writer, The Writer’s Journal, Writing for Dollars, Writer’s Magazine, Writer’s Weekly, Funds for Writers, and more.

When she’s not writing, she loves to read historical fiction. She also creates book videos, is an avid shopper, a HUGE Star Trek fan, a traveler, and an antique store addict.

Visit her website at: RachelCarrington.com