A Courtship with Twitter: The Why’s and How’s of Tweeting

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

When I give presentations on blogging and social media, I often hear folks expressing concern over the difficulty of finding readers for their blogs. I know the feeling. You’re going through all of this trouble to post something special, and then no one shows up to read it.

It’s one step removed from having a conversation with yourself.

I’ve heard lots of people unfamiliar with Twitter deride it as a silly exercise in narcissism. For those new to blogging and social media, it’s either intimidating or simply beyond their comprehension.

However, if you want people to read your blog, to learn about your work, and to hopefully pass it on to others, Twitter is an indispensable tool that you’ll learn to love once you figure it out. By signing up and then learning a simple program such as Tweet Deck (or HootSuite), you’ll soon find yourself tweeting the praises of this service. Here are a few reasons why you need to start tweeting:

It’s Easy to Follow and Connect

Start off by following all of your favorite bloggers and authors. Also do searches for those with similar interests. Using a tool like “Twitter Local” will enable you to search for users in your locale.

Following them is as easy as a click, they’ll receive an e-mail that you’re following them, and they may even follow you back. Over time you’ll notice mentions and “ReTweets” (RT) that are particularly interesting, and now you have other interesting folks to follow. After you have a few followers, sign in to Mr. Tweet to get recommendations of others to follow.

It’s Easy to Share Information

OK, now you’re on Twitter and you have a few followers, but what’s next? Did you just finish a blog post and begin to worry that no one will read it? Copy the link to your post, type something like this into the status update in Tweet Deck: “New blog post ‘Title’”, and then paste the link in there. Tweet Deck can shorten the link for you automatically.

Once you send it out there, you’ve just alerted folks to your blog post. About three to four hours later post a reminder tweet that your blog post is our there just in case anyone missed it. If someone loves your post, they may Retweet it and share it with others.

It’s a Community

As you post your own updates, share links, and send out blog post alerts, you’ll find yourself in conversations with other users on Twitter. You can either reply with a public comment or you can send a private direct message to someone who has reciprocated your follow.

You’ll find your network of friends and colleagues expanding, your knowledge of blogs and other valuable information growing, and your own work reaching new readers. I find that I rarely check my RSS subscriptions these days since I’m already following my favorite bloggers in Twitter.

The Love You Take…

Twitter is only as good as your last tweet, so be sure to write up valuable updates, share solid content, and ReTweet generously when you find something excellent. Twitter is one of those services that can become a huge waste if you don’t manage your time and content wisely.

As the Beatles said, “The love you take is equal to the love you make.”

Put into it’s proper place, Twitter is an indispensable networking, marketing, and friend-making tool that in many cases thrives on excellence and generosity. For bloggers worried about finding readers for their posts, Twitter is the perfect place to spark the conversations all writers long to have.

Amazon Associates Now Integrates with Twitter

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

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Amazon has added a great new feature for Associates that integrates an associates ID with links to books on Twitter. Users can now post links to books right from the Amazon home page, much like posting from a news site.

This is a great way to utilize Twitter in both making book recommendations and providing an extra revenue stream. This will not be for everyone, but for those engaged in recommending books, products, or in sharing expertise in a particular field, I see some potential for growth.

After using Amazon Associates for a good two to three years on my blog and e-mail newsletter, I personally haven’t seen too much of a need for it in those mediums. For the most part this is tied to my blog’s topic (Christian theology), the number of readers I draw, and the income generated per sale doesn’t make it worth the effort to embed my associates ID with every book.

To make it worth my while I would need a wider audience and more marketable products to sell. An economic recovery wouldn’t hurt either. If I blogged on politics, technology, marketing, or online commerce, I could very well see the value in generating revenue from an associates account on book and other product purchases.

Nevertheless, from time to time I recommend books, mark some for my wish list, or save others in my del.icio.us bookmarks. Using this Twitter feature is yet another way to share content with friends. The potential to earn even a quarter adds a little incentive to do something I would consider doing without the promise of revenue.

The e-mail notice I received from Amazon said the following:

By clicking on the Share on Twitter button in the Site Stripe, a new window will open and an Amazon-generated message is pre populated in the ‘What are you doing?’ text area of your Twitter account (you may be asked to log in to your Twitter account). That message will include a shortened URL that already includes your Associates ID. You’ll have the option to edit this message or simply hit the ‘Update’ button to post to your Twitter account. When Twitter users click on the link in your post and make a qualifying sale, you’ll earn referral fees.

With the immediacy, large number of potential readers, and ability to share that Twitter provides, I think this is a great idea. Though I’ve given up on using Amazon Associates on my web site, I think I’ll give this Share on Twitter feature a shot.

Selecting Influencers for a Book Release: The Solution

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Wrapping up my 3-part series on selecting influencers for a book release…

The goal of an influencer mailing for a newly published book is to put your book into the hands of folks with trusted names, contact with a large audience, and a willingness or ability to endorse your book. Missing any of these three things will mean your book either ends up on someone’s shelf or at least doesn’t reach a wide group of potential readers.

The solution is to carefully balance the kinds of influencers you contact. It is rare to find an influencer who meets all three criteria perfectly. Nevertheless, it’s worth sending copies to well-known influencers in the media or in your field, especially if you’ve had contact with them in the past.

Let’s say you send out 5-15 of your 50 influencer copies to folks in this camp. Maybe they won’t have the time to take a look at your book, but should they endorse it, you’ll have a chance to reach a broader audience. It may be worth taking a chance on some radio personalities, especially if their shows connect with your potential readers.

The next 20-30 copies should go to those who have a solid following or niche that trusts them and will be willing to interact with your work. There are a lot of very good blogs and podcasts out there with readers and listeners who may very well give your book a shot. In fact, because these are highly interactive networks with a higher trust factor than perhaps those with a bigger name, the potential readers in these networks may be more willing to buy your book.

I think this segment is easy to overlook because their reach may be in the hundreds or low thousands. However, keep in mind that these influencers will be easier to contact, more likely to interact with you, and have a lot more to gain if you can provide content for their blogs/podcasts as opposed to a major media player with lots of options for their shows. In addition, providing these bloggers and podcasters with a free book or two to give away always helps.

Lastly, never underestimate those the power of those with small audiences who are still very trusted and willing to endorse your book. Be sure to set aside about 10-15 copies for this group. With Twitter and Facebook even the smallest blogs can easily plug a book among hundreds of people. If you can provide an influencer who is passionate about your book with some great interviews, excerpts, and a free copy to review, your book may receive a lot more attention than a brief endorsement from a well-known influencer.

At the end of the day, it’s most important that authors connect with influencers who are passionate about their work and willing to talk about it. If you can put a free copy of your book into the hands of someone willing to talk about it, you’ve done the most important part of an influencer mailing.

Nevertheless, your work is not done. Authors need to make themselves available to help each influencer talk about their work, supporting them, and driving traffic to their web sites. Book publicity is always a two-way street. There is no room for the entitled author.

Previously…

Selecting Influencers for a Book Release: The Problem

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Continuing my 3-part series on selecting influencers for a book release…

When you begin selecting influential people to help spread the word about your book, keep in mind the three qualities that you’re looking for: trusted names, contact with a large audience, and a willingness or ability to endorse your book.

In compiling my own list of influencers I worked very hard to contact those with large audiences and a trusted name, but I didn’t necessarily gauge the likelihood that they would plug my book. Keep in mind that the bigger a name, the more books he/she will receive. They can’t read every book that comes onto their desks, and so the question is, “Will this person both read and talk about my book?”

If an influencer doesn’t read your book, it’s nothing personal. There are only so many hours in a day. In addition, some may hope to read and talk about your book with their audience only for your book to fall through the cracks. Within days of receiving my book one well-meaning influencer realized he wouldn’t have time to read it and so he gave it away on his web site.

No exactly the ideal publicity you’re aiming for.

And so the challenge you face is balancing the audience size and trust of an influencer with that person’s ability to plug book whether in conversations or in an online or on-air review. However, the right kind of influencer for your book may not have that large of an audience and may even look quite different from what you expcet.

The next installments in this series…

  • Selecting influencers for a book release: The Solution

Previously…

Selecting Influencers for a Book Release: The Goal

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Before a book releases it is important for authors to assemble lists of influencers who can help promote and possibly add a public endorsement that will prompt others to buy their books. For instance, if a respected author, radio personality, or, in my case, pastor of a large congregation recommends a book, especially saying it’s a must-read, then a book may well receive a bump in sales.

Selling a book tends to be a very personal, one on one process. Advertising may raise awareness, but anything from a friend’s recommendation, a book seller’s comments, or an online review often makes the difference between a book staying on the shelf or ending up on the nightstand. In addition, a series of solid reviews do not guarantee brisk sales, just as negative reviews do not equal a book’s doom.

There is plenty of competition these days for not only the public’s attention, but also for the public’s disposable income. When trusted authorities recommend a book, authors have one more way to connect a book with readers. Influencers can vouch for an author’s credibility and provide a broad point of connection with potential readers.

The ideal influencers will have trusted names, contact with a large audience, and a willingness to endorse your book. Influencers may lead to direct sales or at least give readers another reason to recommend your book.

An influencer without one of these three qualities may not be a helpful contact. In the next post of this series I’ll look into some of the problems authors encounter in putting together an influencer list.

The next installments in this series…

The Best E-Mail Newsletters Service for Writers and Artists

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

I’ve spent a lot of time and even a little money looking into e-mail newsletter services. I think my search is finally over.

A friend of mine who’s an editor and an agent, a guy who strikes me as pretty smart and sharp, sent out a very professional-looking e-mail newsletter with Mail Chimp. I’m pretty sure he used the free option.

I’ve already been using the Mail Chimp two-column newsletter template for two years. It’s sharp, easy to customize, and easy to read. Now I’m sold on Mail Chimp as a newsletter service.

Most services either have a monthly fee or a steep one-time fee. In my own case, I’m sending out a newsletter once a month to just over 100 subscribers. I have no longer have any interest in buying a service such as AWeber with all of the bells and whistles. In fact, I found AWeber a bit too advanced and expensive ($20 per month) for my needs. Perhaps it’s the best bet for a large company, but all I want to do is safely send nice-looking newsletters and look at a few stats regarding who opened it and what they clicked on.

That’s right, I know who reads my newsletters.

Mail Chimp does all of that, and now is offering a plan called Forever Free. Your contact list can grow to 500 subscribers and you have 3,000 sends per month. So even at the top end of your subscription limit, you can send 6 newsletters per month. In addition, the newsletter set up, subscriber list import, and dashboard features are ridiculously intuitive.

I found AWeber unnecessarily difficult to navigate, and the newsletter set up features confusing. I lost a couple e-mail drafts because it’s so darn quirky. They constantly offered webinars to teach you how to use the service, but I’d much rather use a service I can figure out the first time I use it. I know AWeber has its evangelists, but I’m now a believer in Mail Chimp.

For a writer or an artist who simply wants to keep in touch with friends and to offer some free content and promotions, I can’t imagine ever needing anything other than Mail Chimp.

When Does Self-Promotion on Social Media Go Too Far?

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

As a writer I’ve been regularly confronting the concept of self-promotion for a solid three years now. With online applications such as Twitter and Facebook many worry that we are not only falling into a nasty pattern of narcissism, but some businesses and sole-proprietor businesses will abuse their networks of family, friends, and acquaintances to make a buck.

I’d like to tackle this from the perspective of a writer. Writers face the tricky matter of essentially “selling” ourselves and our talents of weaving words together. Readers and publishers look for someone with name recognition, and so writers must think of ways they can “make a name for themselves.” If you’re familiar with the biblical story of the tower of Babel, you may recall that the attempt of humanity to do such a thing resulted in their language being garbled by God.

Such a prospect is not necessarily encouraging for writers—especially a Christian writer.

The only way I can see handling this delicate matter of self-promotion in a way that avoids the exploitation of friends, family, and acquaintances is the following:

  1. Only promote what may help them. If I’m hoping they’ll buy my book and I send updates and links their way to that end, then the book I write should be of value to them.
  2. Don’t bombard anyone. I try to only send a manageable number of updates about myself and my work via twitter and facebook. I don’t want anyone to become tired of my endless stream of self-promotion. Everyone has a different limit here, so be cautious.
  3. It’s not all business. Part of keeping in touch with friends and family is adding some color from your own life, sharing pictures and stories that may be funny, interesting, or unusual. Don’t stick to mere work concerns in social media.

I can’t say for sure if I’ve done this perfectly, but as a writer who has to walk this fine line, I find that friends and family generally want to know what I’m up to. Therefore, it’s my job to keep them in the loop without wearing them out with my updates.

Managing a Blog Tour: The Day of the Post

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Having run a blog tour for Coffeehouse theology over the past three weeks, I’ve been learning from some of my mistakes, especially as I compare my tour with the tours of other authors. I think I have a few more clues regarding how to make the tour more effective an interesting.

For example, one author has been posting lists of links on his blog whenever bloggers review his book. It’s just a sea of hypertext without any individuality, nothing to set one review apart from another. I was essentially doing the same thing by simply writing one to two-line posts each day simply linking to whoever reviewed the book that day.

After seeing how disinterested I was in the hypertext sea of that other blogger, I started rethinking the way I share the blog reviews. Remember, these are incredibly valuable endorsements for my book, so it’s in my best interest to market them effectively.

I began by reading and rereading the blog posts about my book. After settling on a key paragraph that set that review apart from others, I copied and pasted it into a post for my own blog about that particular review. This gave me something substantial to discuss on my blog, provided interesting content for my readers, and offered a sampling of the review to tempt readers to click through. In the end readers have a better opportunity to decide whether or not they want to read the review, rather than glancing past a simple hyperlink.

Helping Readers Use Social Networking Tools

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Here are a few ways that readers can use online social networking tools to spread the word about your book.

I’ll be asking readers of Coffeehouse Theology to do at least one of these:

  • Write a Review…
  • Write a brief review at amazon.com, buy.com, borders.com, and barnesandnoble.com. These aren’t exactly “social networks,” but these reviews are sitting right at the point of sale, which is a tremendous tool if enough readers share their thoughts.
  • Post a review to your blog (looking to start a blog? Visit www.wordpress.com to set up a free account)
  • Add it to your Facebook profile
    • Add it to your book list
    • Add it to your Visual bookshelf or other book application. Share a brief review there.
    • Join the Coffeehouse Theology group
    • Post a link to the book’s page www.inamirrordimly.com/coffeehouse-theology/
  • Add it to your MySpace profile
  • Add it to your online library such as Library Thing or Shelfari

    • There are plenty of other tools out there that authors themselves can use, but as far as what readers can do, these are all simple ways they can talk back via reviewing and help spread the word of your book.