Laura Howard: Effective Tweeting with Tonya Kappes

7/23/12

Effective Tweeting with Tonya Kappes


When I ask other writers what they do to market and promote their novels, I get the big ole eye roll!

But why?

Marketing and promoting has NEVER been easier! Easy? Can you stop with the eye roll already?

Let me take a moment to explain. Believe it or not, you have a PR personality (Check out my blog post to take the test and see what your PR personality is HERE.)

It doesn’t matter if you are on introvert or extrovert, the internet has made it easier than ever to market and promote. And the fastest way to reach your target audience and gain a loyal following among your peers and readers is effectively using Twitter.

Another eye roll?? I’m starting to get offended…

I know we are all writers and it’s hard for us to say anything in 140 characters. How do we effectively market in 140 characters?

I’m glad you asked.

The most important thing on TWITTER is the # (hashtag).

But you have to # effectively or you will never reach the target audience you want to reach.
There are certain hashtags I use to get to my target audience. For instance, when I want to tweet my blog, I hashtag my tweet with keywords that will help me reach blog readers- #reader #marketing #indieauthor #amwriting (url here) or use #amediting #writertip #promoting #writer.

These hashtags help me reach you, my target blog audience.

When I tweet my book, I use #mystery #ebook #2.99 #bestseller #womansleuth #beadedjewelry #streetteam. Those hashtags help me reach my target reading audience.

Here are some tips to help # your way to success:

1) Pick KEY hashtags. Like I said earlier, pick hashtags that are already out there. Don't make up your hashtag that NO ONE will see. If you aren't sure what hashtags to use, go to the search box on Twitter and start typing in key words that will help you find your target audience.

2) Keep your tweet short. Sometimes you can do too many hashtags and the reader gets lost in the tweet. Even though you are limited to 140 characters, that too can be too many sometimes. You have to pick out key words to get their attention.

Here are some popular hashtags for writers:

#amediting  posts from people who are editing
#amwriting  posts from people who are writing
#askagent  agent questions and answers
#author
#authors
#editing
#fictionfriday
#fridayflash  flash fiction on a Friday
#nanowrimo  national novel writing month
#novels
#novelists
#poem
#poet
#poets
#poetry
#pubtip  publication tips
#publishing
#scifi
#selfpublishing
#vss   very short story
#webfic  web fiction
#weblit   web literature
#wip   work in progress
#wordcount
#writegoal
#writequote
#writer
#writers
#writetip  writing advice
#writing
#writingtips  writing advice
#wrotetoday  

Some hashtags are specifically “chats” – which means they work in the same way as all tags, but are mainly used at certain agreed times :  

#journchat
#kidlitchat
#litchat
#scifichat
#scribechat
#storycraft
#writechat
#yalitchat   young adult literature chat  

Don’t just think about your tweets. You have to give back! 

Your likability factor is a key to tweeting.

If you only promote yourself, readers and your peers will see right through it. Make sure that you are giving back and retweeting your author friends.

AND connect with your readers! Since I write mystery and novels with jewelry beading themes, I make sure I go to those hashtag groups and interact with those tweepeople.

I have found some GREAT targeted bloggers in these groups. For example, my target audience is jewelry beaders for my novel CarpeBead ‘em. Through effective hashtags, I have found some great blogs that teach people how to make jewelry or blogs where they gather to talk about beading. I began to follow those blogs and comment. Once I became ingrained into their community, I asked if I could write a guest post about why I love beading and how I wrote a novel about it.

This is a great way to gain new readers and loyal followers on Twitter!

So get your tweet on and # effectively to reach your target audience.

Do you tweet effectively?






Tonya is an Amazon Movers and Shakers, and International bestselling author. She writes humorous cozy mystery and women’s fiction that involves quirky characters in quirky situations.
Splitsville.com, the first novel in the Olivia Davis Mystery Series, is a double finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Mystery and Humorous Categories.


Carpe Bead ‘em  is a finalist in Amazon’s eFestival of Words in the Women’s Fiction Category.

She travels to various writer's groups giving workshops on marketing and promoting no matter where you are in your career or what journey you take in publication. Tricked Out Toolbox~Marketing andPromoting Tools Every Writer Needs is a bestselling non-fiction novel where Tonya teaches writers how she made it to International bestselling status with her marketing plan.
Become a member of Tonya’s STREET TEAM! It’s a gathering place of readers who love Tonya Kappes novels and Tonya gives away monthly prizes! To sign up for Tonya’s STREET TEAM, newsletter, view book trailer, and upcoming news, check out Tonya’s website, Tonyakappes.blogspot.com.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4423580.Tonya_Kappes

8 comments:

  1. Great list of useful hashtags. I also like to use hashtags.org to find useful tags. Thanks Laura and Tonya!

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  2. This could not be more timely for me, Laura, as you know from earlier FB exchange! I am faovriting, I am sharing...I am henceforth hashtagging! I've often wondered abot the mysterious lil tic-tac-toes...now I have a point of reference! Great stuff!

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  3. I'm an extrovert, but I always forget about hastags!!! I needed the reminder ..... #thankyou

    :) Lauren

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  4. Hi, Julia! I'm so glad these are helpful to you! If you know anymore, please share!

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  5. Charonschatter, I'm so glad you have a reference point. Another good trick is to search a hashtag that you would like to use and see if it is being used or something similar.

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  6. Cute, Lauren! I'm a BIG extrovert as well, but that's the best thing about online marketing. The other people on the other side of the computer has no idea if we are introvert or extrovert.

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  7. OMG, I think I have tears in my eyes. Someone else who likes to bead! I don't have beading in any of my novels (yet), but I do have some fine medieval embroidery in my romance novel.

    I'm going to have to work on my tweeting more. I need to be hitting up the vampire lovers for my debut novel.

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  8. After reading some nice stuff in your article I really feel speechlessstreet teams

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