Back in 2013, we wrote a blog that outlined the basics of Twitter and how authors can use this social media platform to promote their work. Two years later, Twitter continues to grow, and is still a powerful tool to keep in your promotional toolkit.

Whether you’re just beginning to use Twitter, or have been using this social site for quite some time, it’s always helpful to explore some new promotional avenues. With that being said, let’s delve into some Twitter tricks to help you promote your book:

Keep your cool – One rule of thumb is to not be overly sales-y with your tweets. If you’ve seen it once you’ve seen it a hundred times: people outwardly posting tweets that say, “BUY MY BOOK!!” or something of that nature. More often than not, when you see a tweet like that, you’ll keep scrolling.  In short, write tweets that are more eloquent. This leads us to our next tip:

Be interesting – You want your tweets to amuse, help, inform and entertain your followers. As an author, you have the innate ability to write, so use your skill to craft great tweets that are informative and will grab your followers’ attention.

Bullseye – It’s extremely beneficial to know your audience and to determine what type of person will most likely buy your book. Once you’ve nailed down your target audience and their interests, you’ll be better equipped to aim for the bullseye. If you’ve written a children’s book, it’s the parents that you’ll want to reach. Send out tweets that offer tips, advice or even activities that parents can do with their children – bonus points if they’re loosely related to your book topic. These sorts of tweets will attract the type of followers that you are looking for, and can potentially lead to book sales.

Reciprocity – Ultimately, you want people to read and respond to your tweets. That’s exactly what others are aiming for as well. Open the lines of communication between you and your followers. Comment on something that they’ve shared, especially if it relates to your topic. Engage with your followers to show that you’ve noticed them and in return, they’ll notice you.

Short and sweet – As you may already know, you only get 140 characters to articulate your message in a tweet. So, when you want to promote your book via Twitter, don’t waste characters on a long URL. Rather, use a site that shortens links such as Ow.ly. This will enable you to include more valuable content within your tweet, all the while directing your followers to your website or other online promotional material.

Check back in the coming weeks for even more Twitter tips and tricks to help promote your book!