I've been a fan of Instagram for a long time, and use it for work, but I'll now be leaving because I don't want to give money to Zuckerberg and thus to Trump. I've watched as viewing numbers for me and others have fallen dramatically since January, particularly since February, with a lot of people leaving for the same reasons. While I'm still there, making the transition away (and more on Substack as a result), I won't look/pause/stop at any sponsored content, which generates revenue for the company. Just sayin'--I'm not alone. There are healthier ways to promote books.
I’ve been on Instagram forever—or at least, it feels that way. Just recently, I found my way to Substack. (I'm really enjoying it).
I heard a YouTuber describe Instagram as a cheap bag of chips—content lasts for a blink, then it’s gone. No real depth. But it is great for discovery, which is why I can see your reel getting so many likes.
1. Your cover is so eye-catching—it immediately grabs attention.
2. Instagram is overflowing with ‘aesthetic’ reels (which I love), but there’s so much ‘beautiful’ that we barely notice it anymore. So when something simple—unpolished, not overly edited—shows up, we do take notice.
I’ve also found that when writers share their words—whether it’s a video of them writing, a photo of typed text, or even a simple graphic—it stands out. And often, it’s shareable, which Instagram loves.
I did a little TikTok experiment at the end of last year and really enjoyed it. Posted for 40 days—just simple talking-head videos—and gained just over 1,000 followers. Pretty sure there’s an all-ears audience for your niche, and your brilliant book cover would grab attention instantly.
Watching reels is my 'don't want to think' activity too and it's something that feels distinctly unfashionable in this age of digital disdain but I just love a silly video about dogs or gymnasts being impressive! For what it's worth, and with my professional hat on, I just LOVE seeing wrtiers and authors throwing themselves into their online activity with a 'f**k it, what can *actually* go wrong' attitude. Readers are not going to follow you for your slick video skills, they're going to follow you for your ideas, and any slight awkwardness is part of the charm!
I hope you do TikTok Kate! I’ve stopped following a lot of people on instagram because my feed gets so full, I miss too much and takes too long to scroll through… so I’ve started following on TikTok instead. I haven’t posted anything myself there, but like to see videos, makes the content more fun and personal. No perfection needed!!
You didn't get fifty thousand likes? Let's change that! Unfortunately, my Like button became inactive last year, and the bot is still scratching its head. So consider yourself liked. Also couldn't you approach writing Substacks with an invitation to review? And by review, it better be positive, which I'm sure wouldn't be hard. We're here to help each other. Or so I've been led to believe : )
Thank you so much for saying that everything doesn't have to be perfect. I'm working on a Substack to post a lot of my writing and watching the 'how to' YouTube videos makes me want to give up 'cause I'm never going to find the time to get it as perfect as they are suggesting it has to be. So good for you to be just going ahead and doing what you can do when you can do it.
I've pre-ordered the e-book of your new book but now I'm thinking I should order the hardcover as well.
LOVE!! This is so great. And you're so right, trying to maximize or play the algorithm game only leads to madness and frustration. But I heard a phrase the other day that I love--this type of content creating online isn't about numbers, but about increasing your 'luck surface area.' I thought that was a great way to look at it! The more surface area you cover, in fun and easy ways for you, the more places luck has to land :)
I'm with you! I'm a writer, not a video-maker, talent in a video, or reel spinner on social. (a generational thing for me) Until . . . a book promo is involved! My written words may sometimes not produce many reader responses, but watchers of video of a face awkwardly speaking live words for some reason does.
Yes!! Video is just so much work! I have to admit I was soooo relieved when I discovered I could schedule Instagram posts. That way I can make a bunch at a time when I have the energy/inspiration then schedule them to be spread out. I don't have to be online constantly to post things, thank goodness! (It also means you can set it for whatever is the time people are supposed to be most likely to see it)
In the app. It's not the most obvious process but I don't want to pay for a third party app/site because all of the ones I've used have been such a nuisance (I did a lot of research, tried about five of them). I write my captions in a document though, then copy and paste them because I prefer typing on my laptop rather than my phone.
Love your down to earth insights. I will (undetermined timeline, not great) be trying out Pinterest for static and video posts since I’m not on Instagram or TikTok. But also not a fan of putting my face on the internet! So we’ll see how that goes. 100% for the long term, culmination of effort though. (And also guilty of YouTube shorts when I want to disconnect. Not great, I feel that, but trying to work on reading more, starting with paperback Michael Chrichton)
Great video, Kate. Something I think about when trying to promote my book: How can what I say be useful to the audience? Like, my latest book is about The Birmingham campaign of 1963, and when I promote it I'm constantly thinking about leadership traits to share with an audience.
Being useful applies for any traditional media hit, too. A couple weeks ago, I went on Morning Joe to discuss the book. I thought about how I could make the conversation about more than the book, how I could make it about what it means to be alive in 2025.
This is really helpful. My book is in the submissions process (and I'm slowly dying as I wait) but I have been encouraged to "build an audience" via social media. But I'm a fiction writer so I have been so stuck! This makes it feel doable and is a nice reminder perfection isn't the goal (although I think your video looks great!). Thanks for this.
I can relate to this so much! I saw the video and loved it. I posted my first Insta reel yesterday, too, partly to promote my new book “Slip.” It was far from perfect, but it surprisingly got some traction. My book is coming out in August, and it’s a Simon Element book like yours. Can’t wait to read “Write Through It”! ☺️
I've been a fan of Instagram for a long time, and use it for work, but I'll now be leaving because I don't want to give money to Zuckerberg and thus to Trump. I've watched as viewing numbers for me and others have fallen dramatically since January, particularly since February, with a lot of people leaving for the same reasons. While I'm still there, making the transition away (and more on Substack as a result), I won't look/pause/stop at any sponsored content, which generates revenue for the company. Just sayin'--I'm not alone. There are healthier ways to promote books.
Hi Kate,
I’ve been on Instagram forever—or at least, it feels that way. Just recently, I found my way to Substack. (I'm really enjoying it).
I heard a YouTuber describe Instagram as a cheap bag of chips—content lasts for a blink, then it’s gone. No real depth. But it is great for discovery, which is why I can see your reel getting so many likes.
1. Your cover is so eye-catching—it immediately grabs attention.
2. Instagram is overflowing with ‘aesthetic’ reels (which I love), but there’s so much ‘beautiful’ that we barely notice it anymore. So when something simple—unpolished, not overly edited—shows up, we do take notice.
I’ve also found that when writers share their words—whether it’s a video of them writing, a photo of typed text, or even a simple graphic—it stands out. And often, it’s shareable, which Instagram loves.
I did a little TikTok experiment at the end of last year and really enjoyed it. Posted for 40 days—just simple talking-head videos—and gained just over 1,000 followers. Pretty sure there’s an all-ears audience for your niche, and your brilliant book cover would grab attention instantly.
Also I have your book in my cart. ♡
xx
Kim
I like that approach. Maybe you’ll give me the courage to do the same. Thanks for sharing.
Brava! I shared the video, too. I think it’s great.
Just ordered your book.😊
Watching reels is my 'don't want to think' activity too and it's something that feels distinctly unfashionable in this age of digital disdain but I just love a silly video about dogs or gymnasts being impressive! For what it's worth, and with my professional hat on, I just LOVE seeing wrtiers and authors throwing themselves into their online activity with a 'f**k it, what can *actually* go wrong' attitude. Readers are not going to follow you for your slick video skills, they're going to follow you for your ideas, and any slight awkwardness is part of the charm!
I hope you do TikTok Kate! I’ve stopped following a lot of people on instagram because my feed gets so full, I miss too much and takes too long to scroll through… so I’ve started following on TikTok instead. I haven’t posted anything myself there, but like to see videos, makes the content more fun and personal. No perfection needed!!
You didn't get fifty thousand likes? Let's change that! Unfortunately, my Like button became inactive last year, and the bot is still scratching its head. So consider yourself liked. Also couldn't you approach writing Substacks with an invitation to review? And by review, it better be positive, which I'm sure wouldn't be hard. We're here to help each other. Or so I've been led to believe : )
Thank you so much for saying that everything doesn't have to be perfect. I'm working on a Substack to post a lot of my writing and watching the 'how to' YouTube videos makes me want to give up 'cause I'm never going to find the time to get it as perfect as they are suggesting it has to be. So good for you to be just going ahead and doing what you can do when you can do it.
I've pre-ordered the e-book of your new book but now I'm thinking I should order the hardcover as well.
LOVE!! This is so great. And you're so right, trying to maximize or play the algorithm game only leads to madness and frustration. But I heard a phrase the other day that I love--this type of content creating online isn't about numbers, but about increasing your 'luck surface area.' I thought that was a great way to look at it! The more surface area you cover, in fun and easy ways for you, the more places luck has to land :)
I'm with you! I'm a writer, not a video-maker, talent in a video, or reel spinner on social. (a generational thing for me) Until . . . a book promo is involved! My written words may sometimes not produce many reader responses, but watchers of video of a face awkwardly speaking live words for some reason does.
Yes!! Video is just so much work! I have to admit I was soooo relieved when I discovered I could schedule Instagram posts. That way I can make a bunch at a time when I have the energy/inspiration then schedule them to be spread out. I don't have to be online constantly to post things, thank goodness! (It also means you can set it for whatever is the time people are supposed to be most likely to see it)
Are you scheduling them in the app or using a 3rd party app/site?
In the app. It's not the most obvious process but I don't want to pay for a third party app/site because all of the ones I've used have been such a nuisance (I did a lot of research, tried about five of them). I write my captions in a document though, then copy and paste them because I prefer typing on my laptop rather than my phone.
Love your down to earth insights. I will (undetermined timeline, not great) be trying out Pinterest for static and video posts since I’m not on Instagram or TikTok. But also not a fan of putting my face on the internet! So we’ll see how that goes. 100% for the long term, culmination of effort though. (And also guilty of YouTube shorts when I want to disconnect. Not great, I feel that, but trying to work on reading more, starting with paperback Michael Chrichton)
Great video, Kate. Something I think about when trying to promote my book: How can what I say be useful to the audience? Like, my latest book is about The Birmingham campaign of 1963, and when I promote it I'm constantly thinking about leadership traits to share with an audience.
Being useful applies for any traditional media hit, too. A couple weeks ago, I went on Morning Joe to discuss the book. I thought about how I could make the conversation about more than the book, how I could make it about what it means to be alive in 2025.
I wrote about how I tried to do that in this post: https://substack.com/home/post/p-156393140?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
To that extent it's helpful, Kate, I thought I'd share it with your audience, too.
This is really helpful. My book is in the submissions process (and I'm slowly dying as I wait) but I have been encouraged to "build an audience" via social media. But I'm a fiction writer so I have been so stuck! This makes it feel doable and is a nice reminder perfection isn't the goal (although I think your video looks great!). Thanks for this.
Honestly, just talk about books you like/are reading. You'd be surprised how well that can work.
That's my thinking too-thank you for the reassurances and the modeling of how to do it
I can relate to this so much! I saw the video and loved it. I posted my first Insta reel yesterday, too, partly to promote my new book “Slip.” It was far from perfect, but it surprisingly got some traction. My book is coming out in August, and it’s a Simon Element book like yours. Can’t wait to read “Write Through It”! ☺️
YAY! Imprint siblings!!!!