By Amelia Bashford, Misha Manani and Tanvi Jaiswal
Twitter is the social media platform with the largest book community. Almost everyone you know in publishing will have an account. There are often job adverts, book launch announcements, publishing rants and events being promoted there. #Publishing gets 310 tweets on average every day and #BookTwitter is commonly trending in the top twenty. Understanding the basics of Twitter is also important for those of you who are hoping to pursue a career in marketing, editorial or publicity, because running the company account may become your responsibility. We have selected some of our top tips, accounts to follow and great online courses to get you started today!
Top Accounts to Follow
@SYP_UK: the Society of Young Publishers is the account to follow if you are hoping to break into the industry or are in the early stages of your career. They regularly host events, such as book clubs and career talks, with networking opportunities as well.
@PublishingTea: this account shares the latest news and thoughts about the industry. It’s important to view the industry from different perspectives. You have to appreciate the honesty and authenticity that emanates when you visit this page.
@theericapp: they offer brilliant advice for those hoping to break into any creative industry, which includes publishing. The founders feature as guest panellists at events and even have a free creative careers app. Check it out here.
@thatpubblogger: champions for bringing unpaid internships to the front of people's minds. They share fair job opportunities in publishing, from entry-level roles to internships, and highlight economic injustices in the sector.
@samatlounge: possibly the loudest activist for diversity and equality in the publishing industry, Sam is a great person for learning about the highs and lows in the industry.
The Upskilling Team’s Advice
Create an account: this may seem obvious, but we cannot stress how useful it is to have a Twitter account. You will find out the latest industry and book news and your job hunt will be smoother.
Retweet and comment: a good way to engage in the industry. Show interest and get your name out there. Make sure you follow plenty of publishers, publishing employees and bookworms.
Celebrate your achievements: dubbed cult-like by The Bookseller, the publishing industry is close-knit and keen to celebrate the achievements of others. It is also a great way to build an online portfolio, so don't be afraid to brag about your professional achievements!
Short and snappy tweets: if you want to tweet, it’s best to keep it short, concise and to the point, because more people are likely to read it and take an interest.
Follow hashtags: follow #publishing, #author, #booktwitter and #publishinghopefuls. These are the best hashtags to follow and a simple way to keep up to date.
Send a direct message: people are always willing to share advice and have a chat on Twitter. Some publishing employees even tweet for people who want help with their cover letters or CV. If you don’t receive a response back, at least you tried!
Be careful: it probably goes without saying, but it is also important to remember that by having publishing-related social media, you are representing yourself in a working capacity. Try to keep it professional and be aware of what you are sharing as your employers will see it.
Online Courses
Check out these free courses to learn more about how you can use Twitter to promote and increase your brand.
Twitter For Business: available on Udemy, the free version includes the entire video course. This covers basics such as the need to be on Twitter, how to use favourites for your business, the legal side of maintaining your account and how to find the right people to follow to increase your Twitter outreach.
Twitter Marketing: published by Stone River eLearning, this course lasts about 1.5–3 hours and has three modules. These sections include an ‘Introduction to Twitter Marketing’ which covers how to establish yourself on social media and Twitter branding. This is followed by ‘Getting More Retweets and Engagement’ and talking about Twitter tools, shortcuts and analytics with an assessment at the end.
Twitter Training Course: aimed at social media marketers, the course will help you build your advanced skills and understand the Twitter algorithm to maximise your online reach. It will strengthen your marketing strategy and in turn push forward your brand and its business to a wider audience.
Thanks for reading Issue Forty-One, the second article in our social media series! Join us again for Issue Forty-Two, the third instalment where we will be covering Upskilling Tips for Facebook.