The rise of social media has made it easier than ever for writers to get their work in the hands of thousands of readers. Authors now come equipped with an arsenal of marketing tools that were at one time only available to the big publishing companies. So how can authors create excitement around their newest publication? Here are seven tips to get audiences buzzing about your book.

Identify your market.

Know precisely who it is that can benefit from your book and speak to them. Everything you write – from your profile to every single post – needs to speak to your specific audience. Don’t try to be all things to all people. You’ll attract more readers by being the big fish in your small pond.

Find influencers

Once you identify influencers that can help spread the word on your book, start engaging with them on their social media channels. Don’t immediately ask them to post about your book. Instead, share their posts. Tell your followers why you love them. Then send them a copy of your book. All it takes is for one person with a larger following to be affected by your book to take it to the next level.

Be different.

Make yourself memorable. There’s a sea of people floating along the social media river, and to make yourself stand out, you must do something different. Whatever it is you can do to set yourself apart from the rest, dive in. If you can’t think of something wildly unique, focus back on helping others on social media. Unfortunately, giving attention to others, sharing people’s content, and being helpful is different. You’ll stand out.

Keep it visual.

Yes, you’re a writer, but when it comes to social media marketing, photo and video are the most popular forms of posts that are shared. Post the book’s cover image, a photo of a follower reading your book, or a quick video of you talking about the book. Social media users are much more likely to be engaged with content that has a visual attached.

Use #hashtags.

Using the pound sign before any word instantly turns it into a hashtag, which makes your content more easily searchable and vastly widens the audience you’re after. Create a fun hashtag to attach to your book promotion and get people involved. Say, if your book is about travel, you can encourage followers to use the hashtag #whereimgoing whenever they are taking off on an adventure. This way, users that come across that hashtag can easily find your book, and will be spurned on to post using the hashtag, further spreading publicity for you.