Halfway There: 3 Ways to Use Social Media to Build a Bridge to Blogging

While social media as we know it may be on its way to obsolescence, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re living on a prayer. In fact, I would argue, all those years of comments, posts and retweets have you perfectly poised for transition to a brave new era of online connection. Half of everything you need to know about posting and sharing your ideas of your own platform—as opposed to one helmed by a megalomaniac hooked on algorithms that make the world worse—you’ve learned already through years of social media use.

Here are three key ideas you can use to build a bridge to blogging.

1. Continue to embrace the celebration of all things ordinary: You really don’t really need an occasion to post to Instagram, as demonstrated by my habit of posting a photo of my teacup most days, an illumination of the small ceremonies inherent in our quotidian routines. This could be construed as a criticism of the platform, perhaps (“All it is is people posting pictures of their lunch.”) but it’s actually one of my favourite things about social media, that you don’t really have to go out of your way to generate content. And the same is true for blogging. Share the world as you see it, from right where you are, a singular point of view that is yours and nobody else’s.
2. Promote your work with pithy posts: I learned this one from digital-marketing pro Avery Swartz when I was asking her about promoting my novels on my website, whether I should be using a sidebar, etc. etc. I already knew that being a blogger made me better on social media but I’d never considered it could work the other way around until she told me to share about/promote my books on my website the same way I do on Instagram, short and snappy posts like this one. (Sidebars are so two decades ago anyway…)
3. Cross-post your best stuff: It’s true, social media is the quickest way to get your writing in front of readers, and the dopamine hits of their “likes” is most rewarding. But social media is also so ephemeral, and it feels wrong for me to be pouring my heart and soul into writing unpaid content for the benefit of Mark Zuckerberg. And so I’ve taken to cross-posting my most thoughtful/meaningful posts to my blog, which means they live in a place that’s mine where content can’t just disappear. They also reach a slightly different audience there. And even better? I’ve taken to writing these posts on my blog first where my writing benefits from an actual keyboard and unlimited characters, and then cutting and pasting to Instagram for the benefit of readers there. The very definition of #BacktotheBlog, and you know what? It feels great.

And now here’s something cool: I’m giving away free tuition for my self-guided blogging course FIND YOUR BLOGGING SPARK for one student this winter. To be entered, sign up for my Blog School Newsletter. (If you’re already on the list but want to be considered, send me a message and let me know!) I will be making a draw at the end of January.