In a post earlier this year, my friend and fellow author Andrea Dunlap shared her thoughts on how to use Instagram for book promotion. Since then I've been using Instagram myself (@mariamurnanewriter), and while I'm clearly a newbie, I've already learned a few things:

1. If you download an app called Repost (or one of many similar apps) anytime someone tags you in a post, you can repost it. For example, if a fan posts a photo of your book with a note about how much she's enjoying it, you can share the post with your followers. (In marketing speak this builds what is called "third-party credibility," just like a testimonial. It's always better to have someone else tell people how great your book is than for you to tell them.)
2. To keep your posts from looking cluttered, don't use hash tags in the actual post. Instead, click the "comment" icon on the post and put them there. Anyone doing a search for the hash tags you choose will still find your posts, but the posts themselves will look less promotional.
3. People like to see posts related to "behind the scenes" life as an author. For example, I posted a photo of a note I wrote to my mom when I was a little kid. The note was filled with spelling errors, not indicative of a future career as a writer. For posts like these I use the hash tag #writerslife, which a marketing friend told me was popular.
4. People like posts with wine and chocolate in them!
5. Apps such as Boomerang allow you to make and post gifs directly to Instagram, as opposed to having to convert gifs to videos before posting them.

I'm sure I'll continue figuring out Instagram as I go and will write another post when I've learned enough to warrant one. If you have tips you'd like to share on what has worked for you, please do so in the comments!

-Maria

Maria Murnane writes bestselling novels about life, love and friendship. Have questions? You can find her at www.mariamurnane.com.

This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2017 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.