Why Pinterest for Authors?

When I decided to start blogging seriously here on Confused and Terrified Writer I thought about what topic I really wanted to focus on. I’ve been kind of scattered here, really wanting to help my author friends with so many of their problems that came along with being a productive author and business owner but this blog was not coming together in a cohesive way at all. Too many topics and not enough content. And then throw in selling my house and a move across the country and you get:

A stalled blog!  

So, leading into the new year I thought for some time about what this blog should be. What would help my readers the most? And while thinking about what topics I love to talk about with other writers one came to mind right away. 

Pinterest. 

Wait! Don’t start groaning and thinking I’m leading you down one more path of social media planning and overwhelm. I’m not. I promise. Would I lie to you?

That reaction is the typical one I get from authors who already feel like social media takes way too much time away from their writing. I’m right there with you. Even though I teach people how to use social media, I wish I didn’t have to think about it, feel guilty about not doing it, or overwhelmed with what on earth I’m going to post on it. 

But here is the secret…

Ready?

Pinterest isn’t a social media platform. 

I’m sorry what did you say, Elena?

You heard me. It’s not social media.

Then what on earth is it?

Shh, I’m going to tell you:

It’s a search engine. 

A big, beautiful, VISUAL search engine. 

Huh? 

Yes and there are some really fantastic reasons why you need to be there. 

A lot. 

Here they are:

  • It’s the number TWO search engine behind Google. That’s huge. More on this later.
  • It’s completely underused by author
  • It’s free  
  • It’s where your reader’s are hanging out looking for what they want to do next. 
  • You don’t have to interact with anyone or be chatty on Pinterest. An introvert’s dream

Now do you see?

The downside, of course, (there is always at least one) is that some of us aren’t exactly gifted in the visual creation department. (Waving madly over here) but there are so many free tools to help us create beautiful pins about our stories that it’s easier than it’s ever been. 

Now why am I sharing this with you and not just keeping it to myself and going on my way? One of the things I’ve realized about myself is that I love to help people, I love to teach others stuff that will help them in life and their business, and I really love Pinterest. It’s my absolute favorite platform. 

I know I said it’s not social media and it isn’t but it is still a way to put yourself out there so…  same, same right? There is still planning involved. However, I would much rather spend my time figuring out the best way to put myself out there on Pinterest than Facebook, Twitter or Instagram than any other. I like all those and they have their place but Pinterest is just plain fun. I’m also going to show you a way to batch your content to make it fast and easy but again, more on that later.

In the next month and a half I’m going to be blogging twice a week about how authors can use Pinterest for their author business and how it works.  Every Tuesday and Thursday there will be a post here about Pinterest and how to use it for your author business. 

Full disclosure: at the end of that time I’m going to invite you to take my Pinterest class (starting Feb 11th) through the Orange County Chapter of RWA. It’s super cheap (Like $35? Or something?) and it’s the cheapest it will ever be again. This will be my beta run for the class and after that time it will go live and go up in price. We will have a private Facebook group for the class. In the group, we’ll talk all about Pinterest and help each other plan what to Pin and compare what works and what doesn’t. Trust me, it’s fun.,

That’s it for now. I hope I convinced you to come back and learn more about how to use Pinterest for your author business. This Thursday, January 3rd in my next blog post I’m going to talk about traffic and how Pinterest became my number one traffic driver. Also, how you can do the same for your blog so come back then and check it out! 

Until then,

Write On my lovelies, Write On!

handwritten name Elena


Animoto: My New Favorite Tool For Easy Video Creation

Animoto a fast and easy way to create video for your author business! Animoto: a fast and easy way to create video for your author business!

I’m in love with Animoto.  I’ve been writing a story every week on my ElenaDillon.com blog and this tool has been priceless. I’ve created videos for Confused and Terrified Writer (you can see one above in the header), and it is so worth the money! I’ve gone from creating one or two videos a year to creating them a few times a month.  I’ve been teaching that video gets more response than flat graphics and I’ve seen the difference in my own marketing efforts for sure.

Here is the one I created for Instagram that got tons of response and clicks!

Creating this video took minutes instead of hours and was really helpful in promoting the story. I’ve also included a new lesson in my Visual Content Marketing for Authors class for Animoto.  It’s the kind of tool that will make a huge difference in your author business.  I’ve been using it with Canva for Work and between the two my visual content creation has gotten tons easier.

I’m going to be reopening the Visual Content Marketing class at the end of this month so if you’re interested, be sure to sign up in the box below. It’s only going to be open for a short time so you don’t want to miss it!

**Some of the links in the following article are affiliate links for which I’m paid a small commission but costs you nothing additional. For my full disclosure statement click here.**

Visual Content Marketing Class Updates

 

 

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Canva for Work Update: Gifs!

Canva for work now makes it possible to make your visual content into gifs and movies! Check out the video tutorial on the blog!

 This week for #VisualContentThursday we’re talking about the newest update to Canva for Work. Being able to create gifs/movies for your visual content will make your content so much more interesting and eye-catching so I made a quick little video explaining how it works. Let me know what you think about Canva and the new update!

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Visual Content Marketing for Authors Class

Visual Content Marketing for Authors Class

I’m so excited to share with you the commercial I’ve created for my Visual Content Marketing class using Animoto! Creating this video using Animoto software was simple and so easy. Not to be braggy here but I was really impressed with how it turned out after just a short time working with it

This whole visual content thing is a continual learning experience. Trying out new tools is one of my favorite parts of teaching visual content and this one is awesome!

I’ll be adding a video to the class all about how I did it. Animoto is my new favorite tool!

 Here is the link to the class:

 Visual Content Marketing for Authors 

Canva for Authors

In this video I’m giving a quick overview of Canva and how to use it for your author business to create graphics for social media, promotions and advertising.

I know it can be overwhelming to learn new software when you have books to write but marketing has to be done. Faster and with as little pain as possible is what Canva does for you! And almost all of the functions on Canva are free! Can’t get better than that. =)

https://www.canva.com

Want to learn more about how to create and use visual content to market your books? check out my online class Visual Content Marketing for Authors

http://bit.ly/2vcmpost

Canva for Authors
Animated Social Media Icons by Acurax Responsive Web Designing Company
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