Your writing lives on your computer but your fans, followers, and potential readers live on their phones.
Sharing snippets of your writing with your followers in Instagram is a great way to build a loyal readership.
There are some new apps designed for writers to share their work visually and since they are on your phone, it’s much easier to create an Instagrammable image of your latest blog, poem, or chapter.
Readers are visual people
These apps are designed with the poet in mind, but you can use them to highlight attention to anything you’d like your readers to know about.
The latest data from Statista states that 52.99% of global web traffic came from a mobile device in Q3 2017—a significant rise up from the 44% 2016.
More and more readers are surfing on their phones every day and let’s face it, people respond to visuals.
Creating an image is a great way to get more attention to your text.
I tested out two mobile apps for you to consider enhancing your Instagram feed.
YourQuote
YourQuote is an app developed in India that has a huge writing community behind it.
The wallpapers are beautiful and you can add them as the backdrop behind your text to enhance the emotions or imagery behind your words.
The app is a little buggy—it would suddenly close on me or freeze in the middle of my typing—but there are daily writing prompts to spark your creativity.
The app has Facebook and Instagram integrations which makes it easy to share across platforms.
There is also an option to copy your caption so you can easily copy/paste over somewhere else.
Lisa’s unbiased review: B
-This rating is due to the app’s instability. It keeps crashing my phone despite having the latest update.
Mirakee
Mirakee is another app with a writing community behind it. The Explore feed looks like an Instagram feed full of poetry. The tap to heart options makes it easy to share encouragement to other writers and to find a little inspiration if you’re in a rut.
The compose and edit features are similar to YourQuote and navigating the app is easy.
So far, it hasn’t crashed my phone on me, so this less buggy version earns a…
Lisa’s unbiased review: A
Both apps are great options for sharing your writing on Instagram or Facebook and bringing more attention and visibility to your writing.
What’s great about the apps are the writing communities behind them.
The writing communities are a great way to feel connected to other writers instead of home alone writing at your desk surrounded by sheafs of paper and empty cups of coffee.
Canva
While Canva is not a writing app, you can use this photo editing app to create your own images and overlay the text manually.
Canva has great free templates with suggested fonts and styling straight from the box.
Unlike YourQuote and Mirakee, there is no Canva watermark attached with the images you create using the app.
The app is seamless and has a desktop version as well, so you can access your images from your Canva account wherever you want to write.
You can upload your own images as the wallpaper which means that nobody will have the same background as you. Your imagery and text will truly stand out from the crowd.
Lisa’s unbiased review: A
-Canva requires a bit more manipulation but has greater control.
-With more options comes more decisions but I love the ability to upload your own images as the background wallpaper.
What hashtags to use?
There are a million hashtags on Instagram but the ones I frequently use are:
#supportindieauthors (4500 posts)
#creativewriting (1.5M posts)
#poetryofinstagram (750k posts)
#writersofinstagram (6.6M posts)
#tellyourstory2018 (my hashtag–use this and I’ll support you with likes and reshares.)
And last but not least, be sure to follow me on Instagram @knockedupabroad.
I discuss defining and connecting with your ideal readers in the first section of my Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing course because it is so important to know where to find your readers.
It is crucial to get them excited about your book before it is published.
Instagram is a great platform for sharing your writing if you create visuals that connect and inspire your audience.
Learn more about my step-by-step guide for self-publishing your story this year here.
