Content is king, and social media is the world’s gateway to great content.

For creative business owners like yourselves, social media should be an essential part of your plan. Sharing targeted, original content on social media is the best way to share your work with more people and to gain new faithful fans.

But what if you aren’t exactly fluent in the ways of social media? Sure, you use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram in your personal life — but how the heck do you make it work for your creative business?

To help you build your audience and get your amazing works out to more people, here are 8 quick tips to posting on social media (without sounding like a total cheeseball):

1. Share in-progress sneak peeks of your latest work

This is the easiest thing you can post to create relevant content on social media. Folks love seeing how your art is made. If you can snap photos of your paintings, comics, lyrics, whatever, while they're are still a work in progress, people will feel excited to have a backstage pass into your creative process.

2. Follow up with a post of the finished work

Since you’ve teased your latest podcast or art piece, remember to post a photo or link to the final work once you’ve completed it. Your fans want to see that goodness in all it’s freshly minted glory.

3. Share behind the scenes looks into your life as a creative

Your fans and potential fans are interested in what you do on a daily basis as a creative. Show them glimpses of what it’s like to be you!

Missing Jon so much already. Can’t believe I get to tour with these amazing people. Overwhelmed with love and gratitude. < 3 A photo posted by Tessa Violet (@tessaviolet) on May 10, 2016 at 5:48pm PDT

Musician Tessa Violet shows us a little glimpse into road life. Click here to check out Tessa Violet’s Patreon Page!

For musicians, snap photos of you in the studio. Share what you’re recording that day and how you feel about it. For comic book artists, share a pic of you and your writer at your weekly meeting where you discuss the plot of your comic. Let us in on how it went. Podcasters can snap a selfie of themselves with a guest they just interviewed. Tell us how much fun you had and when the podcast episode is set to release.

Behind the scenes glimpses into your creative life are interesting and help your fans feel like they’re getting a front row seat to your career. It also keeps you front of mind when you’re between releases.

Ready to turn your creative passion into a thriving business? Get started on Patreon today. Sign up to learn more

4. Share stuff only as it relates to your creative business

You may have an obsession with golden doodles. You may be a musician that writes country music. Unless you’re writing a country song about your golden doodle, it’s best not to share unrelated content on your business social accounts.

For example, say you are an SEO advisor with a coffee obsession. If you know your fans also love coffee, and you can tie it into your feed in a natural way, then post away. The point is to make sure your feed is full of content that is relevant to your audience and your business. You don’t want your fans scratching their heads wondering why you posted a super artsy photo of your french press if they only know you for free SEO tips.

5. Have an ask at the end of your post

A simple trick to help you walk that line between feeling slimy and being effective is to have an ask at the end of your posts.

This is technically called a Call to Action. When you post something, use the very last statement of the caption to direct the user to do an action.

That action can be as simple as “Click to read the following post,” or the ever popular, “What do you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts below!”

6. Shout out your fans

Nothing makes someone feel quite as special as being recognized. Social media is an easy and fun way to shout out your fans and other creators that you like. If someone shares a piece of fan art with you, retweet it. If someone writes you an awesome email or leaves you a sweet review, shine a light on them by thanking them publicly. At the end of the day, these are the people that keep you in business. Love on them whenever you can.

Check out The Doubleclicks on Patreon here!

7. Highlight your contemporaries

Is someone in your space making something that you absolutely love? Share it with your fans. This is a great way to make friendships with your fellow creatives. Shining a light on our contemporaries keeps us humble, and makes excellent opportunities for cool collaborations that both your fanbases will love.

8. You are human. Be your human self.

Lastly, it’s totally okay to be human on social media. Show people who you are, what you’re thinking, what you value, and what you’re all about. You want to attract people who like you for you, not for the glossy, shiny veneer version of you.

We’re all imperfectly perfect, and showing your humanity at times can help people relate to you as an artist.

Whenever I work on involved paintings, I go thru the stages of grief (sometimes multiple times). I’m currently in the bargaining stage… — Jennifer Miller (@Nambroth) September 11, 2016

We feel you, Jennifer. Check out Jennifer Miller’s Patreon page here!

Creators are using Patreon to earn ongoing revenue directly from their fans.

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