Social media is a powerful tool. When used correctly, it can connect us with thousands of individuals and bring visitors to our blogs, resulting in new followers and connections.
However, social media is a ravenous beast. Before you realise it, it’ll consume all your time while scattering you far and wide without delivering results. It’ll take everything from you and give little back.
One of the first pieces of advice I received from another blogger was to join as many social media platforms as possible to attract visitors. It turned out to be one of the worst pieces of advice I followed, as it wasn’t long before I found myself spending too much time on numerous platforms.
I realised that spreading myself too thinly on social media was not the solution, so I reduced the number of accounts I managed. This freed up significant time, allowing me to engage more on those platforms. Before long, I noticed increased visitors coming to my blog from various social media sites. Social media was finally paying me back for the time I was investing in it.
Since starting my blog in 2014, I’ve tried most social media platforms. Today, I will discuss five of them and explain why they have worked or not for me.
BlueSky 🦋
Profile Name: @hughsviewsandnews.com
I joined BlueSky in November 2024. It’s one of the new kids on the block. When this post was written, it had gone past the 27 million milestone of the number of users. That number is rising fast.
Not only have I found BlueSky a friendly place to engage with other users, but it’s simple to use, running a similar platform to X. Like any social media platform, the more you engage with other BlueSky users, the better the results.
I’ll write more about BlueSky in an upcoming post, but early indications are that it’s a rising social media platform that all authors, writers and bloggers should seriously consider joining.
I’ve also found a lot of photographers on BlueSky. If you have a photography blog or host a photography challenge, ensure you join BlueSky.
Don’t forget to add the BlueSky sharing button to the sharing buttons on your blog posts so visitors can share your posts to BlueSky.
Profile Name: Hugh W Roberts
I joined Flipboard in 2019. It has brought incredible amounts of traffic to my blog and has an excellent customer service team that reaches out whenever problems occur.
Users add information to magazines, so, as in blogging, setting up categories is essential. My most popular magazines are Blogging Tips, Entertaining (short) Stories You’ll Enjoy, LGBTQI, and Writing Tips.
Mastodon
Profile Name: @HughWRoberts
Mastodon is a big part of the Fediverse, which WordPress promotes heavily. The Fediverse is a global, open social network of independent servers that communicate with each other using a common protocol.
Users create posts in much the same way as on X and BlueSky. Posts appear on the timelines of those who follow the person who created and published the post, but other users can also see them.
I’ve had a steady flow of traffic from Mastodon to my blog, although out of the three social media accounts I use, it’s the one I use the least.
X/Twitter
After 14 years, I deleted my X account on December 31st, 2024, for reasons I won’t go into. This means that I will no longer share my blog posts or other bloggers’ posts on X.
Given that I had over nine thousand followers on X, I hope those who followed me there will now follow me on BlueSky. Some already have, but given that this post is my first mention of joining BlueSky, many will not know I am now active there.
Join me on BlueSky at @hughwroberts05.bsky.social
I recently gave Instagram another chance. I did my best to boost engagement, but I struggled significantly. While some people interacted with my posts, it was difficult to stand out amidst all the self-promotion on the platform.
There is nothing wrong with self-promoting your own books and blogs, but I find it too overwhelming when it’s every post. I only saw a little of others promoting the posts of others.
Maybe I was following the wrong accounts?
Instagram wasn’t for me. I deleted my account in December 2024.
Avoid following the accounts of those who only promote their own work and who give nothing back to others.
Other Social Media Platforms
There are many other social media platforms that I have not mentioned, and other bloggers, writers, and authors use them successfully. But how?
I would love to know which social media platforms you use and which ones have been the most successful. In the comments section, feel free to share which platforms you use and your username so that anyone reading the comments can follow and connect with you.
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One of my best friends just deactivated her Facebook account and has encouraged me to join Bluesky. I appreciate learning a little more about it, Hugh.
Yes, we need to be selective, or this social media thing turns into a giant suck-up time. Blogging remains my favorite way to connect with others.
Pete, I’d like to follow you on BlueSky, so please share your username here. I’m also building a BlueSky blogger starter pack and would like to add you. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share the starter pack on my BlueSky account.
I will if I decide to join. I honestly don’t spend that much time on social media because there are a lot of other things that keep me busy.
I use X, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for my blog. I also share the odd post on LinkedIn if I think it would be of interest to my followers there. I get very few views from X or Instagram. What I do share on LinkedIn definitely results in some views. Pinterest is the only platform that has given me any consistent results. It is one of my top sources of traffic, usually bringing people to older posts, which is where Pinterest differs from other platforms.
I’m very disillusioned with X and Elon Musk at the moment. I may have to check out BlueSky.
Thank you for sharing those details, Michelle.
It’s good to hear that Pinterest works for you and produces such good results. I tried it years ago but never managed to get it to work.
If you join BlueSky, be sure to share your username with me so I can follow you. Or you can follow me there, and I’ll follow back, especially as I’m building a BlueSky blogger starter pack, which I will share on my BlueSky account over the coming weeks.
Hugh, Thank you. I am not familiar with Blue Sky, having just published a post discussing alternatives to Flickr (my conclusion is there is no alternative to Flickr). As I refuse to use FB or IG or X. I never considered Flipboard. You have given me a lot to consider.
That’s good to hear, Danny. If you do try BlueSky, let me know your user name or follow me there, and I’ll follow you back.
I don’t use Flickr, but I hope you find an alternative.
We connected on Bluesky, Hugh. I also deleted Twitter in December. I share my blogs on BlueSky and Facebook. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Blessings,
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and leaving me a comment. It’s great to have connected with you on BlueSky.
Good to hear you don’t have too many social media accounts. Thanks for sharing which ones you use with us.
I have never heard of Mastodon. Will definitely give it a go so thanks for the recommendation, Hugh. Followed you on Bluesky though tried to do that on Mastodon with no luck. Will try again another time. I’m not a big user of social media, WordPress would be the one where I spend the most time on. Thanks for the information on the various platforms you use, Hugh.
I checked, and you’re following me on Mastodon, Susanne. I’ve followed you back, similarly, on BlueSky.
I limit my social media use to a maximum of 30 minutes per day. Once that time is up, I do not return until the following day.
This is a very interesting post, Hugh. I always remember your wise words about not spreading yourself too thin on social media. I haven’t joined Bluesky yet, but am thinking about it. I haven’t heard of a couple on here so thank you for the insight.
I’m delighted this post has helped, Esther.
If you do join BlueSky, be sure to let me know your username or follow me, and I’ll follow you back.
Thanks, Hugh. Will do 😊
I’m loving lots of what’s happening on BlueSky, but beware Romance scammers! An army of loverboys with 2 first names who claim to be surgeons, generals, and lonely widowers on oil rigs have been following me for the last two weeks. Like 10 a day. If you follow back, they will immediately send a DM to say how beautiful you are or ask what you’re doing. I unfollow immediately and delete the “conversation.” But they are annoying.
I have the same problem with female romance scammers following me even though I’m gay, Anne. I always block them and never follow or engage with them. Another BlueSky user recommended I also report them, so I now do that to get the account removed. Unfortunately, some of them reappear under a different name (but use the same profile picture), so I block and report them again. I treat them the same way I treat trolls.
I agree they are annoying, but I’ve seen posts from BlueSky saying they are working on the bot problem. Hopefully, we will see fewer of them, but unfortunately, some will always get through.
Don’t allow them to spoil your enjoyment of BlueSky, though.
I’ll bet many of the male and female (I’ve had some of them, too) scammers are the same five people in a Nigerian boiler room. I haven’t figured out how to report them, but I’ll click around and see what I can find.
I agree, they probably are, Anne.
Click the three dots on the account profile you want to block. Just below the block button, you’ll find the ‘report’ button.
I deleted my X account too. I guess it was November. It was a quick decision and just did it (probably for similar reasons like you). I received the same advice to open accounts on as many platforms as possible. I did not follow that advic. At that time Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest were so time-consuming already, next to my blog. So, I have neglected Pinterest for years and might even delete the account too. I totally forgot about it. But BlueSky made me very curious. I will check it out when I have some time. Thank you for your thirst for exploring and for always sharing your findings with us, Hugh.
I spend no more than 30 minutes a day on social media, Erika. Once that time has elapsed, I won’t return to it until the next day.
BlueSky is quite new, but I already like it a lot. It’s a friendly place, and the people behind the scenes promptly ban anyone who uses hateful speech. Of course, the odd one still slips through, but reporting them and having them removed from the platform is easy.
Let us know if you do join BlueSky so we can follow you.
I have it on my list for this week. Looking forward to checking it out!
I think I am almost everywhere, but as you said, spreading thin won’t work. I primarily use my blog, and FB author page, along with Instagram.
I have Tiktok/Threads/Bluesky, but I don’t post on them regularly.
I try to share my own work, alongside reviewing other books, and celebrating in the successes of fellow authors, and my cats, obviously!
The recommended sharing rule on social media is to share 80% of others’ posts and 20% of your own. However, I see some users posting 100% of their own work. Like blogging, it’s all about interacting with other users and sharing their posts, and that’s something we can’t do when we spread ourselves too thin. There simply isn’t enough time in our day.
Which of your social media accounts bring in the best results? It would be interesting to know.
I feel Instagram is best, and my FB author page is picking up, at the moment.
I’ve blogged less recently, but am posting more reviews etc, now.
Thank you for responding to my question, Ritu.
I agree Blue Sky is definitely less creepy than X. I haven’t tried the others – I have posted paintings and sculptures and recipes on Instagram but not for sale. Just to share.
Are you getting good results from Instagram? How often do you use it?
Fascinating post Hugh, thanks for sharing your experiences and tips. I haven’t heard of Flipboard but I’ll certainly check it out. I’m considering leaving Twitter, and have already joined BlueSky.
I seem to have an aversion to spending time building up followers and engaging on SM, as though it is time wasted when I could be writing. But I need to have a change of approach, as it is obviously an asset when used properly. I have been doing more on Linkedin recently and it is starting to pay dividends. And SM can help promoting my songs too.
I don’t know how many hours in a day you spend promoting on social media but it is obviously working, so I think I’ll set aside time a good chunk of time each day and see how I do. Quite frankly, it can only get better.
Good to hear that LinkedIn is starting to pay off, Paul.
I spend no more than 30 minutes a day on social media. I may do it all at once, but I usually do it in small chunks during that time. Once my time is up, I won’t return to social media until the following day.
Thanks for the follow on BlueSky. I’ve followed you back.
Interesting that you only spend 30 minutes a day on it Hugh, and that’s working for you. I’ll start to work it on similar parameters and see how I get on. Thank-you.
Like blogging, it’s all about engagement, Paul. I engage extensively during those 30 minutes and also share others’ posts. Half an hour daily suits me, although some may find they need more time while others require less. On some days, I don’t use social media at all.
I like BlueSky a lot, so I tend to spend most of those 30 minutes on it.
How interesting that you posted about social media today when Beem Weeks also posted an extensive breakdown of social media on Story Empire. I followed you on BlueSky. I’m enjoying it so far and have added it to my blog posts as a share button, but in the WP reader, that button doesn’t show up. Any idea how to fix that?
Good to hear you have the BlueSky sharing button on your posts. Many users don’t realise there is one.
The WordPress Reader shows only the X and Facebook sharing buttons, but users can also copy the link to the post and post it directly on other social media platforms.
The next time I speak with WordPress, I’ll ask if they plan to add other sharing buttons to the Reader.
Great, Hugh. Appreciate you being an advocate!
Thank you for the wake up call. I have an account in Pictify and on Flipboard that have just been sitting there I will have to pop over to see what’s up. I post my WordPress blog posts to Tumblr but I am not sure how that platform works for me, I will set up an account on BlueSky. I have an account on the usual like X, Facebook, Linkedin, and Pinterest. Usually I post my articles to them that I put online.
I get a lot of traffic from Tumblr, and I think it has something to do with WordPress’s interest in that particular social media platform. I could be wrong because I don’t have a Tumblr account, but that does not stop other users from sharing my posts on Tumblr.
Much like blogging, social media functions through interaction with other users. Hence, I recommend limiting oneself to no more than three social media accounts, as otherwise, users may spread themselves too thin, leading to unsatisfactory outcomes. After all, we cannot be everywhere with the time we have.
Please let me know if you decide to join BlueSky, so I can follow you there.
Thanks for the useful and informative post.
I find social media overwhelming. I mostly use Facebook, but don’t really get much traffic to my blog from it, but I don’t post enough on the account linked to my blog. If I did, I doubt I’d have time to do anything else!
I have an account on Instagram, but don’t know how to use it.
I am on X, but only because I use BookClubPro , a free platform which automatically posts about my books!
I feel I should do more with social media, but I just don’t know where to start and can’t keep up with blogging and writing as well!
Social media can undoubtedly become overwhelming, especially for those with many different accounts, Jacqueline. My advice is to stick to no more than three accounts.
Like blogging, social media only works with engagement. The more you interact with other users and share their posts, the more you’ll gain from it.
I I would recommend starting by focusing on a single account. Engage with other users and share their posts. However, set a limit on how much time you spend on it each day. I restrict myself to 30 minutes per day. Once that time is up, I don’t return until the following day.
I hope you find that advice useful.
Thank you, Hugh. That is excellent advice. I think a 30 minute rule is a perfect way to manage the overwhelm. Thanks again!
Glad it all helped, Jacqueline.
Hugh, I followed you on Bluesky. It reminds me of the old Twitter when we first started blogging long ago. I’m seriously thinking of leaving Meta sites since they declared that fact checking is a thing of the past. I’m not interested in hate speech! Thanks so much.
Thanks so much for following me on BlueSky, Colleen. I’ve followed you back.
I hope BlueSky does not become like X/Twitter. I’ve been using it since November, and it’s a very friendly place. The BlueSky folk don’t seem to have any problem banning trolls and anyone who uses hate speech.
Yes! That’s what I like too, Hugh. Same with Threads. They are all a wonderful group who block the riffraff! Thanks for the follow. There is a lot of politics on Bluesky.
There is, Colleen, but I tend to skip past the politics stuff.
OK good. It’s everywhere these days. xx
It started to appear that using SM to promote blog posts was going the way of the dinosaur, Hugh. I like the idea of BlueSky and will look into it this week. X rarely brought me followers. I’ll likely delete mine as well. I was surprised to read you deleted yours, as it seemed you had success with blog promotion.
At the beginning of my blog journey, I got the same advice you did. Although I keep my personal Facebook account, my blog page was hacked two years ago. I’ve long since deleted most all other SM accounts. Including messenger app from Facebook. What a mess. Several friends are disgusted with Meta.
Thanks for sharing your journey. Things do change over time.
Twitter/X brought my blog a huge amount of traffic, Terri. But given its current state, I could not continue using it. People are more important to me than the number of followers I have or the number of visitors to my blog. I was shocked by what I saw from some users who I would never have dreamt of being so negative and nasty towards others. I felt a huge relief when I deleted my account on New Year’s Eve.
BlueSky is like a breath of fresh air. I hope it doesn’t end up like X. I can’t recall who told me about BlueSky, but I have so much to thank them. It’s hard to build up friendships and followers again, but I’m enjoying the experience.
Running three social media accounts seems to be a good balance for me, although BlueSky is fast becoming my number one go-to social media account.
I Hugh, thanks for this post. I deleted one of my x accounts yesterday and will delete the other at the end of Jan. I have also joined Bluesky but will limit followers to people who engage with me.
I’m already following you on BlueSky, Robbie. Please leave your username details so others can follow you there.
I didn’t know you had two accounts on X. I’m pleased to have left that place.
I had one account for each blog. My Bluesky handle is @robbiecheadle.bsky.social
Thanks, Hugh! I don’t use many social media platforms, but I’ll check out BlueSky.
It’s worth checking out, Betty. I found it to be a friendly, welcoming place. If you do join, be sure to let me know your username so I can follow you.
Great info, thanks. I just joined BlueSky. @darlenefoster.bsky.social
I’ve followed you on BlueSky, Darlene. I’m still learning how it works, but I’m getting good results so far.
Thanks! We will see how it goes.
Thanks for this Hugh. I feel.I should be using social media but wouldn’t know where to start and don’t want to be overwhelmed. Currently I only use LinkedIn… well more accurately, have an account but don’t really engage much
Hi Brenda, I tried LinkedIn many years ago but could not see the benefit of getting any traffic from it. It seemed to be more geared toward job hunting, and I wasn’t looking for a job then. Strangely, it does bring some traffic to my blog.
We are expected to use it for work, which is really the only reason I bother, but not sure it’s bringing much traffic … but once I recover from the flu and can start writing, I can explore more
Hope you get well soon, Brenda.
Let me know if you do join BlueSky.