Dipping My Toes Into Social Media To Promote My Vocal Stories

Introduction

Actually, this is a story of abject failure. Maybe I am not intelligent enough (I only left school with a couple of “A” Levels, and never went to University). Or maybe it is just my extreme laziness and laconic writing style. I also generally don’t plan the stories I write, and again is that my laziness or lack of apparent intelligence?

My writing is sometimes criticized but more often eulogised and that gives me confidence, rightly or wrongly, that what I am doing is right.

I've included Johnny Marr's "Easy Money" as sometimes I feel that is what some writers are looking for, and it is what tempted me into Vocal, but I found so much more than money.

My Vocal Achievements

In fourteen months I have written 618 Vocal stories, that is 44 a month or three every two days. Prior to that, I shared my thought on Seven Days In. I have paid around $130 for Vocal+, and withdrawn almost $600 in reads, recruitment commissions, bonuses and tips. The bonuses are now stopped for me but the rest continue on, and I have just passed $90 for my reads, which now stand at 15,100. Vocal has been my most lucrative return for my writing so I feel I am doing something right.

Is Anyone Reading My Stories

Obviously yes although Vocal’s individual story stats are atrocious, overall their interface does provide a lot of information. I am averaging 24 reads per story but some of those seem to have zero reads (I know that is not true) but I would like to increase my visibility and get more people to read my stories.

Friends in the real world won’t touch my work, well I know one person who reads my stuff and there are maybe two or three others that catch some of my stuff. My stories started getting read when I joined various Facebook Vocal Groups which I have listed at the end of this story, although this is not going to get my reads stratospheric, it is like having a loving, encouraging and loving family who encourage you and are interested in your creations.

So here how I have tried and so far failed to go stratospheric with getting people to engage with my writing.

Facebook Vocal Groups

I believe that this is where maybe 90% of my reads and engagements come from. I may be completely wrong about this, but I know people read my stories in the Facebook Vocal Groups.

Search Engine Optimization and Clickbait

I revamped my most engaged Seven Days In Post and it went viral finishing on 1147 reads. I don’t know why or how but the same story tops my all time reads on two platforms and in my opinion it’s not that great, just informative. It is easy to read, so I am not dissing it or putting it down, but I have some very good stories that I wish were ahead of it.

I tried another in a similar format but that has stalled on 33 reads.

Essentially search engine optimization requires you to emphasise words and phrase throughout your article and really I want to write my own story and not be subject to filling my story with clickbait to get robot reads.

Instagram

I have seven hundred followers. I can’t directly share my story with Instagram Users, just an image and description and ask them to follow the link in my bio and then find my story on Vocal. I get maybe 700 interactions a week but not sure if this brings in any reads, but I share stories every now and then.

Pinterest

I am still unsure about the benefits of Pinterest , but it is a great way of storing stuff that interests you on any subject. I have set up boards for my Vocal stories and music, but only have seven followers, though last month I have been seen by 660 visitors, and few have pinned and saved my posts, but again I don’t know if this has translated into Vocal reads.

Twitter

I have 380 followers but Twitter seems to be mostly people following each other. I follow Vocal friends and sometimes I get engagements and retweets but again I am not sure if these result in reads on Vocal. I share all new stories via the twitter link in the Vocal story, then add a little extra to the blurb , then copy it onto Facebook into appropriate feeds and groups.

In Conclusion

There are so many places you can share your work such as Reddit, Snapchat and many more social media platforms but I feel I am at my Social Media limit. Maybe I will find a secret formula to go stratospheric but I am happy with my current methodologies and will continue writing, sharing my opinions and letting people know if I find any useful secrets going forward.

🦋 The Vocal Facebook Groups Who I Love 🦋

The Medium Writers and Vocal Creators Support Group

Vocal Social Society

Vocal Progressive Group For Writers And Readers

Writer's Social Media Marketing Support

Great Incantations: A group dedicated to Vocal Challenges

Vocal & Medium Café

Vocal+ Assist

Vocal Writing Prompts

Vocal & Medium Poetry Writers Outlet

Medium And Vocal Media Writers Group