Written byRowena Wiseman
18th March 2024
Tumblr is a blogging platform that can be used to engage with readers, share content, and connect with other writers. With Tumblr, users can post photographs, videos, quotes, links, music, and text posts.
One of the best ways to build a following on Tumblr is to create content that people will want to reblog. Your content will have greater reach if other users share it with their followers. It is similar to Twitter and the retweet button.
Writers often use Tumblr to display their writing in a unique way. For example, they might create a “Tumblr novel” where each chapter is a separate post on the blog. Or they might choose to do a series of micro-fiction stories that are only one or two sentences long.
Before diving into promotion tactics, it’s critical to understand the platform you’re working with. Tumblr is a mix of microblogging and social networking, where multimedia and short-form content thrive. It houses a vibrant community that values creativity, humour, and social commentary.
Now that you have a sense of Tumblr’s atmosphere, let’s talk about the content that can help you shine as a writer.
Tumblr has several built-in features that can enhance your promotional efforts.
Building a community is about more than just sharing your content; it’s about interaction.
Shelby Leigh is a poet, mental health advocate, and author marketing strategist who has been writing on the internet for 6+ years, amassing a following of more than 300,000 readers. Her third poetry book is coming in Fall 2022 through Central Avenue Publishing.
I asked her how she has been using Tumblr and her advice for other authors who want to use the platform.
“There are so many writers on Tumblr, but that doesn’t mean it’s an oversaturated platform! Tumblr is the first platform I started sharing my writing on, and I quickly built an audience to more than 100k in a year. It’s fairly simple to get visibility on Tumblr because, similar to Twitter, posts can be reshared really easily to different audiences. Relevant tags are also pretty effective in getting more views and engagement on your posts.”
“I’ve found that two types of posts perform best: simple, text-only quote posts and high-quality photos of quotes from books or journals. The text posts are easiest to do because you just need to type your poem! However, I have had photos of pages of my poetry books perform very well, too.”
Shelby Leigh has been writing on Tumblr for years.
“Like any social media platform, I recommend consistency and quality. Stick with a posting schedule that you can adhere to, whether that’s twice a week or every day. Experiment with different post types to see what works best for you and your audience. Use relevant hashtags to get more eyes on your work. Finally, engage with others. You should never follow to unfollow, or like people’s posts just to get likes back. However, you should find other accounts you truly enjoy and engage with them regularly. That is the best way to build a community!”
Tumblr offers a unique landscape for creative writers to promote their work and grow their readership. By understanding the platform’s culture, creating captivating content,and engaging with followers, you can build a thriving community around your writing.
Check out writers on Tumblr to see how authors are presenting their work on the platform. Use the search bar to search for terms such as ‘writing’, ‘creative writing’ or ‘poetry’ to get some ideas on how writers present their work on this incredible multi-media, multi-layered platform.
I genuinely thought tumblr had stayed in the noughties, this is a revelation to me. Thanks for the insight!