Show Your Face: I Promise It’s Not Scary.

By: Sarah Rosenberg

Creating original and personalized content can become complicated in today's connected world with social media. I find it even more difficult as an author because of market oversaturation. One vital aspect of standing out in the crowd is showing your audience who you are, including your face and personality. While it can initially feel uncomfortable, the benefits you will reap after will be worth it. So how does showing your face build rapport and foster connections with your audience?

1. Humanizing Your Brand

Your followers want to know who you are more than they want to know about your book. Your book may bring them in, but you, as a person, will keep them as followers. People want to feel connected to you, and choosing to remain faceless on social media can negatively affect your brand. By showing your face and your life on social media, you invite your readers into your story and journey as an author. This creates personalized engagement for your followers. 

Some post ideas to support this include:

• Selfies with your book!

• Take your book on a walk or journey and share pictures/videos.

• Halloween costume pictures.

• Day in the Life videos.

• Talking about writing struggles.

2. Fostering Trust and Credibility

How many times have you seen a TikTok Shop or Instagram Shop AD that looked fake? What about creators who only post paid-partnership content? When you watch these videos, do you feel like you can trust the brand or person? Probably not. As an author, it is vital that you build an authentic brand, and to do that, you must show your face and personality. This can foster connections and trust between you and your audience. Trust is not something that can be built with one post in a sea of other posts. You must be consistent with showing who you are to your audience. 

Some potential post ideas that support this can be:

• Weekly reels/videos are where you take your followers on a day in life. 

• Get to know you videos.

• Sharing your hobbies.

• Sharing your family (does not have to include their faces. See Alison Kuch’s content on how to not include your child’s face). 

• Share your struggles. Many people want to feel like they are not alone in their struggles and that they could potentially help others. 

3. Enhancing Engagement

Social media rewards accounts that engage authentically. The science behind the algorithm is complicated, but catering to it is slightly more manageable. When I was in high school, I did my own scientific experiment on this. I posted two photos at the same time. One was a selfie, and one was a photo of a landscape. I found that my selfies were getting more likes than non-face-showing pictures. This continues to be true in the 2020s. When you share about your life and your writing, you spark others to connect with you on a deeper level. 

Some ideas to accomplish this include:

• Asking your audience questions.

• Have story posts where your audience can ask you questions.

• Replying to comments and fan art or anything fan-made. 

• Encourage fan-made creations.

4. Building a Sense of Community

Followers want to feel welcome in your author community. The more you (and your face) show up in your post, the more your followers will feel the community you have built around your writing journey. This is what can turn a casual follower into an engaged supporter of your writing. For example, one of my favorite authors, Catharina Maura, has done amazingly well with building a community. She has a Facebook group where she labels her followers as her kittens. Even though she uses a pen name, she constantly shows her face in posts that promote her books. She even labels her husband as “Mr. Maura” even though the name is not her real name. This shows that authors who choose to publish under a pen name can still build a community of followers. 

Examples from Catherina Maura’s socials:

• https://www.instagram.com/p/C_X1hW_psim/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

• https://www.instagram.com/p/C7eb8ubNDFV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

• Her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/ohUENo4t6ey54V9q/ 

5. Standing Out in a Crowded Space

We all know how crowded the author space is on social media, so the question is: How can I stand out from the crowd? One of the most significant ways is by showing you. People enjoy premade graphics but not as much as they enjoy hearing and seeing you. Building those personal connections will make you different from all of the other creators. 

Ideas to accomplish this:

• Create a Facebook readers group to connect with your readers personally.

• Sharing your hobbies or interests.

• Collaborating with other authors to share the spotlight.

6. Overcoming the Fear of Perfection

Confidence is one of the most challenging skills to gain, but you can take baby steps to overcome the fear of not being good enough for social media. You are good enough!! Not showing your face can stem from fear of judgment or not feeling good enough. Taking baby steps to show your face can be an excellent route to start from.

Ideas to accomplish this: 

• Show your wrist and arm while holding your book.

• Put your book by your feet and share a picture.

  • Bonus Points if you live in an area with pretty fall foliage.

• Show the back of your head while reading a book.

• Use your silhouette to your advantage. 

7. Creating Emotional Connections

Showing your face will build emotional connections with your followers. The type of post does not matter; you could be sharing your interests, offering advice, or sharing more about your book, which will foster a new kind of connection with your followers. Replying to comments on your profiles will also build that emotional connection to you, the author. This can turn a casual follower into a loyal supporter who will buy any book you put out. 

Some ideas to accomplish this include:

• Reply to comments.

• Sharing about your struggles as a human or author.

• Offering advice for burgeoning writers. 

Conclusion: Step Into the Spotlight

While social media can be the most daunting part of being an author, it can be the most powerful way to reach new readers. By showing you in your content, you can build meaningful connections with readers who will cheer for your journey and become a loyal supporter. 

Now, I ask that you take the leap. Show your face! Show your arm! Anything that takes you out of your comfort zone to show that it is not as scary as it seems. This is the real you that your audience wants to know and connect with!