Does Social Media Math Add Up?

 

Does social media pay off for authors? Let’s explore.

The number of followers one has does not always translate onto actual viewings of a post.

The number of viewings of a post does not exactly mean the number of people who viewed it.

All social media numbers are suspect.

People pay unscrupulous marketers to buy followers or give people incentives to sign up as a follower and then they disappear.

The number of likes and loves for posts are also suspicious and not necessarily an indicator of anything.

The only number an author or publisher cares about is the number of books sold. No one cares about social media clicks if they don’t translate into readers and book sales. Clicks get commoditized by influencers and media outlets who charge for advertising.

The facts on social media are brutal:

* Not all of your connections and followers receive your post.
* Not all who receive it scroll deep into their feeds to discover it.
* Not all those who get your post and see it pop up bother to open and view it.
* Not all those who view your post enjoy it, act on it, bother to share it, or respond with a comment or a like — let alone buy something.

There are just way too many apps, memberships, and services that provide content, along with emails, texts, and voice messages.

And mix in hoaxes, scams, and frauds with communications seeking to trick you and separate you from your money, identity, or valuable information. It is a brutal digital landscape out there.

Too many passwords, security alerts, and sign-ups or sign-ins. Too many auto pays. Too much addictive garbage,  input, and time wasted on line.

Of course there are many positives that we overlook about social media, including:

* It is free, instantaneous, and always available
* It can be used for good, for fun, and for book sales
* It is something that allows us access to the globe from our pajamas

Social media, like anything, is a tool for good or bad, depending on who uses it and how. Is there a net benefit to social media? It seems like there should be one but given the number of scams, how it leads to addictions, spreads lies, and manipulates us, you have to wonder if that is the case. The social media math may actually not add up favorably.

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 6,200,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum