Social Media FOR REAL

Do you need it or not to get narration gigs?

INTRODUCTION

I’ve been thinking a lot about social media. We keep circling back to this in the industry: Do you need it to get work? How important is it? Do I have to TikTok, do reels, post about books, WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO KEEP WORKING IN THIS BUSINESS?

It’s easy to get pissy about it. I’m pretty pissy about it too.

There is no clear YES or NO answer to this. There are degrees, as always.

YES SOCIAL MEDIA IS IMPORTANT

But it’s not everything

Social media is important, and for some authors, publishers, and casting, it’s becoming increasingly important. Why? Because everyone wants their product promoted, and narrators have become (like it or not) part of the Machine of Promotion.

When I was casting my book THE KNOWING, I realized as an author, I did want a narrator who would post about the book.

I never thought this was important as a narrator, but as an author, my view changed. Why? Because being an indie writer and getting the word out about your work, getting people to actually take time and buy the book and listen to it or read it…is freaking hard. I could spend thousands of dollars on a marketing plan, but I don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on a marketing plan. I kinda need that money for, you know, food and my mortgage.

So for me, a narrator who posted something was important. It made me realize that as a narrator myself, I could do a better job sharing what I’m working on. A couple of work posts a week is enough. I tag the author and the publisher. It’s manageable. I can do that. And I think it helps.

But you know what also helps? Doing good work, being prepared, doing research, giving a good performance, being contactable and responding quickly, and being a decent human being. It all helps.

DO I NEED A HUGE FOLLOWING?

So, this where I got all depressed last week thinking about all the new narrators being reviewed (and hired for books) that I’d never heard of who have HUGE social media followings. Is this the new frontier? Do you HAVE to have a huge following now to get work?

My lack of social media following and power also prevented publishers from picking up THE KNOWING and THE TAKERS. They said my audience wasn’t strong enough.

And that sucks. It does.

So for real, do we have to have a huge social media following? No, but it helps.

I did a lot of tantrum throwing and fussing and general bitching about this idea for a week. And then it occurred to me:

There are Hollywood A-List stars like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman and Timothy Chalamet. They headline movies, they make a fortune, and they get role after role after role. They get awards and highlights and fan clubs and huge salaries and all the things.

But they aren’t the only actors in Hollywood. There are plenty of actors who make a living as supporting characters, or have roles on series, or whatever. Not everyone is a STAR. Maybe you recognize the actor in a movie, but you’re not sure where you’ve seen them. They are steadily working, and they’re not superstars.

I think this is what’s happening in audiobooks. There are going to be social media influencers, Hollywood and Broadway narrator stars, and A-List narrators. There will be a handful of narrators who seem to reel that spotlight in straight on them and absorb all the light. They get reviews and jobs and all that stuff.

But here’s the cool thing: there are plenty of narrators not in the spotlight who are working steadily and earning a good living. They don’t have tens of thousands of followers: they just consistently and steadily do good work. And they consistently and steadily get hired.

There is a push, as always, to sell more product, and those with strong followings will get picked up for jobs because of their ‘influence’. But there are also plenty of other titles that don’t need that high level narrator, don’t have the budget for it, or the author simply doesn’t care about the narrator’s social reach.

There is plenty of work out there. Enough for everyone? Maybe not. It’s still competitive, but I don’t think social media will make or break you.

THE NEW SOCIAL MEDIA

I do think some social media is important for your career. It’s important for a number of reasons. Active participation in social media:

• Shows you are active in the industry

• Gives people direct access to your work

• Shares examples of what you are capable of producing

• Builds connection with publishers, casting, authors, and fans

• Keeps your name visible

• Offers a way for casting, publishers, and authors to contact you

I don’t think you need to be a social media STAR.

Set that aside. That’s too much pressure for anyone.

But if you can slightly increase your social media posts, try it. See if it helps. Your new social media might just be posting with a little more regularity, varying your posts with things you like and the work you do, and commenting on others’ posts.

If you rarely post anything, try to do one audiobook related post a week. Just one. Tag your author, your production team, the publisher, whoever. Say nice things.

If you post a couple of times a week, try posting something that’s different from your regular posts. Try a short video, or create a post on Canva with a sample of your voice.

WHAT ABOUT NARRATING LIVE?

Many people are finding deep engagement with narrating live. To do it, you need permission from the author (if you’re working with them directly) or from your production team. Remember there are copyright issues so permission is important.

Some narrators love doing this: it keeps them on track, holds them accountable, and gives them an audience to play to. Some narrators are terrified by this idea, or overwhelmed, or grossed out or whatever.

Does every narrator now need to narrate live? NO.

It’s an option in social media, but it’s not a requirement. And it works better in some genres than others like fantasy, romantacy, erotica, etc.

If you want to try it, do. If it’s not for you, put your energy into something else, like getting into your booth and narrating half-naked because it’s super humid and gross out and you don’t want anyone to see you all sweaty and smelly and moist while you work.

DO WHAT IS AUTHENTIC FOR YOU

While I think that social media is important in terms of visibility and presence in the industry, I also think you should do what feels right and good and authentic to you.

Remember that just liking or commenting on someone’s post also gives you visibility: your name pops up in their feed, and the poster can start to get to know you. Even if you don’t do any social media except occasionally like and comment, you’re still doing something.

And it’s the doing of something that’s important.

THE CHALLENGE

I encourage you for three weeks to see if you can experiment with increasing your social media slightly. Not even a month. Just try three weeks. You don’t need to be a TikTok star or have a huge following. Just try posting something about a book you’re working on, one you performed, or the type of book you just love.

Be authentic. Be comfortable. Be You.

If you post once a week, try doing two posts.

If you only post images, try posting a video. You don’t have to be visible; a sample of your voice is enough.
Tag the author and production team.

See what changes if anything. And then in the next three weeks, either continue with the increased posting, or pul back. See if anything changes.

THE SUMMARY

Showing through social media that you’re active and available and present in the audiobook industry is enough. It’s enough. I promise you.

Now, if you happen to get a huge following and become an influencer, that’s great. Good job! It will help you get more work, and that’s lovely.

But being a social media star shouldn’t and doesn’t need to be the goal.

Doing good work and getting more work to do is the goal. There are still many paths to get there.

Social media is one path.

What path is the right path for you?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanya Eby is a writer and narrator. She was a casting director for a few years and would love to work in that field again. She’s still looking. She had bacon for breakfast because it’s the only thing besides beer in her fridge and she doesn’t like beer. She probably should go grocery shopping. Like her work? Tell her, tell a friend, give her two million dollars, or share this post. Any of those options are lovely.