Are #WritersLifts Killing Your Author Platform? Here Are 5 Ways It's Hurting You...

And what to do instead...

Photo by Walls.io on Unsplash

I will likely not be very popular for my stance on this topic, and feel free to disagree with me. Bear with me.

At first glance, the #WritersLift hashtag on X (formerly Twitter), and now on Bluesky and Instagram, appears to be a generous show of literary solidarity.

Writers boosting writers. What’s not to love?

Everyone drops their book links, follows each other, and celebrates the creative hustle. But peel back the surface, and a harsher reality emerges: these threads rarely translate to authentic engagement, meaningful connection, or sales.

If you’ve spent hours engaging in #WritersLift posts only to feel burned out and unseen, not to mention spammed, you’re not alone.

📉 Here’s why this trend isn’t working, and what to do instead.

1. The Illusion of Community: Connection Without Depth

#WritersLift threads promise networking and community, but often result in nothing more than follow-for-follow transactions. You might gain dozens of new followers, but how many of them read your work, engage with your content, or stick around long-term?

Most participants are fellow authors trying to promote their own books. What’s missing is genuine interaction. Without mutual interests, engagement quickly fades.

Example: You follow 50 new accounts, but your timeline becomes flooded with promos for genres you don’t even read. Result? Muted, unfollowed, or ignored.

2. You’re Selling to the Wrong Audience

#WritersLift isn’t about readers. It’s about writers. And while writers can be readers, most are too busy promoting their own work to buy yours.

Example: You drop your book link into a thread and get likes and reposts, but your Amazon dashboard shows zero sales. You’ve marketed to people who aren’t your ideal audience.

This is a common pitfall in author marketing: confusing visibility with effectiveness.*

*If your book isn’t selling, maybe it’s time to reevaluate it. Does it need a new cover? Some advertising? A major edit? Are you spending time in the right demographic? Does Google scrape your site and social media posts? What about reviews, awards, or other recognition?

📌 Read more about how to SEO your blog posts and newsletters here:

It’s tough to call our baby ugly (hurts to write that), but sometimes, no matter what an author does, their book does not sell. It’s sad to see.

Set aside ego and make it better.

3. Algorithmic Burying: Visibility Goes Nowhere

X’s algorithm (and other social media) prioritizes original posts and honest conversations. When you reply to a popular #WritersLift with your book link, you’re comment #127 in a sea of other singular-focused pleas for attention.

Unless someone scrolls for ten minutes, your post is invisible.

Even if your post gets a handful of likes, that engagement is mostly from people playing the same game, not from interested readers.

💥 And also, and probably the most important message to take away from this post: Google recognizes spam, so it doesn’t index ANY posts that appear to be ‘link exchanges.’

Fantastic further reading: LitReactor: WritersLift or Pyramid Scheme?

4. The Myth of "Free" Marketing

#WritersLift may not cost money, but it costs something far more precious: your time and creative energy. Spending hours liking, re-posting, and replying to other posts means less time writing your next book, growing your email list, or pitching to podcasts and reviewers.

Not to mention writing and building your newsletter.

Example: Three days spent in #WritersLift threads = one week’s worth of blog posts, one newsletter, or 10 high-value posts that could attract real readers.

More on strategic book promo: BookBub’s guide to reaching readers.

5. The Hidden Labor

Let’s be real: the emotional labor in these threads can start to feel immense. There’s an unspoken pressure to respond, support, uplift, and not be "that person" who doesn’t reciprocate.

Worse, participating in these threads can sometimes attract DMs (direct messages) that cross boundaries, especially when you’re visible as a woman writer.

Safety and respect should never be trade-offs for promotion. You don’t owe anyone anything, including your attention.

Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash

What to Do Instead: Smarter, Targeted Strategies

If you’re serious about book promotion, ditch the #WritersLift time suck and try these proven strategies:

• Focus on reader-rich spaces: Goodreads groups, BookFunnel promotions, and Facebook reader communities are all good options. I also still recommend hosting or guesting on X Audio Spaces. Again, Google indexes X posts, including Spaces.

• Build your email list: Offer a free short story or sample chapter. Tools like StoryOrigin or MailerLite make this easy. And, of course, you can also start a Substack (it's easy to import subscribers).

📌 More here:

• Create high-value original content: Share behind-the-scenes, character profiles, or writing tips that resonate with readers.

• Run newsletter swaps with authors in your genre: Substack or Mailchimp are perfect for this. I also love Booksweeps for subscriber list growth.

• Use post threads to teach or tell stories: Instead of spamming links, tell a story that hooks people. Add your book info at the end. It converts.
  
  Please take a look at the only X account I subscribe to on that platform: Bunson, Beaker, Bernoulli, and Ginger. Three adorable dogs, one ginger cat, two science teachers - I mean. Science, cuteness, and empathy is their mantra. I’m there. Their threads are darling and informative.

• Pets and humor go a long way. Pip, my Book Marketing Cat, often gets way more clicks, likes, and comments than any one of these posts!

I accept that. I mean, look at the fella.

Does Writer Support Need a Hashtag?

The spirit behind #WritersLift is beautiful; writers want to help each other. Yet, authentic support means more than dropping a link and moving on. It’s about showing up with substance, building trust, and finding your actual audience.

If you’re tired of screaming into the void, consider stepping off the hashtag treadmill. Focus on building deeper relationships, curating content your readers actually want, and showing up authentically.

Your time is too valuable to spend on threads that don’t serve your limited time.

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Learning:

In case you missed it - RECORDED: #BookMarketingChat on Twitter/X spaces (audio only). Click here now to listen. Topic: Can writers use AI ethically?

📌Next audiospace: How do we effectively market on a budget? Find out! Click here now to set a reminder/add to your calendar. Recorded if you miss it.

Topic: Effective ways to market on a shoestring.

On Wednesday, May 7, at 2 pm PT/5 pm ET.

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Happy writing!