Alternative social platforms like Threads, BlueSky, and MySpace are drawing users who want safer, more regulated online worlds. PEN International and Stephen King have switched. Should you? Here’s how authors can expand their reach to alternative social media.

Why Switch?

I explored alternative social platforms when people became too curious about my personal life online.

Other users are switching to follow trends, friends, and influencers. Alternative social media accounts (like Threads or BlueSky) allow multi-platform reach to where people might look past your posts.

If your content stays limited to Facebook, BlueSky users are unlikely to search for you across platforms. Create an account on several websites, and more readers can find you.

A young-adult novel might promote better on YouTube and Discord over Facebook, where users are older. An LGBTQI+ article might miss its audience on Twitter/X where many of the intended audience left X/Twitter due to hate speech.

Know your audience, your genre, and the genre’s readership.

What’s the Right Site?

Follow your readership. Ask them for social media suggestions. Authors will notice where most of their readership or interests go. Search for your genres or interests on each social media website—attitudes and differences stand out.

Social media accounts can be hidden or deactivated (check DeleteMyAccount) if you’d like to take a break or choose another platform.

No, you don’t need an account on every social media platform. It’s okay to connect with your readers without being a high-tier, million-like influencer.

Authors can use the same promotional techniques for different social media websites—the basics of good content and SEO will still count. However, just remember that each website reaches a different audience.

BlueSky and MySpace

BlueSky and MySpace are social media “alternatives,” while Meta and X are seen as fading giants with political or advertising bias.

Actor Wil Wheaton switched to BlueSky when his Meta-posts weren’t being seen by his “following” audience due to Meta’s algorithms. Once on BlueSky, users could more easily see status updates—without bias or restriction.

MySpace is considered “old school” but still has approximately 6 million users. Meta and X are becoming less popular—but of course, depending on your readership, you might be more likely to get your writing noticed by branching out to MySpace, Threads, or BlueSky.

The editor of Great Bridge Links introduced me to BlueSky. That’s when I realized authors can’t underrepresent themselves. The world has so many different social media platforms, circles, and interests these days that any of them gives you a farther reach.

Joining all social media sites is impossible, though. Join the ones that best resonate with your audience or genre. Spend ten or twenty minutes reading the site. For example, can you find authors matching your genre here? Look at competing authors in your wheelhouse. Where are they located?

Threads and Meta

If you’re moving away from X/Twitter for better freedom of speech, less catfishing in your inbox, or whatever reason, Threads is a Meta-powered alternative for shorter content.

If you want to have a web presence on Threads, move over to their website and create an account. Even though Threads is part of Meta, users have to individually opt-in.

TikTok and YouTube

Many authors also create video content.

Writers can upload book trailers, filmed reviews, writing diaries, interviews with other authors, or bits of writing advice. An author’s personality can extend beyond their writing on paper, giving them a visual for followers to enjoy.

TikTok (including the subsection BookTok) and YouTube are social platforms designed for video. Recently, TikTok was banned and then promptly unbanned for United States users.

Discord

One more alternative platform is Discord, originally meant for gamers. Discord evolved into a platform that hosts private or public “channels” for users and interests.

For example, Discord has specific servers like The Writing Hub and The Writer’s Factory. Users with a Discord account can join channels, and interact with users (usually via text chat, webcam, or call).

Discord isn’t a promotional social media site, where you count on an audience to see your posts. Instead, it’s meant for direct communication inside a channel—usually used for private needs or for a select exclusive fan base.

Try not to get too complacent in your social media choices. Your followers might be diversified in their social media entertainment and information gathering. You want to be there for them.

About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo, and the weird. Sometimes, he co-writes with others.