Scrolly Quotes

 Hello from Michigan!  Ice and snow… means another snow day.  Cue “back in my day” stories.

Not being a big post-er to social media, I had never given much thought to how to create a book quote post.  At least one that looked good.

Anyone can throw some bunny ears “” around some words and post them.  I’m talking about those quote posts that have a unique background relevant to the content.  The text fades onto the screen one line at a time for effect.  Music plays in the background setting the tone and drawing in the reader. 

Believe it or not, you don’t need a degree in graphic design to do it.  Just a great deal of persistence and patience.  I tried to create something within Facebook and Instagram without success, though I did use their tools to finish my posts.

I use Canva.  I have mentioned it before, and haven’t tried other programs for comparison.  This is my experience.  I used Google and it was one of the top picks for beginner graphic designing. 

The first quote post I created was trial and error, figuring out the program.  I didn’t know how to do many things but using Google, I searched for answers and got them readily.  Step-by-step instructions are available and easily accessible for using Canva.

For me, picking quotes was really tough.  I would find what other authors were doing and so many had these cute little back-and-forths between the main characters, just a few short lines that painted a picture of their relationship.

I couldn’t really find many examples like that, especially without giving anything away. 

Finally resolving on a couple snipped from my favorite scenes, I set about making the post.  The background image had to be decided, which is what viewers are going to notice first.  I wanted something eye-catching, but it also needed to be primarily blank so my text was easy to read.

Then there was the font.  Canva has a ton of font choices, and it also contributes to the tone.  For a steamy scene, I wanted something a little fancy but still easy to read. 

Hours.  I spent hours creating little 10-20 second clips to post on social media. 

After I’d created three, a friend pointed out it was going too fast and she couldn’t read the full quote before it flipped to the second part with the book title.  Going back to Canva, I figured out how to adjust that, giving more time to the quote and less to the title.  It doesn’t take more than a few seconds to read the title.

But then my clips needed to be shorter.  At the time, Instagram would only allow 15-second clips for the Story, though that has recently been changed to 60 seconds.  I finagled the time to allow for this.  Even though you can post a more extended Reel, Stories tend to get more interactions.  If you create a longer Reel, Instagram will let you do a 15-second preview in the Story which is still limited.

Then there is music.  I like it when there is music, personally.  It grabs your attention and can convey a mood without taking up precious space.  But how do you add it?  Are there copyright concerns? 

If you add music using Canva, it doesn’t display the credit in social media, saying “Original Audio.”  I didn’t feel great about that.  I tried to upload my design using my desktop and it wasn’t giving me options to add music.  Apparently FB and Instagram want you to use the app.   

After much frustration, I downloaded the Canva app from the Google Play Store on my phone.  With it, I was able to easily get my design onto my phone and use the social media app to edit my clip.  After I posted it, the music worked and the song and artist were displayed. 

A good friend insisted I used TikTok as well, to tap into the #booktok market.  The TikTok app works much better on my phone for posting videos than on the desktop.  Once the video is created in TikTok, it can be shared to other platforms easily too. 

There are a lot of opinions out there on social media, and while I agree it is a powerful tool to reach a large audience free of charge, it has some drawbacks.  To build a large, successful social media following, you need to post often.  Daily ideally.  That takes a great deal of time, much less finding something to post about that often.

This is something I struggle with.  I know many of the platforms allow you to schedule posts in advance, which is helpful for busy days.  You still need content.  I can only post about my book so often before it feels redundant.  I know other authors will share their favorite author’s content and funny posts about the challenges of writing.  It’s an area of improvement for me.

It can also seem overwhelming at times.  I now have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Blogger.  I have an author page on my website, Amazon, and GoodReads. 

When am I supposed to have time to work on my next book?

So the next time you’re scrolling on your news feed and a fancy, well-made quote pops up, keep in mind someone had TIME into that short little thing. 

*Note: Canva has a free trial, but then you have to pay for it.  I do because I use it all the time for social media posts, banners, and editing images, and used it to create my book covers and logo.

 

If anyone has any helpful suggestions, comment below!

I love to hear feedback!   authorelharper@gmail.com

Check out my books and tell me what you think! à www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKBV51XN

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