This column originally appeared in Behind the Zines #12 titled “Like This or Don’t: Promoting Your Zines on Social Media.”
Promoting Zines on Social Media
If I could make one generalization about zine makers—and this is probably true of creative people in general—it’s that we tend to be introverts. It’s not that we can’t be social and outgoing and accomplished because, obviously, we can. It’s just that many of us find social situations draining, especially when we are engaged in them for long periods of time, like five minutes. And yet we manage to summon as much awkward grace as we can and get through it.
It would stand to reason then, that the very concept of social media would set our collective teeth on edge. Why wouldn’t the same anxieties and insecurities bubble up at the thought of publicly sharing information about ourselves and our work?
Self-Esteem Destroyer
There are countless studies on how social media is a self-esteem destroyer that is making us all profoundly unhappy. Some scientists believe social media affects us in a way similar to drugs—the positive attention we get from social media releases dopamine that gives our brains a thrill. That blast of cerebral pleasure quickly dissolves, leaving us feeling empty and sad inside. Pretty bleak stuff.
From my own experience, using social media to spread the word about my zines is a necessary evil. If you create something and you want people to read it, then you have to promote it. Sure, you could stand on a street corner and hand out copies to random people, but in some way, you’re still marketing the ideas contained in that publication. And if you print more than one copy of something, it stands to reason that you would want at least one other human animal to see it.
That said, if I spend countless hours making a zine and pay out of pocket to have it printed, then travel to the social media dimension and post about that fact, and in return, I get a smattering of likes—is that a failure? How about no likes? (Did anybody just hear a tree fall in the forest?) On the other hand, if I post a picture of my dog wearing a funny hat on his birthday that’s gonna blow the F up. (Not hatin’ on my dog, he’s a funny dude, but still, it’s a humbling experience for those who actually have to work for the accolades.)
Engagement Fatigue
I think the reason for the indifference to my zine-promoting posts is that most of my social media friends/followers fall into two different categories. There are my “old” old friends (elementary school through high school) who have not, nor will they ever understand zines, comics, self-publishing, or underground anything. And then there are my “newer” old friends (college, former coworkers, etc.) that I’ve known for decades who are probably a little immune to the steady barrage of “read this zine/comic,” “download this digital album,” “come see my band play at 11:30 on Monday night at a dive bar that is 20 miles from where you live.” On the other hand, everyone gets dogs. So in the social media arena, I just can’t compete with an animal who goes through life blissfully unaware of his status as a minor celebrity.
So, the question becomes, is it worth it? I think it probably is. You just can’t take it personally. You’ve got to be prepared for your posts to be insufficiently liked and possibly outright ignored. I mean, how often do you scroll through your feeds carefully examining each post, considering the merits of what’s being communicated, and really engaging with it before assigning a thumbs up or heart to it? How often do you just go on a “like” binge and drop a heart on everything that has the words ‘birthday,’ or ‘graduation’ in it, or the picture of a kitten, puppy, or baby?
Start Promoting Zines on Social Media
I swore many times that I was going to give up social media for good, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon, especially now that I’ve joined a whole bunch of new platforms. So, please Frog me on Frugger, Tweak me on Twerker, Spike me on Spoker, and Squish me on Squasher!