What Successful Screenwriters Know About Using Social Media
If you’re hoping to build momentum in your writing career, social media can work in your favor. But it can also be a double-edged sword. Read on for the good, the bad, and how to do it right.
The Good Side of Social Media
The good side of social media is that everyone can see what you post. If you're a comedy writer, Twitter is a great place to showcase your joke writing. If you’re a director, Instagram is the perfect platform to display your visual style. What makes the web so powerful is that you can follow and interact with other creatives you admire, learn from their feeds, and stay up-to-date about the industry (Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy are only a tweet away). Many writers have been discovered solely from their social media feeds, and amassing followers could even help you get meetings.
The Bad Side of Social Media
The bad side of social media? Everyone can see what you post. If you’re on Twitter trashing a movie you just saw, the filmmakers involved could see your tweet. If you’re thinking, “So what? It’s not like I’ll ever meet them…” think again. Los Angeles may be a big city, but Hollywood is a small town. You never know who you may eventually have a meeting with, and you don’t want your social media past to get in the way of that.
Beware of posting anything rude (why would you even need to?), or anything that makes you seem undependable or irresponsible. HR departments check. Showrunners may look at your feed when they’re considering hiring you. In our digital age, it’s important to remember that what goes up on the internet may live forever, so be a decent human being and post wisely.
Using Social Media to Showcase Your Talent
The bottom line is that social media platforms amplify your voice. If you still have questions about how to handle your own accounts well, the best thing to do is to see some real-world examples. Check out the feeds of these successful screenwriters who are using social media to stay relevant in the industry, connect with fellow creators, and promote their latest work:
And make sure to follow me, Carole Kirschner, for career advice, writing tips, industry news, and more!