How to Be on Social Media Without Posting Photos or Video of Your Face

A social media guide for writers who are introverts, shy, or very private

Evelyn Skye

Apr 29, 2023

Hello there, my brilliant writer friends!

Today I’m going to share:

a bunch of ideas for posting on social media without putting your face out there,
my secret tips for making anything a “writing-related” post, and
my favorite free resources for creating social media content.

There are really good reasons for not wanting to put your face on social media.

You are private and don’t want that part of you out there, but you still want to participate in social media
- You don’t want AI to create deep fakes of you. I’m screwed because I’m already all over the internet… But you can still save yourselves! (j/k… sort of)
You are shy or introverted
You don’t like having your photo taken or making videos featuring your face
You don’t mind putting your face out there sometimes, but there are days where you don’t want to put on makeup or you’re breaking out or you’ve been crying or you Just. Don’t. Want. To.

So, what should you do?

First, read my article Do Writers Need to Be on Social Media? I talk about when you actually need to spend time online (vs writing the best book you can), and how to do it while protecting your privacy and mental health.

Okay, now let’s say you’re ready to hop online, but you’re not an influencer and you don’t want to spend entire weekends doing photo and video shoots of your face. Here are some ideas:

Posts Without Your Beautiful Face

(most of these can be made into either photos or videos)

Inspirational quotes from authors (to make it a video, have the text animated to type out on the screen over a pretty background)
Book spine poetry: arrange book spines to create a poem.
A notebook and one handwritten line, with the caption giving a behind-the-scenes of your writing process.
Creative bookshelf displays or organization.
Aesthetic photos/videos of your favorite reading or writing spots.
Book hauls from libraries or bookstores.
Monthly reading wrap-ups or TBR lists.
Writing playlists or songs that inspire you with links to Spotify or other music apps.
Author spotlights or literary birthdays.
Interesting literary trivia or facts.
Favorite book covers or cover art.
“Aesthetics” of your WIP - think Pinterest boards, Reels with images that feel like your book or look like your characters
- Bonus: don’t just make these for your heroes. You can make them for the antagonists, too.
Unique bookmarks or reading accessories.
Writing prompts or flash fiction challenges.
Recommended reading lists based on themes or genres.
Celebrating writing anniversaries or milestones with photos or videos of cake, champagne, mocktails + pens, notebooks, or your closed laptop in the background
Photo or video of your computer screen and the typed words “T H E E N D”
Book-related crafts or DIY projects.
Literary-themed recipes or snacks.
Sneak peeks of your current work-in-progress, like a quote on top of a pretty background.
Fan art or illustrations inspired by your favorite books.
Book giveaways or contests.
Your favorite bookstores or libraries.
Dreamcast your manuscript - photo or video collage of the actors you’d cast if your book became a movie or TV show.

Your Captions Do Not Have to Be Related to the Photo!

You can snap some pictures of the beach or a bouquet of flowers or a beautiful latte, and then make it “writing-related” by having a caption that’s about writing!

Ideas for Writing-Focused Captions

Share your personal writing goals and progress updates.
Post a "day in the life" of your writing routine.
Showcase a favorite writing resource, such as a book, podcast, or blog.
Post a writing challenge or prompt and encourage others to share their responses.
Share tips for overcoming writer's block.
Discuss your favorite writing tools or software.
Highlight your favorite writing reference books or guides.
Post about your favorite writing rituals or habits.
Discuss a writing technique you've recently learned or mastered.
Share the backstory or inspiration behind one of your characters or settings.
Discuss a difficult writing challenge you've faced and how you overcame it.
Share an experience attending a writer's conference, workshop, or class.
Collaborate with other writers for a virtual write-in or word sprint session.
Tell other writers about how awesome the Skye is the Limit newsletter is (wink wink nudge nudge)

Canva - great visual editing software you can use on your phone or computer. It has a ton of templates, including presets dimensions for different social media (like square posts, vertical mobile video, etc.)
Pexels - users upload pretty background videos and you can use them for free (with the option to “tip” creators if you really love their work). For example, this is a fantastic place to find something like a video of a field of flowers, which you can use as a background for your favorite quote, or to create a collage of videos for an aesthetic of the manuscript you’re writing.

What do you think? Does this make being on social media a little less daunting?