How do you become successful in a saturated market such as YouTube or Instagram? I’d like to build a following for my book club, but have no idea how to start.

Building a social media following always works best when you don’t set out to build a following. Bear with me…

The past decade has seen a proliferation in Brand Me and an obsession with scale – everyone wants to be an internet superstar. However, it’s proven that micro influencers have much higher engagement than the social media superstars you’re used to seeing. Authenticity counts for a lot in this game, and if you don’t have that from the outset then it is unlikely you will ever grow your following.

My advice would be to keep your book club small, pure, and about the genuine pleasure of reading, rather than chasing likes. Try keeping it focused and thematic: American literature from the 1930s, or feminist literature from around the world, say; this will give you a great starting point for content.

Start it as a group email where you share a book, date and time, and meeting place, with five key themes. Ask your founding members if they want to share the email chain with other keen readers. As the newsletter grows, start a hashtag so that as people post the books they’re reading on social media (I often do) you can take a look and comment and encourage them.

Use your Instagram account to share gorgeous pictures of authors and quotes, so that members can interact with each other and start discussing the book. And finally, post your book club on Meet Up, so members can easily add it to their calendar and join the IRL party.

Soon, your little book club will become a brand, in a more organic way. That’s how to build a following.

• Send your questions for Sharmadean to bossing.it@theguardian.com

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