One of the biggest misconceptions about social media is that every platform is the same. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

What works on Facebook doesn’t necessarily work on Twitter, what works on Twitter isn’t usually a great fit for YouTube, and your email list is another thing completely. It can all get a little overwhelming, which is why I previously shared with you how I recommend using each platform.

But even though each channel works in its own unique way, there are some tricks you can employ to help cross promote them and grow your following across all of them. Here’s how:

1. When Somebody Subscribes To Your Mailing List, Invite Them To Join You Elsewhere Too

By now you know that I believe an email subscription is the most valuable connection you can get from a fan. But it’s not the only one that matters.

I’d recommend that you include a message in the first email you send to new subscribers that invites them to connect with you on the other social media platforms that you use and explains why they should. For example, here’s the first email that subscribers to my Free Tips Newsletter receive when they sign up for it – it almost always leads subscribers to follow me on multiple platforms.

I want to take a moment to thank you for subscribing to my Free Tips Newsletter and to welcome you to the Connected Comedy community.

I truly appreciate your interest in what I have to say and look forward to getting to know you.

I’ve got a lot of useful information to share with you, and I encourage you to reply to any of the emails I send with any specific questions or concerns you may have about how this all applies to your specific needs and goals.

You’ll get the first of my Free Tips emails in a couple days, so please be on the lookout for it and let me know if for any reason you don’t receive it.

In the meantime, I’d highly recommend you take a moment connect with myself and other Connected Comedy members in the following places:

“Like” The Connected Comedy Facebook Page: There’s an incredible community of readers on Facebook who regularly help each other out.

Join The Connected Comedy Facebook Group: This is a group where myself and other Connected Comedy readers chat, help each other out, and discuss issues relating to the business of comedy.

Get The Connected Comedy Daily: This is a daily email I send with links to various articles and videos that I think comedians should know about.

Follow Connected Comedy on Twitter: You can get advice and interesting links here 140 characters at a time.

Subscribe to the Connected Comedy podcast: This is a weekly podcast featuring an ongoing conversation between myself and a rotating lineup of comedians who discuss the business and marketing side of comedy.

2. Share Screenshots Of Your Tweets As Photos On Facebook

This is a new tactic that I just tried recently and seemed to work pretty well. If you write a tweet that you want to share with your Facebook fans, instead of just reposting it as text take a screenshot of the tweet and post it as a photo.

This does a couple things. First, photos get much more engagement on Facebook than text-only status updates because the big images standout in people’s newsfeeds. So, your update is more likely to be seen if you post it as a screenshot of the tweet.

The second thing this does is essentially function as advertising of your Twitter account to your Facebook fans and reminds them that maybe they should follow you on Twitter as well.

Here’s an example of what it looked like when I did it:

3. Incorporate Tweets Or Facebook Questions Into Your YouTube Videos

One of the best ways to build a successful YouTube channel is to incorporate some interactive elements into what you do – usually by referencing comments or soliciting questions from viewers. Well, you don’t have to limit the origin of those questions and comments to YouTube comments.

Instead, reach out to your Twitter or Facebook fans and encourage them to contribute ideas or questions for your YouTube videos. Then, feature those in your videos and you’ll give your Facebook/Twitter followers a reason to connect with your YouTube videos and you’ll give your YouTube subscribers a reason to interact with you on Facebook or Twitter.

4. Do a #FollowFriday Roundup on Facebook For Twitter

One of the most successful ways I’ve cross promoted my social media channels has been through my weekly #FollowFriday roundup posts on Facebook. Each Friday, I invite my Facebook fans to comment on a post with their Twitter accounts and promise to include them in a #FF tweet. I also encourage them to do the same for each other so that we all get some new Twitter followers.

This is a really popular promotion because everybody benefits from it, but it also gives me an excuse to remind my Facebook fans that I’m also on Twitter each week. Plus, because we’re able to keep all the accounts listed in the comments of a single Facebook update, it’s more effective  than just trying to do it on Twitter where it would be a ton of replies going back and forth.

And, taken one step further, I’m able to post a tweet inviting people to participate by commenting on my Facebook page, so this one actually works to promote both outlets simultaneously.

These are far from the only ways you can cross promote your social media channels, but hopefully they give you an idea of what’s possible with a little creativity.

Do you have any other suggestions or things you’ve found to be successful? Please share them in the comments below…

(By the way, if you want some help with your social media strategy, here’s how to hire a great social media consultant.)