Sinister Wisdom seeks to platform the aspects of queerness, culture, art, and selfhood that most interest our dedicated volunteers!

We’re hosting a series of week-long social media take-overs on our Instagram page, where you can share a bit about yourself, the lesbian culture you’re loving, and connect with Sinister Wisdom readers and fans.

If you’re interested in hosting a take-over, email info@sinisterwisdom.org. Let us know a little bit about yourself, your schedule, and a short blurb describing what you’d like to post. Our social media coordinator will reach out to confirm the schedule, get you set up with log-in information, and provide general support and some best practice guidelines.

Here are a few examples of great takeover posts from previous takeovers:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoL8hYNNzdT/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_...
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoD-k4Tt3X_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

You’ll get the full run-down of best practices, but just to name a few:

• Post high-quality images. Please make sure captions are free of spelling errors and grammatical errors.

• Credit image owners to the best of your ability. If an image of someone or someone's work with an Instagram, be sure to tag them. Credit the photographer, artist, website or organization that the image was taken from and include the year.

• Use hashtags! Instagram is like a search engine and the tags are the searchable terms. Use caution as writing too many tags can get the account "shadow banned." Also, do not use the stand alone identity tags (ex: #lesbian #queer #trans), as Instagram suppresses content with these tags. Do use tags like #lesbianpoetry

• If you choose to interact with people through the account, please put an identifier behind your name (ex: This is a comment -Sierra).

• Share your favorite lesbians on our Instagram story! Instagram works best when we’re making both posts and stories. Posts remain on each social media page, but stories are temporary and can help you engage with readers via polls, replies, and links!

• We think every lesbian needs Sinister Wisdom in their lives! Tell your friends to follow us on social media and to subscribe to the journal!
These posts do not have to be related to what is going on with the journal, but it is always appreciated!

FAQs:
How long do social media take-overs last?
One week! But you are more than welcome to host multiple take-overs.

Who can do a social media take-over?
We welcome all lesbians, queer, bi+ trans, and non-binary people to host social media take-overs. If you have a love for Sinister Wisdom or lesbian and queer culture, art, and identity we want to hear from you! Subscribers, editors, contributors, and veterans of the journal and people new to Sinister Wisdom can all do take-overs!

Will someone help me with posts, captions, and stories?
Yes! Our social media coordinator will help get you comfortable with posting, provide feedback, and be available for any questions that may arise!

Will I be posting directly to social media accounts?
Yes, we have a Buffer account that will allow you to post directly to our Instagram.

Do I have to post aboutSinister Wisdom only, or other things that interest me?
You can post about whatever interests you, as long as it connects back to lesbian and queer history, culture, writing or art! We’d love if you promoted Sinister Wisdom events and journal issues as well, but it’s not required. To keep you up to date with all things Sinister Wisdom, we’ll also provide you with an event and publishing schedule!

What about shadow banning?
Shadowbanning is a sort of account suspension, where the social media profile isn’t deleted but deprioritized by the algorithm. Simply put, it makes it difficult to see what we post and for new people to search the account. Shadowbanning can happen to accounts like Sinister Wisdom’s — especially on Instagram. To avoid this, we ask that hosts follow platform guidelines and we will also send over some helpful cheat-sheets for your take over as well!