In this article, we will talk about tips on how to promote your book on Social Media and also discuss everything you need to know about promoting your book.
Promoting a book these days is difficult when there are so many published, so, as authors, we increasingly need to take a chunk of the marketing into our own hands. Luckily, there are many ways we can do this, but it’s also a double-edged sword: what are they all, and where do we start?
Let’s get started!
Ask Yourself: Who Are You Writing For?
Is your goal as a writer to sell 1,000,000 copies?
Great! Lots of writers have done that. But no writer who has sold 1,000,000 copies just steps out the door and says, “my audience is everyone.” They know who their book was written for, and they go after those people in their book marketing.
Before you think too hard about what you’ll say, consider who you’ll say it to. You don’t start any social network with followers, after all. So, where do you find your target audience?
Start by following people you want to follow. Don’t follow 5,000 people just so they’ll maybe follow you back.
Build a Personal Brand to promote your book on social media
Most of the time when readers buy your book, they don’t do it because of the story, they buy it because you have written it. That’s the power of having a strong personal brand: you can make the reader interested in hearing your thoughts. Here’s how you can go about it:
Pick a niche
Choose a broad umbrella of topics to write about and stick to it in all your posts. The topic should be either of the two:
- Something you’re truly passionate about.
- Something on which your friends and readers seek advice.
Of course, the topic should be something your book is centered around. But then again, most writers tend to write their first book based on a topic they truly believe in. Though promoting your book comes into the picture much later after writing, it is important to consider the overall theme of the book while planning the promotions for your book.
Pick two platforms
While having an online presence is awesome, it’s not possible to be active on all the platforms. To build your online community, pick two platforms that work best for you. You can choose any platform, but here are a few pointers to keep in mind:
- It should have a decent number of users who actively engage with posts. A quick Google search will let you know the composition of users for any platform and how likely they are to buy the products they see.
- You should be familiar with the platform and have a basic understanding of its algorithm. Don’t worry if you think you’re not too tech-savvy. Spending a few weeks actively going through popular posts on any platform will give you a clear idea about what kind of posts work there.
Create a Social Calendar
Your social media shouldn’t be random—”I’ll post when I feel like it or when something pops in my head.” It should be strategic. There will be times where you’ll add something at the moment, and there’s nothing wrong with that. At the very least, you should be scheduling one social media post a day on Twitter, and two posts a week on Instagram and Facebook.
When you’re creating a schedule, it helps to be thematic. Mondays are for tweeting quotes, Tuesdays are for posting reviews, etc. Knowing the type of post you will publish on any given day will help you avoid having social media writer’s block.
Post frequently
In an ideal world, you should post daily. But if your other commitments keep you busy, design a fixed schedule of posting and stick to it. This will build a sense of familiarity among your audience and they will know when to expect new content from you. Stick to your routine so religiously that if you miss a single day, you’re flooded with messages from readers asking why you didn’t post that day.
Share Photos of People Reading Your Book
This is another popular strategy for authors promoting books on social media. Once you launch the book, ask your followers to share a moment with it. Don’t forget: they need to use a special hashtag, so you and all your followers can see the post.
You may feature all these photos on Facebook or Instagram stories. This method creates a sense of community around your book.
Hashtag It!
Hashtags are one of the easiest ways to get followers quickly if you use them right. A hashtag is something that starts with a # sign. When a person clicks on the word after it, they see other people talking about that topic. So, for example, if you are talking about politics, you might end your tweet with #politics.
Here are a few things to remember about hashtags:
- Don’t hashtag everything. Use them when they seem relevant, but every post doesn’t need nor should have a hashtag.
- Don’t be generic; posting a tweet about how happy you are about something with #excited will not find you any followers.
- Use hashtags relevant to your followers—if you’re at a writers’ conference, for example, and there’s a hashtag for that conference, use it. This will connect you with other people at that same conference.
- Think of hashtags that build into your author brand—unique hashtags that only you use. You might have a hashtag for the book you are working on, and whenever a reader clicks on it, they can see all the tweets about that particular book. Or, you may ask readers and influencers to use a certain hashtag whenever they talk about your book.
Post Different Content on Different Platforms
There are a lot of ways to be lazy with your social media marketing. One way: posting the same content on Twitter and Facebook.
Is that so bad? In a word: Yes!
Your message on each network should change—people who regularly use Twitter are a different audience from people who use Facebook, so your message needs to be altered. Make sure you understand the social media channel before posting.
People tend to spend less time on Twitter than Facebook, but that doesn’t mean Facebook is more important. Twitter tends to be about what’s going on in the day—it’s very casual. You may talk about what you’re writing or getting ready for. Your fans tend to see you in a much more personal and intimate way.
Offer a Free Chapter
In non-fiction writing, free chapters offer deep insights into the entire essence of the content. However, a free introductory chapter can also be a beneficial marketing strategy for a fiction book. When you decide to give away a free chapter of your book, spread the news across social media. Ask your followers to become email subscribers at your website, so they can receive the chapter. Don’t forget to include tweet these buttons in strategic spots, so the readers can share quotes and attract other social media users towards your book.