Guest Post by Heather Erdmann
Once you write and publish a book, your work switches to marketing and promoting your book to get it into the hands of potential readers. One of the most important ways authors do this is by having a platform that includes all the ways you connect with your audience. This is through a website, blog, email list, or social media. It’s a great idea to start building your platform as soon as you decide to start writing a book, but you’re never too late to begin. This article will help you learn how to promote your book on social media with some helpful tips to get you started!
Social Media Book Marketing
It’s a good idea to choose one, or maybe two, social media platforms to start. Then focus on building those so you don’t become overwhelmed trying to learn multiple sites. You can always expand as you get more comfortable. Each site you use requires time and energy, which can take away from your valuable writing time. Plus, focusing on one or two sites will let you form closer connections with your audience.
Some popular social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linked In, X (formerly Twitter), and even YouTube! Pinterest is also a great place to promote a book, but it is not technically social media. It is more of a visual search engine, but can also be a valuable part of your platform.
An important thing to consider when promoting your book on social media is that it is generally considered one of the first stages of marketing, or what is often called “brand awareness”, and is generally less focused on direct sales. It may be your potential readers’ first exposure to you and your book.
One of your main goals for using social media to promote your book is to drive more people to your website where they can learn about you as an author and see what you have to offer. Social media book advertising can also be a great way to promote a “freebie”, often called a “lead magnet”, that you create. This is to entice people to sign up for your email list where you can continue to build relationships with them.
Benefits of Social Media Book Marketing
One of the biggest advantages of considering how to advertise your book using social media is that you can build a larger audience and bigger fanbase of potential readers. It connects you with your target market and lets you start to build relationships. By better knowing your audience, you can learn which content will most resonate with them and serve them best.
Another advantage of social media book marketing is that you can promote lead magnets, new releases, promotions, paid ads, and even contests and giveaways which can all grow your readership.
Third, social media is a great place to connect with other authors. This is an excellent way to share current writing, publishing, and marketing tips and to form relationships that could potentially lead to collaborations such as email swaps and guest blogging.
How Can I Promote My Book?
How to promote a book on social media depends on which site you choose to use. For example, Instagram generally has a younger audience and depends highly on visual content that you need to create. Facebook and LinkedIn tend to have a slightly older audience and rely more on written or text-based content as does X. TikTok and YouTube rely primarily on video. But, keep in mind that visual and video content is often prioritized by most social media algorithms. This is regardless of which site you use.
Once you choose a site to focus on, you can use free graphic-creating sites such as Canva.com to create your content. They offer specialized templates for various social media sites so you can customize your content to fit the platform you are using. There are plenty of free photo and video design options available, and they are fairly easy to use even for beginners.
Another option is to create mobile videos using home equipment such as a phone tripod, clip or stand microphone, light rings, and video editing software. Not all of this is necessary when you first begin. Although, higher-quality content is important for building credibility when using social media to promote your book. You can add those options as your experience and audience grow.
More Tips for How to Advertise Your Book on Social Media
When you begin to post on your chosen social media platform, it is important to build genuine connections. Especially with those who follow you and engage with your content. Remember that real people are interacting with you. By engaging regularly you will build relationships and trust with your readers. It’s a good idea to follow other accounts that align with your niche and support them as well.
Be authentic and share your journey and your writing process. Give glimpses behind the scenes of your office, workspace, or writing tools. Share your progress on any current projects you are working on. Your story and personal touch help readers build trust as they connect with you and get to know you better.
Social media is also an excellent tool to get feedback on all stages of your writing and marketing. You can use features such as polls, questions, comment boxes, and direct messaging. Readers love to feel like part of the process. By feeling more connected with you and your work, you will reach an even bigger audience.
About the Author
Heather is a Christian wife, mom, dental hygienist, devotional writer for Lifeway, and best-selling author. Her current books include:
- “Unlocking the Mystery of Marriage: Loving Your Spouse the Way Christ Loves the Church”
- “A Week in the Word: Dig Deep into God’s Word One Passage and One Week at a Time”, which is an inductive Bible study journal that lets you take any passage of Scripture and explore it deeply, so you can more readily apply it to your daily life.
Her experience includes online training from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Biblical Counseling Institute. She has written devotions and Bible studies for women, taught children’s Sunday School, VBS, and women’s Bible studies.
Get bible study resources for women at her website Good Portion Promises.
Resources for How to Promote Your Book on Social Media
- How to Promote Your Book on Social Media? Ideas for Authors | Fiverr
- Do You Really Need Social Media to Market Your Book?
- Canva Graphic Creation
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