In this article I’m going to explain what it is you need to share and promote to attract new readers for your titles, and why it’s such an effective form of content.
Let’s begin at the beginning.
So, you’re excited because you’ve managed to get a cover made up for your book. You may have even got a physical copy sent to you and now you can wait, so you post it on social media, telling everybody how proud and excited you are and how wonderful your story is.
You wait. And you wait. Finally you get a notification and you somebody likes your post. It just happens to be an organisation who sell marketing services.
Sound familiar?
Having sold thousands of books without posting endlessly on social media, I can tell you that sharing your book cover, with a blurb and a five star Amazon review just won’t cut it these days. Now that we have open platforms, almost anyone can purchase ads and get themselves reviews and best seller titles to attract new readers. This is exactly why authentic quality content has never been more important.
Providing an engaging piece of content that delivers a strong sample of pivotal narrative can capture a reader’s imagination. But, this content cannot simply be in the form of text. To interrupt and gain the attention of a reader you must show them something that stands out, something that communicates your content immediately.
It’s for this reason, some platforms are better than others, but it can work on all platforms.
So, what content and format to use?
There’s no right or wrong answer to this but there are certain criteria that, when met, deliver much better results than any other form of content.
Your post will need to include most, if not, all of the following:
- Animate text, images or video.
- Music and/or sound design.
- Narration and/or dialogue.
- A strong scene or plot point.
- A cliffhanger or unanswered question.
- A strong call to action.
- A high value proposition.
This might seem like a lot, but all these elements can be combined into content lasting just a few seconds. It all depends on what your story has to offer.
Here’s an example:
- Image/Video: An old lady getting out of bed on a dark cloudy night.
- Narration + text: Michael could forgive his mother for killing his father, but he will never forgive her for eating her grandson.
- Dialogue + Text: “You disgust me mother…” said Michael, clutching tightly to his mother’s wrinkled throat. “That’s why it hurts so much to do this…”
- Text: Book Title, Author, URL (Call to Action)
How anybody can create this, even without editing skills.
Believe it or not, the quality of your production isn’t very important. What really matters is the content. You could produce a polished, well edited video. Or, you could record paper cuts outs with a simple voice over. It really doesn’t matter. As long as your content interrupts and attracts attention, and delivery your story’s powerful message effectively, your story will find its readers.
A simple way of achieving this is: slideshows. Software like powerpoint, or keynote is widely accessible and great for arranging images and text, animating them with automations, and you can even add audio before exporting these animations as video files. It’s exactly what I did with my second novel.
Why does this work so well?
Not only does this content deliver plot, narrative and theme, it also foreshadows action and stakes in the plot, character traits and relationships, motive, and an open ended conclusion.
This leaves the reader asking the questions: How did the characters get her? What will the characters do next? Where, why, and how is this all happening?
If the genre, the theme and the context appeals to the reader, the chances of them acting up the call to action is extremely high. This is where your high value proposition comes in. you need to offer the reader the opportunity to learn more about the story, but not necessarily by reading the book.
What next?
Create another piece of content that is immediately consumable. This is called a “Lead Magnet,” an item of high value to your potential readers that they will happily exchange for an email address, or even a phone number. It should be much more powerful than saying something like “Read chapter one for Free” (That can come afterwards.)
You URL should direct the reader to a landing page with your high value proposal. Once you acquired their contact details, you must deliver on your promise. Immediately after, make that first chapter available, if that’s what you’re offering.
Now is the perfect time for a pre-order offer. I know you might want to sell your story as soon as it’s finished, but this kind of marketing is much more powerful when you tighten demand with delayed availability and some level of scarcity.
Of course, you don’t want to sell a limited number of books. But, you could sell a limited number of signed pre-order copies.
Now you can use your email list to sell the retail copies upon release. So, the only question remains…
Why aren’t you doing this already?
The most common reasons the vast majority of authors don’t use these methods to promote their work are:
- A belief of your inability to create the content.
- A belief in the traditional promotional methods other authors has used successfully.
- A belief in the advice of author service marketers.
- A belief that none of this is truly necessary and your book will sell its self.
My advice to you would be…
Believe in yourself and Attract New Readers!
Do something different, authentic and truly exciting with your content. There’s a very good chance you won’t regret it.
If you’re not sure what subject matter to include in your content, check out my other article: How To Sell More Books By Creating Characters Readers Love
