Do you have dreams of becoming a best-selling author, but feel like you don’t know how to promote your book? We get that it is not an easy task to form a promotion plan; in fact, it can be as much work as writing a book!
But as a writer, once you’ve finished writing your book, you must have a promotion plan. Without one, it will be hard to sell many copies because no one will know about your book!
Even if you have a publisher, you should still develop a promotion plan because you might find out that they barely help promote your book until you’ve already sold a certain number of copies.
Today, we’re going to show you how to get your book into the hands of more people using these strategies. And if you’re interested, at the end of the post, we’ll show you how we can handle some of this for you.
Here’s what we’ll cover for how to promote a book:
- TV interviews
- Radio/podcasts
- Local bookstores
- Press interviews (digital and printed)
- Guest Posting
- Social Media
- Advertising
Let’s get started!
#1 – Promoting Your Book Through TV Interviews
Scoring a TV spot is an absolute dream come true, think of all the free promotion! But as you can imagine, it is not easy to land a TV interview because many others are competing for the same thing.
Here’s our strategy to help you land an interview on TV.
Pitch Thoughtfully
To truly stand out from the masses, start by building relationships with hosts and producers of the shows you’re interested in. Fostering relationships first is an essential part of the pitch because it will help them better understand you and develop chemistry between you. This is a crucial element for a TV interview.
Keep it Short
Everyone’s busy in the media world! Producers aren’t going to wade through pages of pitches so you must make your pitch short and sweet. Try to hook them in the first ten sentences.
Know Their Audience
Make your book relevant to their fans, —don’t force them to connect the dots.
If the TV program leans towards entertainment, share a funny story to show that you will be fun to interview. It’s okay to be silly and comedic – let your sense of humor shine through.
If it’s a serious program, show that you’re there to discuss an important issue and that the conversation will be held in high regard. Be serious with your tone of voice, and also cite quotations and statistics to further expand the depth of the topic.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you should have a very convincing pitch that will get producers to book you on their next available time slot.
Hooray! You’ve landed a TV interview! Now it’s time for the real prep to begin.
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
Write down and practice your talking points ahead of time so that you don’t freeze when the cameras are on. Remember, your goal is to have a natural dialogue with the host and not sound robotic. Rehearse your talking points to reflect a natural back-and-forth conversation.
Do Your Research
Your goal is to understand your audience so you can connect with them. The show will have detailed demographic information available so it’s up to you to tailor your content with this knowledge.
To get to know your audience, here are a few starting points to consider:
- What’s their age range?
- What are their interests?
- What’s popular or trending with them right now?
With this information, you can forge a natural connection that’s most suitable for the viewers.
Be Present
During the interview, expect to be full of nerves, but don’t let it lose your focus! Stop thinking about the next line, and remain present in the moment. Be a good listener and remember that you’re having a conversation.
For example, if the host asks a question that’s unexpected, don’t panic! Instead, go with the flow and enjoy the conversation. Try to link the conversation back to your book with short anecdotes relating to the topic. This will keep audience members engaged and create more interest in your book.
If you take your time and pay attention to the host, the conversation will flow smoother and everyone will benefit. You’ll seem more confident and upbeat, rather than full of nerves.
#2 – Radio and Podcast Interviews
Radio shows and podcasts are a terrific way to share your voice to your potential readers. With over 90% of Americans listening to the radio as well as the exploding popularity of podcasts, it’s well worth the effort to appear on these platforms.
To get started, local radio and podcast shows are always looking for new content to share with their audience. They also love their community and will favor locals more so than anyone else. Mentioning that you’re a local will be an advantage to your pitch especially if you include the locations of your future book signings at local bookstores.
If you can’t find a local show, finding one with a very specific topic relevant to your book’s audience will be easier to get on initially then a huge, massively popular show. If you start small you’ll have an easier time getting booked, and then you can use that initial show to get booked on bigger shows in the future.
Here are some tips for giving a killer on-air performance once you’ve booked your first interviews.
Be Enthusiastic
Even though the audience can’t see you on the radio, they can hear and feel your energy.
Pique your listeners’ interest by doing the following:
- Always smile so you speak in a happier tone
- Make sure to sit up straight
- Walk around when talking (if possible with your mic setup)
- Aim to add 10% more energy to your conversation than normal
By acting energized and engaged, the listeners will feed off your vibrant energy and will further enjoy your guest appearance.
Make the Host’s Job Easy
Don’t be discouraged if your host hasn’t read your book. With busy schedules, it happens more often than you might think.
Your job is to make your host look smart. Tell them about your book, don’t quiz them.
Make their jobs easy by educating them about your material. You’ll connect better with the audience by sharing your knowledge.
Prepare a List of Questions
It’s perfectly acceptable to provide your own list of questions for the host.
Here are some simple questions to offer:
- What made you write this book?
- How’d you come up with the book title?
- What kind of person would love to get their hands on this book? (this is an EXCELLENT question, especially if you know their audience well)
Busy radio hosts and producers will appreciate the extra effort and may even work from your list of questions.
#3 – Local Bookstores
Avid book buyers love their local bookstores. And since they are your target audience, you should grow your fanbase by making an appearance!
Here’s how you can make an appearance at the local bookstore.
Schedule an Appearance
Book clubs love to meet new authors, and local bookstores are more than willing to feature guests that will get their readers to the store.
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