TikTok Video Ideas for Book Promotion
Hi, I’m Kelly! I’m a marketer and book coach with a passion for empowering professional women and entrepreneurs to share their stories and grow their brands https://sanmholisticcentre.com/. I originally created this blog to help authors navigate the world of social media for book promotion. Today, it’s a resource hub for nonfiction authors and business professionals looking to make a meaningful impact through their books.
Alex Aster, a Colombian-American author, has achieved success with her young adult novel, Lightlark, and its subsequent movie deal. She had been writing for over 15 years and published six books before her first book deal. Despite her previous book series, Emblem, Island not receiving the attention she hoped for, she continued to write and posted about Lightlark on TikTok. Her post went viral, leading to her book being acquired by a publisher, reaching the bestsellers list on Barnes & Noble even before its release, and securing a Universal movie deal. Aster highlights that rejection is a significant part of the process, and she has had to learn from failures to achieve success. Lightlark is now one
Shelby Leigh is a poet and author who achieved success through TikTok. When she first joined the platform, she had self-published two poetry books. But it was her engaging content about mental health issues that helped her build a following on the app. Although initially nerve-wracking and challenging, she persevered and soon found that her TikTok presence was driving sales for her books. In fact, her bestseller was re-published by Simon & Schuster in July 2022 because of her sales track record. With a third book on the way, Shelby has left her corporate job to pursue writing full-time. Her success on TikTok feels reminiscent of other Instapoets like Rupi Kaur, who began using Instagram to share poems in the early 2010s and went on to commercial stardom.
Book Promotion Ideas
What about for virtual events? Easy — ask people to sign up for your mailing list to receive a lead magnet like an excerpt or infographic. You can also do this at the end of any presentation you might give, as it’s cheaper and easier than handing out merch to a room of people.
On top of everything you’ve been doing to build your following, here are a few specific tips to help you navigate your book launch — though for the record, you should start preparing for it several months in advance if you want the best chance at success.
Next you’ll want to create a proto-persona: a hypothetical reader who slots perfectly into your target market. Give this reader a profile that includes a name, occupation, and home life. You’ll think about this proto-persona every time you make a marketing decision, which will help you envision your readers as real people and cater to them more concretely.
Another useful feature is an exit pop-up that asks people to subscribe to your mailing list before they leave your site. Since this can (and should) be more elaborate than a button, feel free to experiment with different images and text to see what brings in the most subscribers. Also consider hiring a marketer to assist you with this and other ads (see below).
Another useful advertising option, Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) allows authors to pay for ad placements on Amazon itself. The biggest upside of AMS is that it only charges you when a user actually clicks on your ad; you won’t be charged for people just seeing it. Curious to know more? Check out detailed case studies on Amazon ads for authors here.
As part of Amazon’s KDP Select program, you can run only one price promotion on your book per 90-day enrollment period. You may choose between a Kindle Free Promotion (which can last up to 5 days) or a Kindle Countdown Deal (which includes any non-free discount, and can last up to a week). Whether you go discounted or free, or alternate between the two, is up to you… but choose wisely, as you won’t be able to try the other until the next enrollment period.
Instagram Book Promotion Ideas
To create an interesting profile, you need to keep a balance. So publish brand, entertainment, and educational posts as part of your content strategy. Don’t get carried away with too many call to action statements.
Format: ReelIntroduce your audience to one of your book’s characters through a short, engaging reel. Share interesting traits, background stories, or pivotal moments from the book. This helps readers form a connection with your characters before they even open the first page.
Instagram Stories are temporary photos or videos that users can share with their followers, which disappear after 24 hours. There are various features that Stories offers that you can utilize to engage with your followers. For example, you might include a question box, where you pose a question to your followers. You might also include a poll, which can inform you more about your audience’s interests or buying habits.
Obviously, it takes time and effort to promote your book and sell it on Instagram, but spending a little time each day helps to build your awareness and attract loyal followers who may become your readers.
While you can find success promoting your book on Instagram, it’s important to note that it can take time to reap the rewards of your efforts. At first, you might feel as if you’re promoting to no one. But the Instagram algorithm rewards consistency. If you post and engage often, and provide value to your followers, you can develop a following.
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