Finding your Right Readers, part 3… the nitty gritty.
You know your brand: what you consistently bring to the table, the intersection of what you love, and what you do well.
You also know your Right Readers: the context of where to best find them (genre, subgenre, category), what they expect in general, how you can delight them specifically.
Now we get granular. How do you use this knowledge and actually find readers, and make sales?
We use AIDA, an old marketing acronym that stands for: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. It’s still valid today.
Attention
You can’t sell your books if no one knows about them. This is about reach… how many people are actually aware of your books.
In this context, attention is where your potential Right Readers see your book. (Probably the cover, if we’re honest.)
This is where you’re going to cast the widest net. You don’t necessarily need to target only places where your Right Reader lives (although hopefully that will provide the greatest return.) You don’t have to only get reviewed on BonkersSciFi Blog (especially if they never get comments.) You’ll want a mix of targeted and more mainstream/general if possible.
Everyone always wants to “go viral” on TikTok at this point, too. Which would be awesome. But the result has been big TikTok accounts are deluged with requests. Don’t be afraid to approach smaller accounts. Book reviewers in a particular genre tend to interact with each other, either directly, or follow each other to see what’s being talked about. You get enough smaller accounts buzzing, it filters up.
Sources for Attention
Potential places for Attention: ads, reviews, cross promotion like newsletter swaps, ARC teams, and social media. (NOT your social media, by the way. More on that later.) You’ll want a mix, as much as possible, to reach readers in as many different environments as possible. Another old marketing adage: it takes seven to thirteen (or whatever) impressions to finally get through to a customer.
For ads: take a good, reputable course. I’ve taken Skye Warren’s Facebook ads course, and I found it very helpful. (Until I got banned for life from FB ads. It’s a long story.) I’ve also heard good things about Matthew Holmes’ course. Right now, I think ads are more valuable than any time prior… but they are also still a gamble. If you don’t have the budget, don’t push it. Use other avenues until you can have a budget.
For reviews, I like to search out comps and see where they’re being positively reviewed, by smaller to mid-range bookstagrammers especially. They’re more likely to read my book favorably. Then, do a lot of legwork. Like, hundreds of queries. If you’ve got a launch, give yourself (and them) plenty of lead time. Note that the “multiple impressions” doesn’t mean that you submit multiple requests, by the way. That said, if you put in a request, and they’ve seen your book in several places already (say, in cover reveals) they’ll be more open to agreeing to your request.
There are review sites like Book Sprout or similar, where you can offer a book or ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) to potential reviewers. It’s a bit gray, not exactly “paying” a reviewer. That is, they will give an honest opinion if they choose it… you’re not pay-to-play guaranteeing 5 stars or anything. (If they are guaranteeing that, run. It’s not only unethical, it’s going to burn you.) Still, you may pay a few hundred dollars only to get a handful of reviews, because there are no guarantees. Be wary.
For newsletter swaps, find comparable authors: ones who have a similar target audience, definitely in the same context (genre/subgenre.) Then offer to promote their titles while they promote yours. Here’s where writing chapters are often helpful, whether they are online or IRL, because they can connect you to like-minded individuals. If noone else is volunteering, you can always orchestrate the swap yourself, although it can be a pain if you’re not naturally organized.
For ARC teams, you’re going to work with your newsletter list, asking them to post honest reviews in exchange for free advanced copies. Be wary here, too, especially if your list is large because of freebies. Lots of people will take the free book and run (or worse, post) if you’re not a little discerning. Create a separate list for ARC teams, with specific criteria.
Interest/Desire
Once you’ve got their attention, the reader needs to discern if what you’re offering falls within the parameters of what they like. Using a previous analogy, if you’ve got an inflatable waving-arm tube man with the word PIZZA on it, and they generally like pizza, and this particular day (after seeing Mr. Tube several times) they’re hungry and pizza sounds good, they’re probably going to go in… then look at what’s on the menu. Namely, what you’re offering.
Here’s where the targeted marketing comes in. You’re going to tailor what you’re displaying, emphasizing why it will be of interest to whoever you’re offering this to.
Once they’ve determined that yes, indeed, what you’ve got is what they want… you’re going to push hard, to hook them. Show that they really want it.
To the point where they’re going to act on it. Now.
For advertising, most courses will emphasize: you need to iterate. Theorize, test, check results… then adjust. Even if your Right Reader likes what you write in a novel, it doesn’t mean that you know what they’ll respond to the marketing you think they will. (Trust me, this happens all the time.)
For reviews, you’re going to want to show reviewers that you’ve got something they’ll be interested in… and more importantly, something their followers will be interested in.
For social media like Instagram and TikTok especially, the importance of the cover can’t be emphasized enough. This doesn’t necessarily mean “break the bank” but it’s something to talk about even before it’s read, and generates interest. Make sure it’s in line with expectations, again. And if you’re going to test cover ideas, test it outside of your small pod of friends/readers/fellow authors.
In something like newsletter swaps, the cover’s still crucial, but that book description’s going to bring it home. That’s a key talent to develop… or, if push comes to shove, you can hire someone. Your results may vary on that one, though. I like helping people come up with descriptions, personally… but I am one of those weirdos that enjoy synopses, too. (Incidentally, if you read ROCK YOUR QUERY and go through the synopses process, it generally helps you write your description, even if you never plan to publish traditionally.)
Action
This seems almost silly to add, but trust me, it needs to be stated.
You. Must. Ask.
Ask for the sale, or the sign up, or the response, or whatever. Make it as easy as possible for them to say yes and get whatever it is you’re offering. It’s called a call to action because it does exactly that.
Have an ad? Don’t send them to your website’s general books page and have them wade through your titles, hoping they’ll be entranced by several. Stay focused. If you’re tech-savvy, send them to a specific, tailored landing page. If your title is in Kindle Unlimited, or on sale at Kobo, just send them directly to the sales page. Have a GET IT NOW button on the ad.
Sending out ARCs to reviewers? Ask them to post their reviews, or let you know so you can share. (Note: that feeds into the “you have what they want” because you sharing will increase their reach.)
Ask individual ARC team members to post their reviews on specific dates, or to specific sites. Nicely, of course! But still, ask.
Why not promote on your own social media?
You absolutely should be posting to your own social media, especially when you’ve got a title coming out. But your social media, generally speaking, is retention… not attracting, not converting. This is where you build your community. It’s a place to interact with your existing Right Readers, helping strengthen your bond with them and solidify your brand.
But you’re not going to attract new readers, or build your audience, by posting on Instagram yourself.
Why?
The algorithms for social media are not geared to suggest your account to people who aren’t your followers unless you’re 1) producing a lot of content (daily at least, in most cases), 2) producing consistently, and 3) producing within their parameters for engagement – originality, use of text, use of “raw” footage… whatever the Powers That Be have deemed most desirable at this moment.
There are some authors who are really, really good at that, and have the time for it. They’ve been very successful. If you want to do this, you can, but it will essentially become a second (or possibly third!) job. Be careful.
Isn’t this a lot of work?
Yes. Yes, it is.
But after working with a number of different publicists and marketing specialists, all I can say is: there is no silver bullet, no magic amount of cash you can throw at this that will guarantee it breaks your way. You can get someone to help you with the leg work, and if you’re lucky you can work with someone very connected, but if you don’t get this down, you’re just putting your novel (and your cash) in their hands and hoping for the best.
The game-changer.
Above any other trip, trick, or tool, there is one thing that I’ve learned that is the key to promoting.
Promote EVERY novel like it’s your favorite.
That might seem like a ridiculous, almost useless platitude in the face of all the stuff I’ve just written about. But I’ll say it here: if you don’t love your book with your whole chest (or at least promote it as if you did) your promotion will fall absolutely flat.
Why?
Because you’ll pull your punch. You won’t be confident enough to pursue the bigger reviewers. You’ll fear facing crickets (or worse, harsh critiques.) If you’re afraid of being cancelled, or somehow losing everything because people don’t like your book…
…suddenly, you’re not really promoting your book. You’re taking half-hearted efforts, or taking yet another course, or maybe poking around tweaking and “perfecting” something that isn’t moving the needle at all, but is making you happy (like interacting with your small but very, very loyal group on Facebook.)
That’s why it’s easier to think “can’t I just (hire someone/buy a list/do some turn-key thing)?” It isn’t. You need to go full force.
This is hard. I’m not going to pretend it’s not, and trust me, I’ve fallen into all of these traps. I’ve tried to fool myself, and suffered for it. I’ve made bad decisions and chased my tail. Once I really faced the tough stuff and took the bitter pill, the game changed.
If you really want to find your Right Readers and succeed in the industry… there really is no other way.
Next week: more cheerful subjects!
Well, sort of. It will either be writing more natural dialogue… or making your villains more villainous. Bwa-ha-ha!
If you have any questions in the meantime, please email me. Or interested in working 1:1 with me? Start here.