Using Your Book as a Business Card: 7 Ways to Get Started With Promoting Self-Published Books on Social Media
The publishing industry has undergone a massive shift in the last decade.
With more and more people deciding to self-publish their books, book publishers have had to adapt or most likely go out of business.
If you wanted to become an author a few years ago, it seemed as though the only possible way to achieve this was to use a book publisher. However, with technology and social media, that is no longer the case!
From online book review to self-publishing companies, the digital world is full of opportunities to help you become a self-published author.
In this article, we will discuss seven ways that you can use social media to promote your self-published book.
1. Offer a free chapter
A great way to get people to purchase your book is to offer a free chapter!
This is a great way to get people hooked on your story and wanting more.
You can offer the first chapter of your book for free, or you could even provide them with an excerpt.
If they like what they read, you will convert the reader into a fan who wants to purchase the whole thing!
It’s also beneficial because it allows readers to know whether this is something that interests them before making any commitments, such as spending money.
2. Create a blog for your book or niche
A great way to get people who are interested in your book is to have a blog.
This will allow you the chance to reach out and connect with more readers!
You can post pictures, videos, or anything else that relates to your book, and it should help promote sales because now there’s more engagement going on.
The more content you can put online about your book or niche, the more likely you are to be seen as an expert in that field, which in turn should lead to more sales.
Plus, if you’re successful enough, then other authors might even want to talk about their books by linking back up with you so that they can do some cross-promotion as well!
3. Share and like other posts related to the topic of your book
You want to be as engaged in your niche as possible. A great way to do that is by liking, commenting, and sharing other people’s content in a similar niche to yours.
If you start helping other authors or individuals get their names out there, people in their audience will likely see your comment and possibly check out your social media accounts.
Also, authors may decide to return the favor if you provide their audience with free valuable advice!
4. Run a paid marketing campaign promoting your book
The old ways of promoting your book involved traveling to libraries and bookstores to sell your books, but nowadays, you can do it online.
One of the best ways to reach a lot of people is by running an ad campaign on social media or through Google AdWords, especially if they are in the same niche as what you’re writing about with your book!
There are also Facebook advertising options that will get your name out there for free. You have to be careful not to go overboard because spending too much money won’t make up for how many sales you’ll lose when people stop reading after their fifth post from you in their newsfeed.
5. Reach out to influencers to talk about your book
If you are a strong speaker, getting on other people’s podcasts or social media channels to talk about your book is a surefire way to get your book out there.
Interviews are often free, and if the expert you are talking with has a large audience, it can be a great way to gain more attention to your book.
If you do land some interviews, always try to make sure you can share that content across your social media channels as well!
6. Use powerful hashtags on Instagram
Hashtags on Instagram are an excellent way for you to get organic traffic to promote your book on Instagram. Try to use hashtags that are trending and popular with a large audience when posting about your book.
Think about which hashtag would best fit your book or genre, and then post your content for others to see!
Be aware, though; you will need at least twice as many followers as the number of likes on average to get noticed by Instagram’s algorithm. If this is too difficult, try using an account like Shoutcart (or other free promo services) that can help promote posts from multiple accounts across their network so they have more reach.
7. Ask friends and family to share your posts
When promoting your self-published book, the biggest thing is to put it in front of as many people as possible. A great way to do that is to ask your friends and family members to share your posts on social media.
If their friends share similar interests to you, they will be more likely to purchase it when their followers see your post!
Conclusion
The publishing industry has gone through drastic changes over the last few years, making self-publishing books more accessible than ever.
Through social media, you can now promote your book without using book publishing companies to get book sales.
Many book publishing options are available to you, so if you have ever wondered how to get a book published, this is the perfect place for you to start.
