Congratulations! You’ve published your first book or maybe your tenth!
It’s time to start promoting those beautiful books of yours.
But I thought this low-content book business was a set-it-and-forget-it deal, making me a six-figure passive income.
That’s because you were told what I call a little white lie. There is some truth in what we have been told, but we need to do more than just publish a book to get passive income. We have to promote the book to get it sold. Yes, eventually, you can set it and forget it. Without promoting your new book, it may never be seen by potential buyers.
There is an ocean of low-content books out there, and we must rise to the top!
Some self-publishers are fortunate enough to have plenty of money to pay for ads or already have hundreds of followers on their social media. That gives those self-publishers a head start which will push us farther down in the ocean of books.
But don’t despair! Today is all about the FREE ways we can get our books noticed and start the path to passive income.
5 Free Tips For Promoting Your Low Content Books. Let’s get those books sold!
- Pinterest-the visual google
- Amazon A+ Content
- You Tube
For those of you who know me, before I started my self-publishing business, I avoided social media like it was the plague, I wanted nothing to do with it, and hoped I would never have to use it. It just wasn’t my thing.
I still struggle with it a bit, but after starting my own business, I found out just how important it is.
First on our list is Pinterest
You might be thinking; Pinterest is for pretty kitchen and bath renos or amazing cosplay costumes, but Pinterest is so much more. It’s a Google for your photos. Plus, you can add your direct link to your book on your photo. I’ll admit in the past when I had used Pinterest, I would be frustrated because I would see something I liked but couldn’t find where to get it. That still happens to me sometimes, but if you put your link on your photo your customers will always find you. 450 million people use Pinterest every month. That’s 450 million potential customers.
Pinterest is all about the looks. You can design beautiful eye-catching pins using Canva. The nice thing about Canva it is very user-friendly, and you do not need design experience. Canva has templates ready for Pinterest if you are not sure how to start. The free version is pretty good however, you will eventually want to upgrade to pro.
Pinterest is an awesome free way to show your book to the Pinterest world.
Number two on our list is Instagram
With over 130 million shoppers on Instagram, it is a great place to show off your new book. It started off as a photo-sharing app, today it’s more complex with photo carousels, reels, and stories. Create a business account and start posting about your books. Try to use all three of their post platforms to give your audience a good variety of stuff to look at from your shop. Canva has templates for these as well
The annoying thing about Instagram is that you can not link your posts to your book page. If you put links in the description, they will not be usable, and you cannot copy and paste them from the post. The only way to get your customers to your books shopping page is to put a link in your bio to your store’s main page. I link mine to my Amazon Author Page since that is where I sell most of my books.
Number three on our list is Facebook
Like Instagram, Facebook is another way to get your books in front of more people. I usually create one post for both Instagram and Facebook. It saves me time, and I am not creating something new for each platform. One thing I love about Facebook is that it lets you put an active link in your description. So be sure to add the links to every description you write.
I suggest creating a business account with Facebook and inviting your personal account friends to like your business page. Find Facebook groups that allow businesses to join but be careful most groups will not allow you to post your products. It is more for connecting with potential customers, not showing off your new book.
The 4th one on the list is my favorite! Amazon A+ Content
If you haven’t started using this, do it now! This one is probably my favorite because once you get traffic to your book, the customers can see exactly what they are buying. I Have a step-by-step tutorial on how to set this up here. It takes I little bit of time for this one, but it is well worth it.
So what is A+ content? It’s the “look inside” the visual details page of your book. This gives your Amazon page a personal flare, a way to show your potential customers who you are and what they a purchasing. “Never Judge a Book by Its Cover”, as the old saying goes, but that’s exactly what we do. A+ content is a boost to your awesome cover.
Last, but not least- YouTube
Our last tip for today is YouTube. YouTube is a popular place to get information, reviews, and knowledge. Create a channel and create videos of your book. It could be someone using your books, kids coloring, or journaling. You could walk your customer through your book-making process. Make an animated presentation of your book. If you have a funny pet that does well with dressing up, create a YouTube short of your pet using your book. And Canava has templates for this too!
With all of these tips, you must get creative. I have noticed people love funny, beautiful, and quirky things. The possibilities are endless.
Use a graphic design tool, like Canva or Pixlr to create captivating images for your new book.
I hope this helps give you some ideas on the possibilities of free book promotion. There are several other platforms and ways to promote for free out there. These are just personal favorites.
“Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.” Albert Einstein
As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations!
