As stated above, today, social media comes in handy, especially to authors whose sole aim is to market their books. Currently, there are over 3.6 billion people on social networks, and authors have no reason not to use Instagram in some of their promotional strategies. For this purpose, it will be helpful to analyze how to use Instagram for book advertising and interacting with the audience.
In this guide, we will look at how to promote a book on Instagram and find Readers.
14 Secrets to Promoting Your Book on Instagram
First, you have to create an account if you want to promote your book on Instagram. If you have a personal Instagram, you should probably open another one, which would be dedicated to book promotion. This way, you can divide your private identity and this author’s professional identity.
To create an Instagram account, one should download the app from the App Store or Google Play and follow the steps shown on the screen. You will need to choose a username appropriate for your author brand and upload a profile image. Use a clear and recognizable image of high quality for the profile photo, such as a book cover or an author photo.
It provides authors with an excellent opportunity to market their books to a large audience. You can use creative techniques to generate buzz, attract readers, and increase the visibility of your work. Here are 14 tricks to efficiently promote your book on Instagram.
1. Optimize Your Author Profile
Your Instagram profile is essentially a business card, so use it wisely! Consider professional headshots, make sure to mention your author tagline within the bio, and also, add a link where followers can order the book. This will help the readers locate your book with ease.
2. Create a Book-Specific Hashtag
Develop a unique hashtag for your book. For instance, in case your book is called The Midnight Sky, you can create the hashtag TheMidnightSkyBook. Make sure to ask your readers to use this hashtag whenever talking about your book. It aids in bringing a tribe together.
3. Post Regularly and Offer Value to Your Followers
Building a following requires a lot of commitment and consistency. Sticking to a schedule is very important. Posting at least 3-4 times a week will be more than enough as long as the content is of good quality. Employ the use of great images accompanied by interesting captions to market your images.
4. Work with Active “Bookstagram” Influencers
Work with interior designers who have an active, well-used “Bookstagram” account where they share and review books. Contact them to post, review, promote, or shout about your book. They have the right type of audience—book readers who can appreciate your work as well.
5. Host Contests on Instagram
Running a giveaway contest is a fun fundraising activity to generate interest in your book. Randomly offer a free signed copy of your book, some book-related items, or even a personal note. To participate, follow your profile, tag friends, and share the post.
6. Tease Excerpts and Sneak Peeks
Post short excerpts or quotes from your book to entice potential readers. Tease intriguing parts of your story without giving away too much, making people curious about the rest of the book.
7. Use Reviews By Your Readership
There’s great authority in social proof. For example, you can take a snapshot of a good review from Amazon or Goodreads, or highlight a comment of a fan on your social network. This informs new followers that your book is a hit.
8. Make Use Of Instagram Stories and Reels
This calls for posting effective and creative content in stories and reels. Use stories for fast news, create audience polls, or make Q&A sessions. Use Reels for making short book previews, introducing characters, or showing your writing process.
9. Use Instagram’s Live Streaming
You can choose to go live to do a virtual book launch, do some excerpts, or have the fans ask you questions. Instagram Live provides an opportunity to reach IG followers as a salesperson and promote the book in a fun and engaging way.
10. Joining Hands With Other Authors
Working together with other authors is crucial for reaching a wider audience. There are many ways to get involved, for example, organizing live events together, giving away a joint prize, or supporting each other’s books through social media ‘shout outs’. Cross-promotion benefits both authors as they reach out to newer territories.
11. Advertise Temporarily Offered Price Reductions
In case you are offering any price reductions on your book or running a special promotion, make sure to post it on your Instagram account. It is helpful to create visually appealing posts or stories focusing on the promotion and a clear “Purchase the book today!” message.
12. Use Instagram Advertising
Instagram ads can be effective in reaching out to specific people who may have an interest in your book. They can be tailored to target people based on their interests, age, location, and what types of books they read. Such ads can translate to better exposure and sales of books.
13. Host a Q&A or AMA (Ask Me Anything)
Host a Q&A session in Stories or through Instagram Live. Engage directly with your followers by answering their questions about your book, writing process, or inspiration. It’s a great way to build a connection with your audience.
14. Highlight Milestones and Achievements
If it is making it to the bestseller list or commemorating a certain number of sales, let your followers know your successes. It depicts credibility and accomplishments to attract even more people to read your book.
Reasons Why Authors Should Use Social Media to Promote Their Books
Some authors may be embarrassed at going out of their way and marketing their work on social media. Most are not oriented towards the marketing side of publishing and may need such information on how to sell books on social media. Questions like, “Is social media for authors necessary?” Or “How to do social media for book marketing?” can crop up.
These concerns are reasonable, but the truth is that marketing from the authors’ side can be an effective tool in making the books more appealing or more relatable. Marketing through social networks expands the audience market significantly. It is more than apparent that writing and carrying letters and actively practicing book marketing on social networks is extremely hard when everything revolves around the World Wide Web.
Monitoring your success and changing your strategy accordingly
To keep track of efficiency when promoting books on Instagram, you will have to measure your audience engagement, including the number of Instagram likes and shares, comments, and so on. Metrics such as followers, delegate activities, and other such information can be measured even by using the Instagram insights app.
If you seem to experience a downfall in your engagement and a decrease in the number of followers, this could also initiate a need for changing the content strategy or looking out for better ways of promoting the content.
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Final Thought
It is also important to measure and assess the results to modify the approach accordingly, if necessary, to ensure positive results with the book promotion on Instagram.
Are you ready to start using social networks for the promotion of your book? If yes, then go ahead and make an Instagram account and come up with a content strategy to shift with your target audience. In the end, Instagram is about the people. If you have a good marketing plan, it is entirely possible to sell a book through Instagram and find new readers regardless of their geographical location.
