September 23, 2025 • 18 mins
You’ve poured your heart into writing your book, but now you’re staring down the next challenge: how do you actually get it into readers’ hands?
Marketing your book can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. With the right tools—like AI—you can turn it into a streamlined, even fun, part of your creative process.
In this episode, I’m breaking down five beginner-friendly ways AI can help you market your book and connect with readers, all while keeping your voice authentic and your time focused on writing.
Tune in to learn:
- [03:30] How to use AI to craft an author website that feels personal, professional, and uniquely YOU—even if tech isn’t your thing.
- [05:40] The exact prompts to create a welcome email sequence that turns casual subscribers into loyal fans.
- [08:40] How AI can help you brainstorm and batch-create social media content that connects with readers (without the overwhelm).
- [10:55] A step-by-step process for using AI to write a book description that hooks readers and drives sales.
- [13:00] How to leverage AI to draft personalized podcast pitches that get you booked on shows your readers already love.
Whether you’re just starting to write or gearing up to publish, these AI strategies will help you market your book with ease and confidence. Tune in now and start using AI to connect with readers today!
🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:
- Get 5 free AI prompts to simplify your book marketing and connect with readers faster—download now!
- Ep. 106 - 5 Steps to Building Your Author Platform
- Ep. 107 - Email List Building Essentials For Authors
⭐ Follow & Review
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your review will help other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to finish their books. Thanks for tuning in to The Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast! See you next week!
👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
AI is not here to replace your creativity or your
voice.
It's here to handle the heavylifting so you can focus on what
you do best, and that iswriting stories that matter.
Marketing is simply how youensure that your stories reach
the readers who need them most,and with AI by your side, that
process can feel lighter, fasterand more aligned with your
creative flow.
Welcome to the Fiction WritingMade Easy podcast.
(00:25):
My name is Savannah Gilbo andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming, so each week,I'll bring you a brand new
episode with simple, actionableand step-by-step strategies that
you can implement in yourwriting right away.
So, whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
(00:46):
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, I'm sharingfive ways writers can use AI to
help with book marketing, and Iwanted to tackle this topic
because, whether you'reself-publishing or going the
traditional route, marketing isthe bridge between your book and
its readers, and for mostwriters, marketing is the part
(01:07):
that feels the most overwhelming.
But here's the good news youdon't have to figure out
marketing all on your own.
Ai can act as your personalmarketing assistant, helping you
tackle the tasks that drainyour creative energy and steal
your precious writing time.
And no, you don't need to betech savvy or spend hours
learning complicated tools.
With free platforms likeChatGPT or Cloud AI, you can
(01:30):
start getting help with yourmarketing today.
Now, before we dive in, I wantto let you know that I've put
together a quick guide with fiveAI prompts you can use to help
with your book marketing.
The guide is totally free andto grab that you can go.
Go to savannahgilbocom forwardslash AI dash marketing.
So one more time, that'ssavannahgilbocom forward slash
(01:50):
AI dash marketing, and we'll putthe link to that in the show
notes for easy access.
But for now, let's dive intofive beginner-friendly ways that
AI can help you market yourbook and connect with readers.
Number one is that AI can helpyou build out your author
platform, even if tech scaresyou.
Now you've probably heard itsaid before that your author
website is the foundation ofyour marketing efforts.
(02:13):
It's your home base.
It's the one place on theinternet that you completely
control.
When readers discover your work, they're probably going to
Google you and what they findmatters.
Your website isn't just thereto act as a digital business
card.
It's a really important toolthat can turn casual browsers
into loyal readers.
It's where people can learnabout you, explore your books
(02:35):
and take action, whether that'ssigning up for your newsletter,
buying one of your books orfollowing you on social media.
But here's where most writersget hung up.
Staring at a blank website pagecan feel really scary.
What do you put on yourhomepage?
How do you make your book standout and how do you create a
site that looks professionalwithout spending thousands of
dollars or weeks of your life?
(02:56):
Well, this is where AI comes in.
Ai can simplify the entireprocess of building your website
by helping you create polished,engaging content for every key
page, whether it's your aboutpage, a compelling book
description for your books pageor a clear call to action for
your newsletter signup.
Ai can take your ideas and turnthem into professional copy in
(03:17):
minutes.
And don't worry, using AIdoesn't require any coding
skills or tech wizardry.
Platforms like ChatGPT andCloud AI are as simple as typing
into a chat box, making it easyfor anyone to get started.
So let's talk through someexamples of what working with AI
on your website could look like.
First, you can ask AI to helpyou craft a headline and a
(03:38):
tagline that will immediatelycapture your genre and style of
writing.
So, for example, imagine areader lands on your website and
it says something like escapeinto small town mysteries with
heart.
Or maybe it says something likeepic fantasy adventures for
readers who love strong heroines, or something like that.
So it can help you craft thoseheadlines and taglines that will
(03:59):
capture readers, who areperfect for you and your books.
Ai can also help you createdescriptions for your books page
so you can provide AI with thegenre of your book, the main
character, the stakes, theconflict, things like that, and
it can generate multiple bookdescriptions that hook readers
in different ways.
For example, you can ask fordifferent variations, like maybe
(04:19):
you want one that's a littlemore suspenseful, or maybe you
want one that leans into theromantic relationship between
your two characters, or one thatfeels a little more vibey and
atmospheric Right, you canpretty much create any kind of
variation you want and thenchoose the one that feels a
little more vibey andatmospheric.
Right, you can pretty muchcreate any kind of variation you
want and then choose the onethat works best for your
situation.
So AI can help you flesh outcontent for your books page.
It can also help you write copyfor your about page, which I
(04:42):
know is one of the hardest pagesfor writers to create.
So what you would need to dofor this is share a few details
about your background, why youwrite, what kind of books you
write, what themes you explore,you know things like that and
then AI will help you turn yourthoughts into a polished bio
that feels both authentic andprofessional.
So that's another way that AIcan help.
(05:03):
And then the last example I haveis that AI can help you write a
short, compelling pitch for whyreaders should join your email
list.
So, for example, you could tellAI what you're working with and
it might come up with somethingthat says get exclusive sneak
peeks behind the scenes, updatesand a free short story when you
subscribe.
You know something like that,depending on what you're
(05:23):
offering readers when they signup for your email list.
So, again, the goal is to useyour website as a powerful tool
for connecting with readers,showcasing your work and growing
your audience, and AI can helpyou do all of those things.
All right, so that is the firstway AI can help you with your
marketing.
It can help you flesh out yourwebsite.
The second way that AI can helpyou with your marketing is that
(05:44):
it can help you write yourwelcome emails without having to
start from scratch.
So it's no secret that youremail list is marketing gold,
and I say that because thereaders who are on your email
list are people who have said,yes, I want to hear from you,
sign me up.
But most writers freeze afterthat.
First, thank you forsubscribing email, because,
again, this comes with so manyquestions.
(06:05):
Right, what comes next?
What should I put in my secondemail?
How do I keep the momentumgoing without sounding awkward
or salesy?
What do I even talk about?
Right, and I think it's a lotmore stressful when we're
talking about our welcomesequence, because your welcome
sequence is that firstimpression that sets the tone
for your entire relationshipwith your readers.
If you nail it, you're going tohave fans who can't wait to buy
(06:26):
everything you write.
But if you miss the mark or,even worse, if you send nothing,
they're going to forget whythey subscribed to your
newsletter in the first place.
So this is where AI can step inand save the day, instead of
staring at a blank screen.
You can use AI to generate theentire structure as well as the
ideas for your welcome sequence.
So what do I mean by generatingideas for your welcome sequence
(06:49):
?
Well, think of things likepersonal stories about why you
write the inspiration for yourlatest book behind the scenes,
peeks at your process,invitations to connect and any
other exciting announcements orpieces of information that you
would want to share with yourreaders.
Again, these are the elementsthat turn your casual
subscribers into super fans thatare going to want to gobble up
(07:10):
all your future books.
Readers want to get to know youbeyond just that's the person
that wrote this book, right,they want to get to know who you
are.
So, as an example, you couldtell AI something like I write
fantasy novels with strongfemale leads, my lead magnet is
a free short story and I emailmy list twice a month.
Can you please help me create afive to seven email welcome
(07:30):
sequence that builds connectionwith my readers over time and
then from there, you'll getsuggestions over what those five
to seven emails could look like.
The AI might even ask youquestions about specific types
of content you'll want toinclude in each.
For example, it's going to needinformation about why you write
, what are your favorite books,where can people find your books
?
You know things like that.
(07:51):
So it's going to spit out aframework for these five to
seven emails.
You can even have it write thefirst draft of these five to
seven emails, and then all youhave to do is add your personal
stories, your voice and yourunique details, and you're off
to the races.
So it's like starting with atemplate, but one that is
tailored for you and what you'retrying to do.
And the best part of all ofthis is it's going to help you
(08:12):
deliver on the purpose of havinga welcome sequence.
Readers are going to feelgenuinely connected to you from
day one, and they're going tolook forward to getting your
emails instead of ignoring thembecause they forgot who you are.
And then, when your next booklaunches, they'll be the first
ones in line to buy.
So, again, welcome sequence isreally important, and AI can do
a lot of the heavy lifting tohelp you get yours finished All
(08:34):
right.
So that is the second way thatAI can help you with your book
marketing.
It can help you write youremails without you having to
start from scratch, the thirdway that AI can help you with
your book marketing is it canhelp you brainstorm social media
content that connects with yourideal reader.
Now, we all know that socialmedia can sometimes feel like
shouting into the void,especially when you're sitting
there thinking what should Ipost today?
(08:56):
And then, when the ideas don'tcome, it's easy to either post
very sporadically or just giveup on social media entirely.
But, as I mentioned earlier,readers don't just want to buy
your book.
They want to buy your book andget to know you, the person
behind the words.
So they want to see the stories, the quirks, the
behind-the-scenes moments andall the things that make your
work really come alive.
(09:16):
But the challenge for writersis coming up with fresh,
engaging content in a way thatjust doesn't take all of our
time and energy right.
Well, again, this is where AIcan be a total game changer for
you.
In just one brainstormingsession, ai can help you
generate months of content ideas.
Yes, months, that is not amistake.
We're talking 30, 50, even 100ideas that you would never think
(09:39):
of on your own.
Things like characterspotlights, behind the scenes,
glimpses, reader polls, writingtips, book aesthetics I mean,
the variety is truly endless.
So here's how this might look.
Let's say you spend an afternoonwith AI.
You ask it for content, ideasbased on your genre, your themes
, your audience, your favoritebooks, things like that.
It might suggest fun promptsfor you, so things like what
(10:02):
your main character's coffeeorder suggests about them, or
engaging questions that youcould ask your audience, so
maybe a poll about who yourfavorite side character is, or
who would your book boyfriend be, or things like that.
So you can take the ideas thatAI gives you and then batch,
create content when you'refeeling inspired.
So not something you have to doevery day, just batch, create
(10:22):
it when you feel inspired andthen schedule it out so that
your feed stays active withoutthat sense of daily pressure.
And the best part about this isyou're not just posting for the
sake of posting.
You're creating content that'sdesigned to connect with your
ideal reader and, on the flipside of that, your readers get
to stay engaged, your socialmedia presence feels consistent
and you get to spend time doingwhat you do best writing more
(10:46):
books, all right.
So that is the third way that AIcan help you with your
marketing.
It can help you brainstormsocial media content that
connects with your ideal reader.
Now the fourth way AI can helpyou with your marketing it can
help you brainstorm social mediacontent that connects with your
ideal reader.
Now the fourth way AI can helpyou with your book marketing is
it can help you write bookdescriptions that sell.
So your book description orthat back cover copy, or the
copy that you see on your Amazonpage you know things like that
(11:06):
that's going to be your ultimatesales tool.
It's the bridge between acurious browser and a committed
buyer.
But if we're being honest,condensing 80,000 words into 150
to 200 words, that can bepretty hard to do, right?
Most authors will either end upwith a dry summary that reads
like a Wikipedia page or they'llgive away way too many details
without getting to the heart ofwhat their story is really about
(11:29):
, and neither approach is goingto sell books.
But this is where AI can comein and completely change the
game.
So, instead of agonizing overevery word, you can use AI to
create multiple versions of yourbook description, each
highlighting a different angleof your story.
So imagine you have a versionthat's more character-driven,
that dives into yourprotagonist's journey.
(11:50):
You could have a high-stakesversion that amps up the
conflict and the tension in thestakes.
You could have an atmosphericversion that immerses readers in
your world, or you could evenhave a version that features
comp titles in your genre.
That will position your bookalongside fan favorites, and
seeing your story like this fromdifferent perspectives and also
being able to test outdifferent versions of your book
(12:11):
description can help you uncoverthe version that's going to
make it absolutely irresistibleto readers.
So in this scenario, you wouldgive AI the basics, your genre,
your main character, the centralconflict and the stakes and
that one unique element thatmakes your book stand out.
You could ask it to createthree to five or even more
descriptions of your book andthen you could look at all of
(12:33):
those descriptions and pull outthe pieces from each that you
love the most.
So maybe you like the openinghook from version number one,
the way that it's positioned,the stakes in version number
three and the final line fromversion number five.
You can mix and match thoseelements until you've crafted
the perfect description thatfeels like you and your book and
, ideally, will help you sellcopies like crazy.
(12:54):
So that is the fourth way thatAI can help you with your
marketing.
It can help you write bookdescriptions that help you sell
lots and lots of copies.
Now the fifth way that AI canhelp you with book marketing is
it can help you draft podcastpitches that get you booked.
Podcast guesting is one of themost powerful ways to get your
book in front of new audiences.
One really great interview canhelp you sell more books than
(13:17):
months of social media posts.
And, the best part, you'reconnecting with an audience
that's already engaged and readyto listen.
But here's something I'venoticed Most writers have no
idea how to pitch themselves ina way that actually gets a yes.
And here's what we need tounderstand.
Podcast hosts are inundatedwith pitches.
They get dozens, sometimeshundreds, of pitches every
(13:38):
single week.
Most of them are generic,boring or completely off base
for that particular show.
So if your pitch doesn't standout, it's going to get deleted
faster than you can sayunsubscribe, and that means that
you're missing out on a chanceto connect with hundreds or even
thousands of potential readers.
But this is where AI can comein and be your secret weapon.
Instead of sending out cookiecutter pitches, you can use AI
(14:01):
to craft personalized standoutemails that make podcast hosts
excited to have you on theirshow.
Ai can help you researchpodcasts, analyze the types of
guests they feature and evenidentify the topics that
resonate most with theiraudience.
It's kind of like having a PRassistant who knows exactly how
to position you as the perfectguest.
(14:21):
So if I were to use AI to helpme pitch podcasts, I would do it
like this First, I would haveAI help me identify podcasts
that align with what kind ofbook I'm writing or the themes
I'm talking about in my book.
Then I would use AI to researchrecent episodes and I'd want to
understand the host's style andpinpoint what their audience
loves.
For example, if the host ofteninterviews authors about their
(14:44):
creative process, ai mightsuggest pitching a topic like
how writing my novel helped meovercome XYZ personal challenge,
or something like that.
Then, after that, once I foundthe podcast I want to pitch and
I've researched the recentepisodes, I would ask AI to help
me draft a pitch that showsyou've done your homework, so it
can highlight your unique value, suggest talking points
(15:06):
tailored to their audience andmake it really easy for the host
to say yes, we want to have youon the show.
So, again, you can let AI dothe heavy lifting on all of this
stuff and the result for you ismore podcast bookings, which
means more visibility, morecredibility and more book sales.
The best part about thisstrategy is that podcast
interviews live forever onlineand continue to attract new
(15:29):
readers long after they air.
It's the kind of marketing thatkeeps working for you even when
you're off writing your nextbook, so highly recommend this
one and again.
That is the fifth way that AIcan help you with your book
marketing.
It can help you draft podcastpitches that get you booked.
All right, now let's quicklyrecap the five different ways
that you can use AI to help youwith your book marketing.
(15:50):
Number one you can use AI tohelp you build out your author
platform and flesh out all thecopy on your website.
Number two, you can use AI tohelp you write your welcome
emails without having to startfrom scratch.
Number three you can use AI tobrainstorm social media content
that connects with your idealreader.
Number four you can use AI tohelp you craft book descriptions
(16:11):
that sell and variations ofthose descriptions.
And then, finally, number five,you can use AI to help you
draft podcast pitches that getyou booked.
Now, remember that AI is nothere to replace your creativity
or your voice.
It's here to handle the heavylifting so you can focus on what
you do best, and that iswriting stories that matter.
Marketing is simply how youensure that your stories reach
(16:34):
the readers who need them most,and with AI by your side, that
process can feel lighter, fasterand more aligned with your
creative flow.
So a challenge for you thisweek pick one area where you're
stuck.
Maybe it's that author bio orthat about page that you've been
putting off.
Maybe it's the welcome emailsequence that you know you need
to write.
Or maybe it's the welcome emailsequence that you know you need
to write.
Or maybe it's finally pitchingthat podcast that you've been
(16:55):
eyeing for the last year.
Whatever it is, pick one areawhere you're stuck and let AI
help you take that first step.
To make it even easier for you,I've put together a quick guide
of five different AI promptsthat you can use to help you get
started with everything wetalked about today.
So these are copy-p, fill in theblank AI prompts that you can
use to write that welcomesequence, to flesh out your
(17:16):
website, to pitch podcasts, tobrainstorm social media and to
help you write book descriptionsthat will sell.
So it's totally free and to grabthat, you can go to
savannahgilbocom.
Forward slash AI dash marketing.
So one more time that'ssavannahgilbocom forward slash
AI dash marketing.
We will also link to that inthe show notes for easy access,
(17:53):
the resources I mentioned today,as well as bonus materials to
help you implement what you'velearned and if you're ready to
get more personalized guidancefor your specific writing stage
whether you're just starting out, stuck somewhere in the middle
of a draft, drowning inrevisions, or getting ready to
publish, take my free 30-secondquiz at savannahgilbocom forward
slash quiz.
You'll get a customized podcastplaylist that'll meet you right
where you're at and help youget to your next big milestone.
(18:14):
Last but not least, make sureto follow this podcast in your
podcast player of choice,because I'll be back next week
with another episode full ofactionable tips, tools and
strategies to help you become abetter writer.
Until then, happy writing.
AI is not here to replace your creativity or your
voice.
It's here to handle the heavylifting so you can focus on what
you do best, and that iswriting stories that matter.
Marketing is simply how youensure that your stories reach
the readers who need them most,and with AI by your side, that
process can feel lighter, fasterand more aligned with your
creative flow.
Welcome to the Fiction WritingMade Easy podcast.
(00:25):
My name is Savannah Gilbo andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming, so each week,I'll bring you a brand new
episode with simple, actionableand step-by-step strategies that
you can implement in yourwriting right away.
So, whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
(00:46):
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, I'm sharingfive ways writers can use AI to
help with book marketing, and Iwanted to tackle this topic
because, whether you'reself-publishing or going the
traditional route, marketing isthe bridge between your book and
its readers, and for mostwriters, marketing is the part
(01:07):
that feels the most overwhelming.
But here's the good news youdon't have to figure out
marketing all on your own.
Ai can act as your personalmarketing assistant, helping you
tackle the tasks that drainyour creative energy and steal
your precious writing time.
And no, you don't need to betech savvy or spend hours
learning complicated tools.
With free platforms likeChatGPT or Cloud AI, you can
(01:30):
start getting help with yourmarketing today.
Now, before we dive in, I wantto let you know that I've put
together a quick guide with fiveAI prompts you can use to help
with your book marketing.
The guide is totally free andto grab that you can go.
Go to savannahgilbocom forwardslash AI dash marketing.
So one more time, that'ssavannahgilbocom forward slash
(01:50):
AI dash marketing, and we'll putthe link to that in the show
notes for easy access.
But for now, let's dive intofive beginner-friendly ways that
AI can help you market yourbook and connect with readers.
Number one is that AI can helpyou build out your author
platform, even if tech scaresyou.
Now you've probably heard itsaid before that your author
website is the foundation ofyour marketing efforts.
(02:13):
It's your home base.
It's the one place on theinternet that you completely
control.
When readers discover your work, they're probably going to
Google you and what they findmatters.
Your website isn't just thereto act as a digital business
card.
It's a really important toolthat can turn casual browsers
into loyal readers.
It's where people can learnabout you, explore your books
(02:35):
and take action, whether that'ssigning up for your newsletter,
buying one of your books orfollowing you on social media.
But here's where most writersget hung up.
Staring at a blank website pagecan feel really scary.
What do you put on yourhomepage?
How do you make your book standout and how do you create a
site that looks professionalwithout spending thousands of
dollars or weeks of your life?
(02:56):
Well, this is where AI comes in.
Ai can simplify the entireprocess of building your website
by helping you create polished,engaging content for every key
page, whether it's your aboutpage, a compelling book
description for your books pageor a clear call to action for
your newsletter signup.
Ai can take your ideas and turnthem into professional copy in
(03:17):
minutes.
And don't worry, using AIdoesn't require any coding
skills or tech wizardry.
Platforms like ChatGPT andCloud AI are as simple as typing
into a chat box, making it easyfor anyone to get started.
So let's talk through someexamples of what working with AI
on your website could look like.
First, you can ask AI to helpyou craft a headline and a
(03:38):
tagline that will immediatelycapture your genre and style of
writing.
So, for example, imagine areader lands on your website and
it says something like escapeinto small town mysteries with
heart.
Or maybe it says something likeepic fantasy adventures for
readers who love strong heroines, or something like that.
So it can help you craft thoseheadlines and taglines that will
(03:59):
capture readers, who areperfect for you and your books.
Ai can also help you createdescriptions for your books page
so you can provide AI with thegenre of your book, the main
character, the stakes, theconflict, things like that, and
it can generate multiple bookdescriptions that hook readers
in different ways.
For example, you can ask fordifferent variations, like maybe
(04:19):
you want one that's a littlemore suspenseful, or maybe you
want one that leans into theromantic relationship between
your two characters, or one thatfeels a little more vibey and
atmospheric Right, you canpretty much create any kind of
variation you want and thenchoose the one that feels a
little more vibey andatmospheric.
Right, you can pretty muchcreate any kind of variation you
want and then choose the onethat works best for your
situation.
So AI can help you flesh outcontent for your books page.
It can also help you write copyfor your about page, which I
(04:42):
know is one of the hardest pagesfor writers to create.
So what you would need to dofor this is share a few details
about your background, why youwrite, what kind of books you
write, what themes you explore,you know things like that and
then AI will help you turn yourthoughts into a polished bio
that feels both authentic andprofessional.
So that's another way that AIcan help.
(05:03):
And then the last example I haveis that AI can help you write a
short, compelling pitch for whyreaders should join your email
list.
So, for example, you could tellAI what you're working with and
it might come up with somethingthat says get exclusive sneak
peeks behind the scenes, updatesand a free short story when you
subscribe.
You know something like that,depending on what you're
(05:23):
offering readers when they signup for your email list.
So, again, the goal is to useyour website as a powerful tool
for connecting with readers,showcasing your work and growing
your audience, and AI can helpyou do all of those things.
All right, so that is the firstway AI can help you with your
marketing.
It can help you flesh out yourwebsite.
The second way that AI can helpyou with your marketing is that
(05:44):
it can help you write yourwelcome emails without having to
start from scratch.
So it's no secret that youremail list is marketing gold,
and I say that because thereaders who are on your email
list are people who have said,yes, I want to hear from you,
sign me up.
But most writers freeze afterthat.
First, thank you forsubscribing email, because,
again, this comes with so manyquestions.
(06:05):
Right, what comes next?
What should I put in my secondemail?
How do I keep the momentumgoing without sounding awkward
or salesy?
What do I even talk about?
Right, and I think it's a lotmore stressful when we're
talking about our welcomesequence, because your welcome
sequence is that firstimpression that sets the tone
for your entire relationshipwith your readers.
If you nail it, you're going tohave fans who can't wait to buy
(06:26):
everything you write.
But if you miss the mark or,even worse, if you send nothing,
they're going to forget whythey subscribed to your
newsletter in the first place.
So this is where AI can step inand save the day, instead of
staring at a blank screen.
You can use AI to generate theentire structure as well as the
ideas for your welcome sequence.
So what do I mean by generatingideas for your welcome sequence
(06:49):
?
Well, think of things likepersonal stories about why you
write the inspiration for yourlatest book behind the scenes,
peeks at your process,invitations to connect and any
other exciting announcements orpieces of information that you
would want to share with yourreaders.
Again, these are the elementsthat turn your casual
subscribers into super fans thatare going to want to gobble up
(07:10):
all your future books.
Readers want to get to know youbeyond just that's the person
that wrote this book, right,they want to get to know who you
are.
So, as an example, you couldtell AI something like I write
fantasy novels with strongfemale leads, my lead magnet is
a free short story and I emailmy list twice a month.
Can you please help me create afive to seven email welcome
(07:30):
sequence that builds connectionwith my readers over time and
then from there, you'll getsuggestions over what those five
to seven emails could look like.
The AI might even ask youquestions about specific types
of content you'll want toinclude in each.
For example, it's going to needinformation about why you write
, what are your favorite books,where can people find your books
?
You know things like that.
(07:51):
So it's going to spit out aframework for these five to
seven emails.
You can even have it write thefirst draft of these five to
seven emails, and then all youhave to do is add your personal
stories, your voice and yourunique details, and you're off
to the races.
So it's like starting with atemplate, but one that is
tailored for you and what you'retrying to do.
And the best part of all ofthis is it's going to help you
(08:12):
deliver on the purpose of havinga welcome sequence.
Readers are going to feelgenuinely connected to you from
day one, and they're going tolook forward to getting your
emails instead of ignoring thembecause they forgot who you are.
And then, when your next booklaunches, they'll be the first
ones in line to buy.
So, again, welcome sequence isreally important, and AI can do
a lot of the heavy lifting tohelp you get yours finished All
(08:34):
right.
So that is the second way thatAI can help you with your book
marketing.
It can help you write youremails without you having to
start from scratch, the thirdway that AI can help you with
your book marketing is it canhelp you brainstorm social media
content that connects with yourideal reader.
Now, we all know that socialmedia can sometimes feel like
shouting into the void,especially when you're sitting
there thinking what should Ipost today?
(08:56):
And then, when the ideas don'tcome, it's easy to either post
very sporadically or just giveup on social media entirely.
But, as I mentioned earlier,readers don't just want to buy
your book.
They want to buy your book andget to know you, the person
behind the words.
So they want to see the stories, the quirks, the
behind-the-scenes moments andall the things that make your
work really come alive.
(09:16):
But the challenge for writersis coming up with fresh,
engaging content in a way thatjust doesn't take all of our
time and energy right.
Well, again, this is where AIcan be a total game changer for
you.
In just one brainstormingsession, ai can help you
generate months of content ideas.
Yes, months, that is not amistake.
We're talking 30, 50, even 100ideas that you would never think
(09:39):
of on your own.
Things like characterspotlights, behind the scenes,
glimpses, reader polls, writingtips, book aesthetics I mean,
the variety is truly endless.
So here's how this might look.
Let's say you spend an afternoonwith AI.
You ask it for content, ideasbased on your genre, your themes
, your audience, your favoritebooks, things like that.
It might suggest fun promptsfor you, so things like what
(10:02):
your main character's coffeeorder suggests about them, or
engaging questions that youcould ask your audience, so
maybe a poll about who yourfavorite side character is, or
who would your book boyfriend be, or things like that.
So you can take the ideas thatAI gives you and then batch,
create content when you'refeeling inspired.
So not something you have to doevery day, just batch, create
(10:22):
it when you feel inspired andthen schedule it out so that
your feed stays active withoutthat sense of daily pressure.
And the best part about this isyou're not just posting for the
sake of posting.
You're creating content that'sdesigned to connect with your
ideal reader and, on the flipside of that, your readers get
to stay engaged, your socialmedia presence feels consistent
and you get to spend time doingwhat you do best writing more
(10:46):
books, all right.
So that is the third way that AIcan help you with your
marketing.
It can help you brainstormsocial media content that
connects with your ideal reader.
Now the fourth way AI can helpyou with your marketing it can
help you brainstorm social mediacontent that connects with your
ideal reader.
Now the fourth way AI can helpyou with your book marketing is
it can help you write bookdescriptions that sell.
So your book description orthat back cover copy, or the
copy that you see on your Amazonpage you know things like that
(11:06):
that's going to be your ultimatesales tool.
It's the bridge between acurious browser and a committed
buyer.
But if we're being honest,condensing 80,000 words into 150
to 200 words, that can bepretty hard to do, right?
Most authors will either end upwith a dry summary that reads
like a Wikipedia page or they'llgive away way too many details
without getting to the heart ofwhat their story is really about
(11:29):
, and neither approach is goingto sell books.
But this is where AI can comein and completely change the
game.
So, instead of agonizing overevery word, you can use AI to
create multiple versions of yourbook description, each
highlighting a different angleof your story.
So imagine you have a versionthat's more character-driven,
that dives into yourprotagonist's journey.
(11:50):
You could have a high-stakesversion that amps up the
conflict and the tension in thestakes.
You could have an atmosphericversion that immerses readers in
your world, or you could evenhave a version that features
comp titles in your genre.
That will position your bookalongside fan favorites, and
seeing your story like this fromdifferent perspectives and also
being able to test outdifferent versions of your book
(12:11):
description can help you uncoverthe version that's going to
make it absolutely irresistibleto readers.
So in this scenario, you wouldgive AI the basics, your genre,
your main character, the centralconflict and the stakes and
that one unique element thatmakes your book stand out.
You could ask it to createthree to five or even more
descriptions of your book andthen you could look at all of
(12:33):
those descriptions and pull outthe pieces from each that you
love the most.
So maybe you like the openinghook from version number one,
the way that it's positioned,the stakes in version number
three and the final line fromversion number five.
You can mix and match thoseelements until you've crafted
the perfect description thatfeels like you and your book and
, ideally, will help you sellcopies like crazy.
(12:54):
So that is the fourth way thatAI can help you with your
marketing.
It can help you write bookdescriptions that help you sell
lots and lots of copies.
Now the fifth way that AI canhelp you with book marketing is
it can help you draft podcastpitches that get you booked.
Podcast guesting is one of themost powerful ways to get your
book in front of new audiences.
One really great interview canhelp you sell more books than
(13:17):
months of social media posts.
And, the best part, you'reconnecting with an audience
that's already engaged and readyto listen.
But here's something I'venoticed Most writers have no
idea how to pitch themselves ina way that actually gets a yes.
And here's what we need tounderstand.
Podcast hosts are inundatedwith pitches.
They get dozens, sometimeshundreds, of pitches every
(13:38):
single week.
Most of them are generic,boring or completely off base
for that particular show.
So if your pitch doesn't standout, it's going to get deleted
faster than you can sayunsubscribe, and that means that
you're missing out on a chanceto connect with hundreds or even
thousands of potential readers.
But this is where AI can comein and be your secret weapon.
Instead of sending out cookiecutter pitches, you can use AI
(14:01):
to craft personalized standoutemails that make podcast hosts
excited to have you on theirshow.
Ai can help you researchpodcasts, analyze the types of
guests they feature and evenidentify the topics that
resonate most with theiraudience.
It's kind of like having a PRassistant who knows exactly how
to position you as the perfectguest.
(14:21):
So if I were to use AI to helpme pitch podcasts, I would do it
like this First, I would haveAI help me identify podcasts
that align with what kind ofbook I'm writing or the themes
I'm talking about in my book.
Then I would use AI to researchrecent episodes and I'd want to
understand the host's style andpinpoint what their audience
loves.
For example, if the host ofteninterviews authors about their
(14:44):
creative process, ai mightsuggest pitching a topic like
how writing my novel helped meovercome XYZ personal challenge,
or something like that.
Then, after that, once I foundthe podcast I want to pitch and
I've researched the recentepisodes, I would ask AI to help
me draft a pitch that showsyou've done your homework, so it
can highlight your unique value, suggest talking points
(15:06):
tailored to their audience andmake it really easy for the host
to say yes, we want to have youon the show.
So, again, you can let AI dothe heavy lifting on all of this
stuff and the result for you ismore podcast bookings, which
means more visibility, morecredibility and more book sales.
The best part about thisstrategy is that podcast
interviews live forever onlineand continue to attract new
(15:29):
readers long after they air.
It's the kind of marketing thatkeeps working for you even when
you're off writing your nextbook, so highly recommend this
one and again.
That is the fifth way that AIcan help you with your book
marketing.
It can help you draft podcastpitches that get you booked.
All right, now let's quicklyrecap the five different ways
that you can use AI to help youwith your book marketing.
(15:50):
Number one you can use AI tohelp you build out your author
platform and flesh out all thecopy on your website.
Number two, you can use AI tohelp you write your welcome
emails without having to startfrom scratch.
Number three you can use AI tobrainstorm social media content
that connects with your idealreader.
Number four you can use AI tohelp you craft book descriptions
(16:11):
that sell and variations ofthose descriptions.
And then, finally, number five,you can use AI to help you
draft podcast pitches that getyou booked.
Now, remember that AI is nothere to replace your creativity
or your voice.
It's here to handle the heavylifting so you can focus on what
you do best, and that iswriting stories that matter.
Marketing is simply how youensure that your stories reach
(16:34):
the readers who need them most,and with AI by your side, that
process can feel lighter, fasterand more aligned with your
creative flow.
So a challenge for you thisweek pick one area where you're
stuck.
Maybe it's that author bio orthat about page that you've been
putting off.
Maybe it's the welcome emailsequence that you know you need
to write.
Or maybe it's the welcome emailsequence that you know you need
to write.
Or maybe it's finally pitchingthat podcast that you've been
(16:55):
eyeing for the last year.
Whatever it is, pick one areawhere you're stuck and let AI
help you take that first step.
To make it even easier for you,I've put together a quick guide
of five different AI promptsthat you can use to help you get
started with everything wetalked about today.
So these are copy-p, fill in theblank AI prompts that you can
use to write that welcomesequence, to flesh out your
(17:16):
website, to pitch podcasts, tobrainstorm social media and to
help you write book descriptionsthat will sell.
So it's totally free and to grabthat, you can go to
savannahgilbocom.
Forward slash AI dash marketing.
So one more time that'ssavannahgilbocom forward slash
AI dash marketing.
We will also link to that inthe show notes for easy access,
(17:53):
the resources I mentioned today,as well as bonus materials to
help you implement what you'velearned and if you're ready to
get more personalized guidancefor your specific writing stage
whether you're just starting out, stuck somewhere in the middle
of a draft, drowning inrevisions, or getting ready to
publish, take my free 30-secondquiz at savannahgilbocom forward
slash quiz.
You'll get a customized podcastplaylist that'll meet you right
where you're at and help youget to your next big milestone.
(18:14):
Last but not least, make sureto follow this podcast in your
podcast player of choice,because I'll be back next week
with another episode full ofactionable tips, tools and
strategies to help you become abetter writer.
Until then, happy writing.
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