Book Launch Success Secret #6: Prioritize Social Media

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

• Why you should start with your personal social media profile, not just your business or author page
• How to ensure your pages and profile(s) look impressive and professional
• Tips on creating engaging social media content that drums up interest for your book launch
• How and why to host live events leading up to the book launch

Be sure to read all the way to the end for a link to the #1 Social Media Sales Secret training!

Last time, we talked about how getting interviewed by influencers is a great way to connect with potential readers and build interest in your book. When you connect with the interviewer and deliver an engaging interview, people are more likely to want to read your book. Plus, you’re able to borrow credibility from that host, whether they're on YouTube, LinkedIn, or a podcast. This is huge, because that host is essentially endorsing you and telling others that you know what you're talking about and they think their followers should be interested in you. 

But that's just one way to promote your book. If you’re preparing for a book launch, you need to use everything you can to get the word out, and one of your top priorities must be social media. Social media plays an important role in creating awareness and interest. It's also a great way to connect with your audience and build relationships. After all, it is called “social” media! 

But listen: you have to be really intentional with your social media strategy. There are several things you need to do to ensure social media is an effective vehicle to spread the word about your book, and unfortunately, a lot of those things are overlooked time and time again. So let’s look at some tips to help you maximize your social media presence for a successful book launch.

Make Your Personal Social Media Profile Snazzy

Yes, your author or business page is important. After all, that’s where you’ll direct people to learn about your book. But remember, social media is all about relationships. People want to connect with the person — the individual — not just the business or the brand. 

You are the face of your brand. So you want to make sure your personal profile is up to par before you start promoting your new book on social media. So take a look at the following:

• Your headshot: You’re a professional author. That means you need a professional-looking headshot, not just a casual selfie.
• Your bio: Fill out your bio so that it’s enticing and interesting. That way, people will want to learn more about you. 
• Your links: Include links to your website and your blog in your profile. This makes it easy for people to do their research and learn more about you, and for interested readers to find and connect with you online. 

Once you have your personal profile looking nice and professional, you’re ready to move onto the business or author page. 

Set Up Your Author/Business Page(s) to Impress

Of course, your personal profile isn’t the only thing that matters. People are going to visit your business or author social media pages, and you want them to be impressed. To make that happen:

• Choose a professionally designed cover photo. The cover photo — that’s the banner at the top of the page — should align with the brand you want to create. In other words, make sure it sets the tone you want to create for your audience. So if you write things that are fun and entertaining, your cover photo should reflect that fun atmosphere (while still being professional). If your topic is more serious, then you'll want to choose a more serious type of image and design. 
• Write persuasive descriptions of who you are, what you do, and why people should care. We all have competition, so why should people be interested specifically in you and what you have to say? What is your unique angle, your big idea that will pique the interest of your ideal audience and make them want to learn more about you and your book?

When people land on your author or business pages, they should be able to see very easily who you are and what your book is about, and they should feel compelled to learn more.

Create Captivating Social Media Content

Now that your profiles and pages are ready to go, it’s time to think about the actual content. You want to create captivating social media content that gets people talking and clicking so they can learn more. 

Engaging social media content will create a buzz around your new book and get people excited about its release. Boring content will do the exact opposite. No one wants to read or share a post that’