According to Statista, there are currently some 336 million people per month actively using Twitter. That’s not just a social media platform—that’s a worldwide audience.
While many people in that audience may never have an interest in the book you’re blogging, it’s fair to say that a good chunk of them will. The only question you should have is this: How do you use Twitter as a tool to reach them?
Luckily, there are a few rules of thumb you can use to create successful book promotions via Twitter:
Rule of Thumb #1: Give More Than You Get
Authors with lame self-promotion efforts expect their audiences to do all the work.
To draw people into your online promotion, don’t tease their interest and hope they do the rest. Instead, create something valuable enough to be worth clicking on a link. For example: giving out a free sample chapter to read online gives people a whole chunk of your content for free–without expecting anything in return.
That’s far more likely to generate clicks through to Amazon or some other site to purchase the book than you tweeting “Come read about why you should buy my book!”
If you want mice, you’re going to have to offer up some cheese. If you want readers, you’re going to have to give them something they like. Sometimes, it may feel like you’re giving away too much. That’s how you know you’re on the right track.
Rule of Thumb #2: Connect Yourself
None of this “giving-more-than-you-get” strategy is going to work if no one’s there to find out you exist in the first place. That means you’re going to have to get loud—and get connected. Here are a few ways to do that on Twitter:
- Follow the right people, and join conversations. Find top authors, editors, and voices in your specific book’s genre. Start engaging with them (without selling them on your book). Build yourself up as part of the community, not as an author.
- Pay attention to hashtags. One well-placed hashtag can get a single tweet a far greater audience than you might have imagined. So before you tweet, don’t just draft up a hashtag and hope it’s popular. Take the time to research and make sure you’re linking yourself to something with plenty of traffic.
- Get mentioned. Don’t go around begging big-time Twitter names for mentions—but do talk to them! You never know when something you tweet is going to attract a huge mention that pushes plenty of attention your way.
Rule of Thumb #3: Don’t Be Shy
Finally, make it easy to find your book. Put the title in your Twitter bio. Include it in your Twitter background. You don’t want to come across as cheesy or overly salesy, but when someone does find the motivation to seek you out, make it clear that you have a book and that you have it on offer.
Twitter is no place to be coy. Neither are book promotions. Find the right balance between each, and you’ll start building the audience that was looking for an author like you in the first place.
What rules of thumb help you use Twitter successfully? Tell me in a comment below.
About the Author
Dan Kenitz is a freelance writer and ghostwriter from Wisconsin who helps individuals and companies build their brands through valuable content. www.empirewriter.com
Image copyrigh:Jonas Jacobsson on Unsplash
Dan, this post about twitter book promotion is really great. Especially, the Rule of Thumb #2: Connect Yourself. I believe in the power of #hastags it really works!