Promotional Ideas

There are many things that I have collected over the years. Baseball cards, comics, Legos, and Godzilla teeth are some of those things. Since I began writing, promotional ideas has been added to that list. I have been thinking of different ways to help promote things over the years. Every time I post something new here I get an opportunity to practice posting things to social media.

Social media is great for connecting with people who are fans, making friends, and letting people know when you have something new out.  It is not the greatest of promotional tools though. People tend to ignore or scroll past promotions on social media. Sometimes when you have that special shiny thing that catches their eye then you might get someone to click on your link. If you are here then I was able to tap into the type of sorcery that made you want to click that link. Whatever reason you are reading this right now <3

This week I want to talk about promotional ideas that I have had or observed others doing. I'm going to break them down by types and give a list of the ones I can think of using my twisted mind. I'm not going to break down each idea. If I did we might be here all day. I have a cat to vacuum.

In Person Events

Traditional publishing has championed this going back decades. Today it is unlikely that most of us will get a full promotional tour to back our books, but that doesn't mean that we can't organize our own events or attend other people's events. There are writing conferences happening all the time, and they provide opportunities to set up or participate in panels there. Reading sessions can be set up with your local bookstores and libraries. Same thing with signings. You might want to check with city ordinances to see if your "Run From The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Marathon" is permitted. I wouldn't want you to get fined. Also not sure how that will sell books for you.

Examples of In Person Events:

• Radio interviews
• TV appearances 
• Book release parties
• Readings
• Signings
• Public Speaking Events
• Convention Panels
• Charity Events

New Static Content

This is what I like to call "The New Shiny". Nothing helps promote a book like the new shiny. Every bit of new content that draws eyeballs out of sockets to march on Washington for eyeball rights.. what was I saying? New books written by an author fall in this category as well. A lot of authors don't break through and get recognition from readers until they have 5 or 6 or 15 books available... I need to get busy. The more content you can shoot out like some buckshot the more chances you have to grab someone's attention. Not everything is going to work, but you keep shooting until you find something that works. Then you whack the crap out of what works until you hit a Whammy. Press Your Luck!

Examples of Static Content:

• Static Advertisements
• Book Reviews
• Blog Posts/Guest Blog Posts/Blog Tours
• Podcasts
• Youtube Videos
• New Books/Stories
• Interviews
• Contests
• Multi-blog chain story (I would so <3 to do one of these)
• Multi-blog Choose Your Own Adventure story (Same)
• Cover reveals

Live Online Events

This is the one that has made my nipples poke through my shirt lately... Oops! TMI I know. Technology is a great thing and it has made it possible to do many of the same things online that are done at some live events. Social Media also helps expand the flavor of things. The possibilities are endless. Below are a few of my ideas along with things I have seen others do.

Examples of Live Online Events:

• Book club meetings with the author invited to discuss
• Scheduled social media chats
• Live posting reactions to an event/TV show to social media
• Live interviews
• Writer sprints and other writing games
• Sharing lines while writing/editing

Conclusion

There are so many methods a writer can use to promote their work, but the best ways are the ones that are the most fun and engaging. I've said this before in other blog posts, but having fun with your promotions is the best way to get people to engage. They want to have fun too! Let's rent a bounce house! I want to hear your ideas too. I collect them like hair from ex-girlfriends. Don't ask how they became ex... *plays creepy music* But seriously... I'm going to have an announcement coming up in the next couple of weeks about something that I plan to do which will include the words weekly and probably Godzilla. It's also going to be a great promotional opportunity for authors who are interested. Stay tuned. Same Bat-website, same Bat-time-of-the-week.