TONYA WOODWORTH

Whether you have just started writing your book or are nearly finished, you have most likely already begun brainstorming about how you are going to market it to readers. As a self-published author, budget constraints often take precedence over marketing and advertising needs. As a result, authors find themselves limited on how often and to what scale they are able to promote their work. Perhaps you can relate. While an integrated marketing approach is best, you may want to consider adding BookBound Media's “Top 10 PR Practices for Self-Published Authors” to your campaign efforts if you find yourself in a similar bind.

PR and Advertising: What’s the Difference?
Before we review the list, let’s take a closer look at the key differences between public relations and advertising. Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Media placement that results from one’s public relations efforts must be earned. By contrast, anyone can pay for advertising media placement. Its high cost, however, makes advertising less appealing than public relations. In addition to being the more cost-effective approach, public relations has greater longevity, according to Entrepreneur Media, Inc., and many people consider public relations more credible than advertising because it must be earned.

Top 10 PR Practices

As with advertising, public relations practices are limited only to one’s creativity. With that in mind, let’s take a look at BookBound Media’s Top 10 PR Practices for Self-Published Authors.

1. Social Media Management

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Instagram, and Pinterest currently rank among the most popular social media networking sites. With so many social media platforms to keep up with and passwords to remember, doing so can quickly become a full-time job in and of itself. This is why social media management tools are imperative to any public relations strategy. BookBound Media’s favorites include Hootsuite and Sprout Social. With either platform, you can post to multiple social media accounts at one time, schedule future posts, measure social media engagement using built-in analytics software, and respond to your followers’ posts in real time for a nominal fee.

2. Personalized Website

If you don’t already have one, a personalized website is the fastest way to build your brand. This is especially true for writers. In the article titled “Get in with the Times! Build a Better Website with These 7 Services, Digital Trends columnist Brandon Widder lists seven popular platforms to get you started. These include LightCMS, Squarespace, Voog, Wix, Weebly, Webflow, and BookBound Media’s preferred choice WordPress, which powers more than 26 percent of the Web. BookBound Media provides website development services to its clients. Basic WordPress packages start at just $500.

3. News Feed or Blog

As a self-published author, you should consider hosting a news feed or blog on your website to not only build your fan base but also help drive traffic to your site. While opinions vary for how to write and maintain either one, you should keep content grammatically correct and up to date. You should also reserve your news feed for book-related events and announcements, press releases, discounts, etc. A blog allow for a bit more flexibility. Content may include book excerpts, editorial or opinion pieces, tutorials, special sales announcements, and promotions. Lastly, a news feed should project a more professional tone while a blog should reflect your voice and writing style.

4. Analytics Software

To determine how many people visit your website, where your visitors are located, whether they found your website through a search engine or a social media feed, how long they stay, or which content they find most valuable, you must have analytics software embedded in your website. Google Analytics allows you to do this and much more. In fact, Google Analytics can help you determine your PR campaign’s overall effectiveness as well. Google Analytics Academy offers free online courses for those new to Google Analytics. Since the software can be quite complex and time consuming, you may want to consider hiring a PR professional to set up and monitor this software for you.

5. A Great Hook

Just like any good book, your website and PR content must contain a great hook. Without one, readers, journalists, and editors alike will have little incentive to read and share your content. Before starting your book or your next article, carefully consider your contents marketability and target audience. If you’re rehashing a tired topic, make sure you have something new and noteworthy to share with your readers.

6. Media List

Building an appropriate media list for pitching your content is critical. You wouldn’t consult an attorney to perform your next root canal, nor should you pitch your diet book to a journalist known for writing political pieces or a sports columnist recapping last night’s big game. Your ability to nurture these relationships before you make your pitch is just as important as targeting the appropriate media contacts. Do not pitch to a cold contact. Unless you are a celebrity or a New York Times best selling author, you should also consider targeting your local media first, as they may be more receptive. Otherwise, you may want to consider a new course.

7. Digital Media Kit

A digital media kit or electronic press kit (EPK) should contain at least four items: ten to twelve FAQs, an updated author biography, author headshot, and a recent press release. Book excerpts and author endorsements are also helpful.

8. Informative Content

The articles on your website and your social media posts need to contain engaging content. BookBound Media recommends at least 250 to 500 words per article with one full-width image or one high-quality video to supplement your article. Videos and images are a great way to help drive traffic to your website, but please ensure that they are relevant to your article’s content.

9. Endorsements

If you don’t already have endorsements for your book, be sure to create a wish list—well in advance of your publishing date—of relevant candidates that will add credibility to your book. Your endorsers should be experts in their field or best-selling authors in your book’s genre. If you have written a diet book, for example, you may want to consider seeking an endorsement from a leading physician that specializes in weight loss from Johns Hopkins University. While an endorsement from Dr. Mehmet Oz or The Biggest Loser’s Bob Harper would be ideal, these celebrities are regularly bombarded with similar requests and have little incentive to endorse you. Aim high, but be realistic in your expectations.

10. Webinars

Building a strong author platform takes time. Costly travel expenses for author speaking engagements are a thing of the past thanks to technology like Google Hangouts, Skype, and GoToWebinar. Google Hangouts is free to anyone with a Gmail account and allows up to ten users to join in on the conversation. The best part is that these meetings are recorded and archived, which is great for those who were unable to join the live session. Skype currently offers free audio and video calls plus messaging for its business users for up to twenty-five attendees per meeting while GoToWebinar’s starter plan allows up to one hundred attendees per meeting for eighty-nine dollars a month, a great option for more established authors.

Final Thoughts

While you do not have to limit your public relations efforts to this list, it does provide a solid foundation for any integrated marketing approach. For best results, your advertising and public relations efforts should compliment each other and reinforce your brand’s overall message.

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