Thousands of books get published yearly, whether indie or traditional. It’s tough to get noticed out there, and you’ll need every trick to catch your audience’s attention.
This is where influencer marketing comes in. Getting someone with an established platform to check out your books is a huge boost to building your own.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing involves people who have a significant and highly engaged following on social media and other platforms. They hold a lot of power in “influencing” their audience’s perspectives, opinions, and decisions.
This is because they’ve already built trust and credibility with their followers over time. Their opinions are highly valued and more likely to convert someone into a buyer.
As a nonfiction author, you can work with influencers in different ways. Common arrangements include sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, content creation, giveaways, and event promotion.
Practical Tips For Influencer Outreach
If you plan on trying out influencer marketing, here are a few things you should consider.
1. Find the right influencers.
Just because an influencer has a large following doesn’t mean they’re the best people to work with. Rather than chase numbers, consider if their brand and audience align with yours.
Would you prefer promoting a book about productivity through a music influencer with millions of followers or a lifestyle influencer with 40,000 followers? The first can help you reach more people but the second one will connect you to the right audience.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- How many platforms does this influencer have? How many followers do they have across these platforms?
- Do their personality, views, and content align with your brand?
- Have they spoken favorably about your chosen topic or related subjects?
- Do they have a decent engagement rate comparable to their follower count?
- What is their review process? Is their way of presentation to your liking?
It won’t be easy to find an influencer who is in the same niche, aligns with your brand, and has strong follower engagement. If you further limit yourself by follower count, you might not be able to find one at all!
And don’t limit yourself to book influencers. While they are your most likely picks, any other influencer who meets the criteria above can benefit you.
2. Influencer Marketing will depend on the platform.
There are different types of influencers. You have bloggers, vloggers, tiktokers, instagrammers, podcasters, live streamers, and more. While most influencers have multiple platforms, pay attention to their main platform.
These platforms support multiple media types but often excel only in one area. Blogs are for written content, YouTube and TikTok are for videos, Instagram is for pictures, and so on.
In addition, different platforms have varying formats, audience demographics, and engagement styles. Blogs and YouTube are long-form friendly while Instagram and TikTok are more short-form friendly.
It makes sense to form your marketing plan depending on the influencer’s most reliable platform.
3. Pitch.
Getting an influencer’s attention can often be the most difficult part, especially if they have a large following. These people get tons of messages, and your pitch can easily get buried.
Before even doing a formal pitch, find a way to get on their radar. Engage with their content, leave comments, and show your support. The goal is to make them aware of you without selling yourself. While this step isn’t mandatory, it can help start a positive relationship.
Once that’s done, send them a formal pitch through their preferred channels.
Hi [Influencer’s name],
My name is [your name], and I’m [quick description of yourself]. [Describe your expertise in 2 sentences or less].
I’ve enjoyed watching your TikTok videos for a while now, particularly [something specific about the influencer’s content]. Given your dedication to [influencer’s niche], I believe my book will resonate well with your audience. [Describe the main points of your book].
If you’re open to collaboration, I’d love to set up a time to further discuss details over a video call.
Thank you for your time and have a great day!
Until then,
[Your name]
The pitch above is a basic example of how you should pitch to someone. Introduce yourself, offer a compliment, and pitch your book. Provide enough details to pique their interest, but avoid overwhelming them with too much information in a single message.
Always personalize your message. People will more likely be open to you if they know you’ve spent the time to research them and explore your platform.
If you don’t get a reply in a few weeks, go ahead and send a follow-up. Do it only once so you don’t make a nuisance of yourself.
4. Offer an enticing deal.
Some book influencers will review your book for free if it aligns with their content and you send them a copy. Don’t assume this of everyone though.
Part of working with an influencer is negotiating a deal with mutual benefits. Some will require sponsorship fees, others will go for affiliate links, and some may even ask for payment for a guest post.
For you, a good deal will consist of:
- increased exposure to an engaged audience
- increased book sales and visibility
- increased credibility through the influencer’s endorsement
For the influencer, it will be:
- compensation for their time and effort
- access to your work and other materials that are relevant to their audience
- potential for commissions and other perks
You’ll likely go back and forth before settling on an agreement. It’s important that both parties feel they’re getting a fair deal. Building a professional relationship based on fairness is key, especially if you plan to collaborate with the influencer again in the future.
5. Deliver.
Once a deal is struck, you need to deliver the goods the influencer will need to promote your book. This could be a blog post for their website, an interview for a podcast, your book for review, or even a live appearance at an event.
6. Track results.
It’s hard to keep track of how much impact influencer marketing has on your book. Some effects are easily measured while others are more abstract.
Keep track of sales, post engagement, website traffic, and so on. They’ll give you insights that will be helpful in your next round of promotions.
However, it’s best to consider a good range of metrics. Book awareness may not get you immediate sales but it can lead to other opportunities down the road. Even the relationship you’re building with an influencer can get you connections that result in more quantitative results.
Benefits and Challenges of Influencer Marketing
An influencer can introduce you to a wider audience, generate interest in your work, and increase your overall visibility.
Since they already have a built-in platform, you can target specific audiences who are the most likely to have an interest in your work. Influencers also know their audience intimately and can help you market your book more effectively.
Endorsements from them, or even the simple act of appearing on their platform, also boosts your credibility. Their audience trusts that the people they work with are also trustworthy.
There are, however, some downsides to working with influencers in marketing your book. Finding the right influencers and figuring out a fair deal is difficult.
The more niche your work is, the harder it will be to find an influencer whose audience aligns with yours. You can reach out to those from adjacent niches but be prepared to adjust your marketing plans.
If your influencer campaign is currently running, it can be challenging to quantify its direct impact on sales. This impact can also manifest in ways that are difficult to measure, such as raising awareness or shifting perceptions gradually. Moreover, there are various touchpoints in a customer’s journey that may not be fully traceable.
What’s your experience with influencer marketing? Share your thoughts below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
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- How Adding Digital Content to Your Book Can Increase Sales and Marketing Opportunities
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
