How to engage readers in your marketing strategy

Do you have a favourite reader that you follow on social media? Do you get excited when you see their new Facebook posts, eagerly check their latest tweets, and always respond to their polls and questions on Instagram stories?

If you have experienced this, then you know what effective author marketing looks like. When your readers are thoroughly engaged in your author promotional activities, then you have a loyal readership who not only reads your book — they tell all their friends about it!

So how can you achieve this level of engagement? Here are our top three tips:

Share reviews

If your book is getting reviews on Goodreads and other places, that’s amazing! Share your reviews on your author website, and post them on social media as often as possible. The reader will feel extra special when they see you’ve shouted out their review on your own channels, so not only are you showing new readers how great your work is, you’re making your current readers feel great as well!

Another tip? Collect these reviews in a separate document and use it when you hit a writing wall for a bit of inspiration. It does wonders to remember how much your work can mean to people!

Host a Competition

Everyone loves winning things, and book lovers especially love winning prizes from authors! Host a competition related to your new book, such as the most creative photo holding the book, the best fan theory about the plot, or the best drawing of a favourite character. Make the competition time specific and then pick a winner. Prizes could include a signed copy, a gift card, or the chance to name a character in the next story.

Not only does this method engage your audience and get them involved, it also creates lots of marketing material you can use! What better way to get the word out about your book than to have all your readers posting photos of them reading it?

Ask for Feedback

Not receiving much feedback about the specifics of the book? Reader opinions can be helpful to shape your future work and to encourage your writing. Use polls on social media sites to ask readers questions such as who their favourite character is, what part of your book inspired them, or how they responded to the setting. You can also share the results on socials or use them to create blog posts.