Last updated on March 12th, 2019

eBook promotion.

Hearing these two words can, honestly, make even the most veteran eBook authors feel like smashing their laptop more than the thought of actually writing that eBook.

How do I know?

Well, after writing 10 eBooks for myself and another 10-odd for clients, I know a bit {okay, way more than a bit!} about eBook promotion and trust me, if you don’t have a plan, you’ll begin to regret having written that book in the first place.

 

So, this, my fellow eBook author, is for YOU… a post packed with over 20+ easy-to-implement, engagement-rich and sales-boosting ideas, all using good, ol’ social media.

In a hurry? Download an eGuide with all 20+ ideas to triple those eBook sales NOW!

20+ Sensational eBook Promotion Ideas for the Social Media Lovin’ eBook Author

1. Build up the Buzz with Sneak Peeks

Social media is fantastic for sharing sneak peeks of either the eBook while you’re writing it or maybe the promotional material, like the sales page.

Here’s a recent update I did sharing part of the sales page that I’m creating for Easy-as-Pie eBook Marketing Recipe Book 

2. Host a Facebook party

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know I love Facebook parties. They’re fabulously fun to organize and you can generate a ton of excitement and engagement for your eBook, for FREE!

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on organizing a Facebook party, the fuss-free way!

3. Take People Behind-the-Scenes

What does writing an eBook look like in your life?

Do you wake up early in the morning to write before dawn or do you stay up late?

What laptop do you use? Do you use a writing software?

Do you have to have a Venti triple shot Caramel Macchiato else the ideas don’t flow? {Ahem!}

Do you need to chill every evening so you don’t burn out?

You get the point, right?

What does the ‘behind-the-scenes’ look like when you’re writing your book?

Share that with your audience on social media.

4. Create Socially Shareable Images Using Quotes from Your eBook

Another one of my favorites. I’ve done this for so many clients and it’s because it works so well, especially for non-fiction eBooks.

Pull excerpts or quotable text from your eBooks and share it on social media.

Here’s one I’ve used for The Social Spread.

 

5. Host a Virtual ‘Meet the Author’ Session

This is a fun way to engage with your prospective readers and help them to get to know you better.

You can do this via a Facebook Live {which is HOT, right now!}, a closed Facebook group, a Twitter chat or even, an Instagram series of carefully curated and created photos.

Take your pick!

This “Meet-the-Author” session shouldn’t be a pitch-fest though.

It should be more like a coffee chat where readers can ask questions about your inspiration, your process, your fave bit about writing or your fave books and so on.

6. Host a Webinar

Most entrepreneurs, including authors, associate webinars with e-Course launches, but I don’t see why we can’t do it for eBooks too!

Never hosted a webinar?

I love {and have bookmarked!} Mary Jaksch’s tips on Smart Blogger about hosting your first-ever webinar.

I also, love Gini Dietrich’s tips on hosting a successful webinar over at Convince and Convert.

7. Create a Private eBook Club for Readers

People don’t buy eBooks… they buy results.

If you can show results, you can virtually guarantee that you’ll never have a short stream of testimonials and also, that you’ll find it super easy to sell hundreds {or thousands!} of copies with ease.

So, one powerful way of doing this is to host virtual eBook club for those who buy your book and help them to go through it and implement whatever it is that you’re teaching.

Accountability is a fabulous ‘bonus’ when offering your eBook!

8. Reach Out to Influencers

eBook promotion involves a fair amount of reaching out and you can totally use social media to reach out to influencers in your niche to help ask to endorse or share your eBook…

BUT {and this is BIG} please make the ask ONLY if you’ve been a part of their community and have given considerable value before going in for the “right hook”

Also, keep basic social media etiquette rules in mind when reaching out.

You don’t want folks to think you’re pushy, needy, desperate or plain rude, do you? 😉

9. Reach Out to Your Audience

Many of us shy away from asking our audience to help us share and promote our eBooks. It’s weird but we’re like that.

But here’s the thing… your audience is your audience for a reason… they love your content, they value the time and energy you give them, they appreciate the support you provide.. and they’d love to give back by sharing in whatever way they can.

So, if you’ve been packing in tons of helpful content, ideas, value for your audience, it’s time to make the ask and get their support in sharing your eBook with their friends, family, co-workers, their Aunt Mildred!

Gary Vee does it and folks, literally, fall over themselves in trying to share his book or pre-order copies of it for everyone they know. I got this must-read book for all entrepreneurs from a client in the UK, who’d gotten 20 copies!

10. Organize a Contest

Whether you have a podcast OR an eBook, you can host a fantastic tell-your-friends contest on social media and generate a TON of buzz for your eBook promotion.

I loved what the guys at Buffer did on Instagram and naturally participated too!

11. Organize a Giveaway

An oldie but goldie indeed, a giveaway for either your eBook or swag related to your eBook is a fantastic free way of generating incredible interest in your launch.

It’s fairly simple to organize giveaways on any social media platform now.

Emma Papas and Carla Papas of The Merrymaker Sisters organized a massive $6K giveaway for their new recipe book and I see no reason, you can do something similar for your eBook as well!

12. Do Live eBook Readings

With LIVE videos being all the rage these days with Instagram Stories and FB Lives, why not leverage this to do ‘LIVE’ eBook readings.

Authors of regular books have done book readings since time immemorial and now you can do the same with social media for eBooks.

Set a time, let your audience know and then, show up and read sections of your eBook. Fun, free and engaging!!

13. Use the Power of a Pinned Tweet or Post

This is super simple yet so underutilized. Pin a tweet to the top of your feed or a post to the top of your page and anyone who visits it for the first time will be sure to see it right away.

For instance, Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income has a pinned tweet sharing the latest about his book, Will It Fly.

14. Use the Power of Your Cover Photos

Are you leveraging the social media real estate that is the cover photo?

No?

Why not?

Use any of the incredibly easy-to-use free tools, like Canva, Picmonkey or my latest fave, Stencil to whip up a cover image that shares your eBook!

Michael Hyatt’s sharing his free eBook on his Facebook page’s cover photo… you can do the same for your paid one 😉

15.  Share Your Why Behind Writing the eBook

Use social media to share the reason and background to why you’re writing this book.

You’d like to split it up over a series of posts designed to highlight your WHY and involve readers in the emotional journey that accompanies crafting the book itself.

For instance, for me, the reason why writing Easy-as-Pie was SO important is because ebooks are our #1 source of passive income and also, because I really struggled with eBook promotion when I was starting out.

I used my Facebook posts to talk about my Why AND create buzz too. 🙂

 

16. Share Your Process of Writing the eBook

Like sharing your why or taking readers behind-the-scenes, sharing your process of writing the eBook is a wonderful way to get everyone involved and create buzz, easily and organically.

Share a snapshot of a page written every day or maybe, an interesting quote or a fact that you came across while researching for your book.

17. Send Out Review Copies, with a Difference

Everyone sends out review copies… how can you stand out?

Skip the impersonal mass emails and instead, accompany each review copy with a personalized email and a note to thank reviewers for their time.

Create a private community to help reviewers share it in the best way possible and also, encourage and thank them.

Acknowledge your reviewers in the final edition of the eBook.

18. Give Away a Free Chapter or Two

I did this with How to be a Work-at-Home Mom. All you do is set up a form for people to sign up and snag a free chapter from your book… You can then, continue to engage and nurture them and encourage them to buy the full eBook too.

You can make it simpler and even, more powerful on social media by simply giving away the free chapter and editing it to include a link to the full book.

19. Use FB Offers to Promote Your eBook

Facebook Offers is a fun way to create a special offer for your Facebook community. Simply create the offer using the Offers tab on your Facebook page.

You can add the sales page link, percentage off, the expiration date and multiple photos too, along with a detailed description of the offer.

Pin the offer to the top of your page and enjoy the sales coming in!

20. Leverage FREE book promotion Facebook groups

While promotions are generally frowned up in many Facebook groups {not Biz Bistro, though!}, there are a LOT of book promotion groups that welcome promotions for your books and eBooks.

A quick search on Facebook using the term ‘book promotion’ threw up LOADS of results!!

Join these before your launch, get a feel for whether or not the group is active, engage with the group and share your eBook over there without feeling like you’re breaking rules, spamming the group or being a pain!

21. Do a Challenge Based On Your eBook

This is another one of my faves and I’ll be doing this with Easy-as-Pie and running a closed private group challenge for everyone who buys the eBook to help them sell more. Yep, one more reason for you to snag it tomorrow 😉

But you can do a challenge before you launch the eBook as well and get folks excited about it!

For instance, if you’re writing an eBook on quick and healthy breakfast recipes, how about a 5-day Eat Better Breakfasts Challenge, sharing either a recipe from your eBook itself or simple tasks to help busy moms make better breakfasts.

22. Acknowledge Readers on Social Media

Finally, and most importantly, use social media to strengthen your platform and your message, not dilute it.

Can you imagine my delight when Charles Duhigg, author of Power of Habit replied to my tweet sharing his book? Yep, I’m a fan for life now.

 

@content_bistro Thanks Prerna. Happy reading!

— Charles Duhigg (@cduhigg) January 12, 2016

Acknowledge, be grateful and stay connected with readers on social media.