If you’re trying to promote an ebook, there are enough things you can do to keep yourself busy for weeks and even months.
That’s what I told my friend, Clarence Jones, when he emailed me this week asking for tips on how to promote his new ebook Computing Shortcuts for PCs. The tips are similar to the ones you may have seen recently in the Oct. 2 blog post titled Tech Tips for Basic Computer Use written by New York Times tech columnist David Pogue.
Clarence, a former award-winning newspaper and TV investigative reporter, said he has sold 50,000 copies of his print book Winning with the News Media–A Self-defense Manual When You’re the Story, with little effort. But when it comes to promoting an ebook, he’s stumped. Most of the ideas below are what I recommended. I came up with a few more of them while writing this post.
Win a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate
Let’s see how many ideas we can come up with on how to promote an ebook. On Dec. 1, I’ll award a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com to the person who comes up with the best idea and explains it in the comments below. (Update: My readers have voted, and Patricia Reszetylo, who suggested the first idea below, wins the gift certificate.)
Here are my ideas.
Use Blogs
—If you aren’t already blogging, start. You can create a blog, for free, in less than 10 minutes at Blogger.com. Blog a tip a day and elaborate on it so you have enough copy to fill the post. Link to the sales page for the book. Blogs pull in traffic like a magnet. Invite comments, just like the NY Times columnist did. That will give you more fodder for future editions. You can use Blogger.com to get a feel for how easy it is to blog, but serious bloggers use a better platform, like WordPress or Typepad. I use WordPress for this blog.
—Set up one or more Google Alerts for relevant keywords (“computer tips”, “keyboard shortcuts”, etc.). Tell Google to email you the “comprehensive” information once a day. Much of what you see will be blog posts. Visit each blog. If the blogger is writing about something that ties into tips in the book, or looks to be a blogger whose readers would like what the book has to offer, leave a comment about the post at the blog. Excerpt five or six tips from the book, name the book and leave the URL for the sales page. See Let Bloggers Create Publicity for You.
—Or, you can email bloggers privately and invite them to review the book.
Create Video
—“You’re a TV guy so you probably have access to somebody who could shoot a quick video of you giving some of the tips from the book,” I said. Videos should be no more than two and a half minutes. Upload the video(s) to YouTube and some of the other video-sharing sites. Be sure to use the URL in the video. And tag the videos with relevant keywords—the same keywords people would type into Google when searching for information. YouTube lets you upload the video and insert the URL into the video without having to use video-editing software. Videos will bring a TON of traffic to the sales page. If you don’t have access to anybody who can shoot video, guy a Flip Video camera at Wal-Mart or Best Buy for $150 and have somebody else shoot it. The camera is so simple, a 6-year-old can do it. You can learn more about it here.
Offer Tips to Promote Your Expertise
—Identify target markets that would love this book. Senior citizens, for example, certainly would. Research ezines that are written for senior citizens. New-List is a directory that includes informatin on more than 8,900 electronic newsletters. To find more directories, do a search for “ezine directories”. Track down the editor of each ezine and offer a list of 10 computer tips from your book, for use in their ezine, along with a link to the sales page for the book. They will probably love the offer because coming up with content on a regular basis is a hassle. Work-at-home moms probably would also love the book. I know that that’s a pretty big niche and lots of them are online.
—Write a 500-word article on computer tips excerpted from your book and post it to EzineArticles.com, the granddaddy of article directory sites. Include the URL for the sales page in the author resource box. You could probably come up with about five or six different articles because your book is divided into sections.
—Write tip sheets or tips lists (“9 keyboard shortcuts that will make your life easier”) and submit them to national magazines. Submit to a specific columnist or department. Don’t just do a blast and hope it lands on the right desk. Identify 20 or 30 magazines that are the best targets for this. Certainly senior citizen magazines including AARP, although that magazine is difficult to get into.
—Write a direct-to-consumer press release about the ebook and pay $80 to have it distributed through PRWeb. Make sure relevant keywords are in the front of the headline, the first paragraph and high in the copy. Don’t use free press release distribution services. They don’t “distribute” anything. Learn more about how to write and distribute press releases using my free email tutorial 89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.
—Subscribe to Help a Reporter Out, a free leads service by PR guy Peter Shankman. You’ll get dozens of leads each day from journalists working on real stories and seeking sources. You might be a good source for some of their techie stories.
—Or, if you’d rather not have to sift through dozens and dozens of leads per day, subscribe to Dan Janal’s PRLeads service. It includes targeted queries from journalists who are looking for sources with your expertise, and a complimentary 15-minute coaching session with Dan will help you understand how to reply to queries and get the most out of the service. You’ll also get expert advice and feedback on your sample responses to reporters.
Use Social Networking Sites
—Start Twittering. Download the free Twitter Handbook and you’ll learn everything you need to know about this fabulous form of micro-blogging.
—You can do a search at the Twitter site for “computer tips” or “keyboard shortcuts” and then follow those people who are Twittering about those keyword phrases. You can contact them privately and ask them to review your book and tweet about it. Many of these people have huge followings. I know lots of people on Twitter tweeted about David Pogue’s blog post on computer tips. You can track down all those people and I’ll bet all would be willing to tweet about your ebook, particularly if you offered it to them for free and asked them to review it for you.
—Set up a Facebook profile and start gathering Facebook friends. Consider setting up your own “computer tips” group on Facebook. See How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business or Nonprofit.
—Create a profile at LinkedIn and answer questions related to computers and computer shortcuts. This promotes you as an expert. See Use LinkedIn to Promote These 7 Ways.
Miscellaneous Tips
—Submit a “Help This Hound” request to me and I can put your question in my newsletter. Lots of my Hounds will reply with their own ideas.
—TheWriteMarket.com lists 10 more places to promote your ebook. I found that list simply by doing a search for “how to promote an ebook.” Google returned lots more that I’m not listing here simply because you can perform the same search yourself.
—Write a 1- or 2-line blurb about the book, with a link to the sales page, in your email signature.
I also told Clarence that within the ebook, he should promote his business. He and his wife, Ellen, an award-winning TV reporters, are media consultants, crisis counselors and on-camera coaches. They travel the U.S. presenting workshops on media relations and teaching the strategies discussed in Winning with the News Media.
Regardless of the topic of your ebook, you can use many of the tips mentioned here to promote it. By the way, if you’re looking for a great book on how to win with the news media, read Clarence’s book. I and several other people wrote glowing reviews at Amazon.com.
OK, Publicity Hounds, what other ways cna you promote an ebook? Comment here and compete to win the $50 Amazon.com gift certificate.
Great topic as e-books are great tools for resell and to market other products. In addition to the suggestions above I would add forming strategic alliances with compainies who sell products or services that your ebook’s content would compliment.
For example, if your book discusses marketing strategy sell through your local SBA affiliate, networking groups, your local chamber, a popular CPA, etc. All have websites and might see your book as a tool to sweeten the pot for new member registration, prodouct/service sales, etc.
I hope this is helpful.
John Easton
http://www.customerflypaper.com
I’ve used teleseminars with great success. I did an interview with an expert, invited his list (he had a discussion list) and at the end of the Q&A, invited them to visit a “Thank You” page that had some fun stuff on it, and a super soft sell for the ebook. It also linked to the sales page.
I often made several sales each time I did calls of this nature. Hmm.. Maybe that’s what I’ve been forgetting to do…
Publish a trivia question in your e-letter and award a free e-book as the prize to anyone who emails you the correct answer. This creates interest among readers who don’t answer the trivia question. Also publish a “teaser” in the e-letter as well directing readers to an e-book page.
I have given away excerpts from my book, The Frugal Editor. It is available as paperback and at Kindle. The Frugal Book Promoter as paperback and a plain old downlaodable pdf. Mostly I target the editors of newsletters, mostly authors in their own right. It is a grass roots approach. The articles have appeared–complete with byline, tagline and a mention of where the excerpt came from–in newsletters as small as 50 subscribers and as large as many thousands. No reason to discriminate. Sometimes those with a small readership have more loyal readership.
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItSeries of books for writers
Most people don’t think of Amazon Shorts as e-books but they are. Sort of mini e-books. Unfortunately Amazon discontinued this program but they are working on a substitute. Google will soon be doing something similar with a BookSearch program, too.
I knew the power of Amazon when I Published “The Great First Impression Book Proposal” with them but now I’m a true believer. They can reach an unbelievablly accurate audience for your subject using algorhithms.
Until we have a true substitute for Amazon Shorts, use the “friends” feature to let people know about new books, booklets of whatever. Keep it growing all the time. BTW, when you use this feature it appears that Amazon can pick up people who have purchased your other books from the recesses of their records (including those who have reviewed your books!) and send to them, too!
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Blogging for authors at http://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com, a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Website.
Promote an eBook Tip: How about narrowing down a few joint ventures? Think who can benefit from what you offer while expanding your reach to a bigger audience. Here’s a likely scenario. An author wants to conduct a 24-hour sale of their published book. They offer bonuses to entice customers to purchase within those 24-hours. As their joint venture, you can give away a few chapters of your eBook and offer a discount for full purchase to their audience.
Found the information most helpful. I am about to bring to market a number of information products, with the eBooks as my lead generation mechanism. Thanks for the great ideas.
Think of who needs computing short-cuts for PCs – I would target office employees who spend long hours on PCs and business college students.
I also be a guest blogger on several blogs related to my target audience. A few free giveaways wouldn’t hurt either to pique the interest of the readers and get them commenting (plus then you can track how many people are interested).
Lastly, I’m sure there are conferences it could be promoted at. At the last conference I attended, there was an area just for books.
In my Twitter profile, I mention that I give away a public speaking e-book (one that I offer for sale on my website) free to Twitter followers. In my auto-reply to new followers, I send a link to the e-book. Since I started offering this, about 25% of followers have taken me up on the offer.
http://twitter.com/LisaBraithwaite
Excellent article. One of my best tips has to be through the use of forums. If your ebook is for a particular niche then joining a forum on this niche and answering as many questions as you can and providing helpful information is a great way to promote yourself and your ebook. Your ebook should be included in your signature only and not in any of your posts. If you provide useful information people will trust what you have to say and will more than likely visit your site. You can also offer a discount for all forum members who purchase your book.
Another tip is to create a short Free report on the topic of your ebook and place a link to your ebook in this. If the free report contains valuable information and leaves readers wanting more this alone will sell your ebook.
I’ve just finished writing my first ebook “Designing a Compelling 30-Second Intro.” From that I created a free ecourse called “12 Mistakes to Avoid in Your 30-Second Intro.”
Also, I second Patricia Reszetylo’s suggestion of doing teleclasses. I’m currently offering teleclinics to networking groups where I will help 2-3 participants with their intro.
These are both ways to demonstrate my expertise and promote my product.
Several ideas:
Is your book related to any professional assocations — local, regional, national or international? Offer this e-book as a membership giveaway for a new member and/or a conference teaser.
Offer book as a door prize at your next presentation or other event.
Have other profesisonals purchase at a discount rate to offer as THEIR door prizes or other special event.
Write a free column in a suitable newspaper or other media. Mention the book in the “about the author” tagline at the end of your article.
In preparation of releasing my 13-ebooks in the Adventures in Delicious Dating After 40 series, I invited a dozen other relationship/dating experts to contribute a piece to a compilation eBook. This will be offered as a gift-with-purchase for my and the other’s products. It will then cross promote everyone else as well entice buyers for that first purchase!
I also created a free 50+page ebook of one chapter of each of the 13 books to give as a freebie for those signing up for my elist. They get value, and of course each chapter promotes that book.
Dating Goddess
http://www.DatingGoddess.com
Just thought your readers might be interesting in this: http://ParticleBook.com
It’s basically a nicer way to publish an eBook to the web. You get to pick your own url for the book, like http://mayans.particlebook.com and then you can write to it just as you would write to a blog. Check it out.
That is a great idea to promote an ebook. I think this strategy might usefull for promoting new site or blog.
I,m gonna give it try to promote my new website.
Thanks Joan for the idea.
List of Social Networking
The ebook directory list provide above was missing a resource.
You can also promote your site by adding your book to a new directory that actually takes new submissions: eBookFreeway.com and here is the URL: .
I’ve actually spent the entire day trying to add my eBook to free eBook directories. I actually came across this site in my search. I’ve used some suggestions I’ve found here. Thinking about putting together an Amazon Kindle book too. Might be a good addition to this list.
Well done, Joan, I was looking at lots of tips on promoting an ebook, but yours gave me a great action plan to start with.
I have put all these down, and we are now going to promote our seo ebook so that we can then help our clients with advice on how to take these steps and what issues you need to deal with.
Thanks again, and wish you great success in the blogging world.
There are alot of great ways to promote mentioned here. One thing I would like to add is you must be consistent with you efforts to promote. You can’t just post one time and the forget it if you want major success.
I like your methods listed in this article. I will try to implement it as suggestion. thanks
San Jose DUI Lawyer What a great site! I was looking for ways to add to my blog’s promotion and saw these topics mentioned elsewhere. I do my own blogging so I don’t have to hire someone! Thanks I bookmarked if for all the great links.
We have started a new website to promote our books, and on the site we have book lists where other writers can promote their works. It’s just a small listing, but it’s free. Check it out: http://findagoodbooktoread.yolasite.com/about-us.php
I created a Twitter account — in the name of a character from a novel. She has her own following!
A great way to promote your Kindle Ebook is to have it reviewed at a reputable review site like ReadersFavorite. I eagerly put out an ebook based on the recent Casey Anthony trial. After posting a number of “free” press releases, the reviewer asked to review the book and gave it five stars.
http://readersfavorite.com/review/4671
Carol, this is a great tip. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the great round-up of ideas. All the suggestions are extremely helpful. I just wanted to add one little thing. In case you want to promote a free ebook (or something else free for that matter), you can just contact a few leaders of your niche and just let them know that you have a new free ebook. Since it is mostly likely interesting for their readers, they may publish a quick note in their blog (hopefully with a backlink to your free ebook) or at least they’ll tweet about your ebook. In either case it’ll help you to promote your ebook.
Great tip, Kenneth. Thanks for stopping by. Another idea is to offer the ebook to the very people you mention, to be given away as a “bonus” when they’re selling something, like an online course.
Great tips here. I would also add: submitting book release to free pr sites.
Also, creating page about your book on Facebook then suggesting that friends “like this page” friends or creating event for release of book and inviting them.
Author, When Listening to Diamonds
Perseverance!
Also, using ” like this page” or ” create event” on Facebook and inviting friends. Also, submitting press release for book using free press release sites.
Free press release sites