The First and Most Important Element for a Successful Book Launch

Last week I shared with you the three phases to set up a successful book launch. Let's do a quick recap.

There are essentially three phases: 

1. The Attraction Phase

2. The Promotional Phase

3. The Follow-Up Phase

So let’s jump into the Attraction Phase - specifically, what you should talk about on social media during this time. This phase is the most important because it's what sets you up for a successful launch. You must already have your readers' attention and trust in order to make any impact in promoting your book. 

This is my favorite phase because it’s simply connecting with other people who share similar interests and passions. It’s about taking your author hat off and replacing it with your relationship hat. 

A clearly defined ideal reader is vital to the success of our social media and book marketing. I’m not talking about a general idea - like females between the ages of 20-45 - I’m talking much more detail than that. 

When you know specifics - who they are, what they are interested in, their life experiences, etc. - you are able to create posts that not only attract the right people but also connect them with you in a personable and powerful way. That solid and trusted connection make the Promotional Phase much more powerful and effective. You won’t sound or feel like a used car salesman when you talk about your book. 

So how can you put this into practice? Here are three easy steps: 

1. Think about your ideal reader: the person you want to read your books. Think about who they are, what they’re interested in, their hobbies, etc. Make a list of 5-10 traits.

2. Now make a list of what you’re interested in: your hobbies, what sparks your interest, aspects of your everyday life. Try to include 5-10 ideas.

3. Look at both lists and see what overlaps. What do you both have in common? What are the most powerful things you can connect with them on?

The traits that you have in common are the topics to create posts around on social media. For example, let’s say gardening is something you both have in common. You could take a picture of your herb garden and say, “My poor little herbs are struggling this winter! Anyone else have this problem? What did you do to fix it?” 

Bam! You have a conversation starter to get things rolling around a topic you’re both interested in. 

Or another example might be that you both have young children. You could post, “I just discovered the best way to contain my toddler while I clean the bathroom. Put them in the bathtub and give them dry erase markers. They can draw all over and you just rinse it off. Have you tried this?” 

It doesn’t have anything to do with your book - and that’s the point. When you step outside of your writing world and share posts that your ideal reader can relate to, you create genuine and effective conversations online. 

If you’re struggling with identifying your ideal reader or if you need help digging deeper into the specifics, you’re in luck! Download our free Book Marketing Blueprint to help you get started.

Once readers can get to know the real you and feel like they have a friendship established, they will be all ears when it comes time to talk about your book. 

I want to challenge you to put this into practice this week. Make sure to add some hashtags, and watch your engagement go through the roof! 

Stay tuned because next week we are going to discuss the second phase: The Promotional Phase! You don't want to miss that one. 

In the meantime, let me know in the comments below what your conversation starters are. What topics and interests do you share with your ideal reader? I’d love to hear!