As noted yesterday, Brian Feinblum wrote a blog post on 22 things book authors should do in 2022 (https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/22-things-authors-should-do-in-2022.html). I thought I'd post his recommendations along with my riff on his ideas. Here are three more of his ideas.
4. Launch a video channel using YouTube, Vimeo, or Rumble. You can syndicate your podcasts as videos to these video channels, or you can create new videos for these channels. Generally, keep your videos short (under 5 minutes), but you can feature Zoom interviews, Skype interviews, Facebook Live interviews, etc., that go an hour or more.
Post your videos regularly, at least once a week. But you will build up a bigger audience if you post videos 5 times a week, Monday through Friday.
Also share your videos on all your social networks, but especially on the one or two social media you are focusing on to target your audience.
5. Guest post often on the blogs of others. Personally, I wouldn’t focus on this as much as I might have once done. But, if you can get invited to write articles for a top magazine website targeted to your audience, definitely do that. Write an article once a week if they allow you to.
Here are a few top magazine websites: Cosmopolitan.com, Elle.com, MarieClaire.com, NyMag.com, Oprah.com, RealSimple.com, Self.com, Vogue.com, WomensHealthMag.com, and WomensWorld.com.
Also write articles for top websites targeted to your audience, sites such as Bustle, Elephant Journal, GirlBoss, HelloGiggles, MamaMia, PopSugar, Romper, SafeMom, SheKnows, and WomenVoicesForChange.
If you want to write for blogs, pick some of the top blogs to solicit opportunities. For example, you can find some of the top food and cooking blogs and websites by following these listings:
25 Food Bloggers We Love (and Their 25 Best Recipes): https://www.themuse.com/advice/25-food-bloggers-we-love-and-their-25-best-recipes
30+ Best Food Blog Examples (2021): https://firstsiteguide.com/best-food-and-cooking-blogs
Top 30+ Food Blogs: https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/top-30-food-blogs
The 50 Best Food & Cooking Blogs: https://detailed.com/food-blogs
Top 100 Food Blogs: https://blog.feedspot.com/food_blogs
106 Best Food Blogs and Bloggers to Follow: https://masterblogging.com/best-food-blogs
108 DIY Bloggers, Food Bloggers, Beauty Bloggers, Garden Bloggers: https://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/diy-bloggers-food-bloggers-beauty-bloggers-garden-bloggers
6. Get interviewed by targeted bloggers and podcasters. Interviews are generally more effective at driving traffic to your website that guest posts or articles. The main reason for this is that in an interview you get to interact with a key influencer in a way that should attract the influencer’s followers to your content. If the followers like how you interact with the person they follow and if they like your presentation, content, and answers, they will seek you out.
If you don’t know who the top influencers are for your target audience, you can search for them via DuckDuckGo or Google. Search for “top travel bloggers” or “top travel websites” or “top business magazine websites” or something similar. That’s what I did for the list of food bloggers in point #5 above.
You can also check out social media sites to search for the top influencers on each social media for your target audience.
Also, of course, each time you are interviewed, ask that person if they could recommend other bloggers, podcasters, or influencers who would be open to interviewing you. When you ask, also share with that person other people you would recommend they interview and/or be interviewed by. Such recommendations are among the most powerful you will find.
7. Add guest posters to your blog. And interview others, especially influencers, for your blog, Zoom sessions, Facebook Lives, and new podcast.
Quite honestly, I have found hosting guest posters on my blog is more work for me than writing original content for my blog. But you might have a different experience.
Certainly, if I wrote cookbooks, I’d want to invite other cookbook authors to share their recipes on my blog, website, podcast, and/or Pinterest boards. And I would definitely want to develop and participate in a number of topic-specific group boards on Pinterest with other people writing about the same topic.
I am definitely happy to interview other authors and marketers who can share insider secrets on what worked for them in marketing their books, courses, products, and services. I love interviewing others (and being interviewed by them as well).
Interviews, as I’ve said before, are one of the most listened to podcast topics. People love listening to great interviews. To interview people, create a great pitch why they should agree to being interviewed and showcased by you.
Once you book them, create a Podcast Prep Sheet to send to people before you interview them so they are prepared to provide you with a great interview. For an example of a Podcast Prep Sheet you can send to the people you will be interviewing, see https://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/wp-content/uploads/Brilliance-Podcast-Prep-Sheet.pdf.
Here’s a new Heroes for Today podcast graphic. How do you like this one?
I would love your feedback on the above graphic. Do you think it works? Do you think it will bring people to my new Heroes for Today podcast?
Thanks for any feedback you want to share.
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22 Book Marketing Actions to Take in 2022