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When we talk about influencer marketing, most minds jump right to Instagram and TikTok. However, these aren't the only options when you want to work with an influencer who can help get your book noticed. And, depending on where your audience is, Instagram and TikTok might not even be a good option for you. Other influencers on other platforms can help ensure your book gets in front of the right audience and increases sales.
There's a wide and diverse range of book blogs and online book communities you may not be aware of. Not only are there a growing part of the internet experience, but many of them are very niche-oriented. They cater to specific interests and genres, which makes them ideal places to market your book and get noticed. If you work with influencers in these spaces, you can have a higher chance of getting an interested audience, and targeting the right people for your sales goals.
Consider several different ways to get involved in these spaces, including guest posts by authors, sponsored blog reviews, and collaborations with community moderators. All three of these are good options when you need to get noticed, and they can help you focus on building a larger audience in the space. In short, there's no reason to settle for less when you can have more interest in your book through the right channels.
One of the most important issues to address when you're looking for online book communities and reader blogs is choosing the right combination of audience size and actual engagement. You don't want to pick blogs and other communities based on just the size of their audiences, because that's only one part of the equation. However, choosing a blog with a very small number of readers might not be helpful in that it won't give you enough of an increase in audience size or get you noticed.
YouTube is an excellent place to market your book. BookTube channels have a lot of influence on reader choice and get people focused on new books in their areas of interest. Not only can they find new books in genres they already read, but they can also look for something new in a difference niche that might interest them. With the increasing popularity of BookTube channels, it's important that you work with influencers who understand their way around YouTube properly.
There are options for things like sponsoring video reviews, author interviews, and book discussions with relevant BookTubers. You can do any one of those things, or start exploring all three opportunities. The goal, of course, is to gain readership and audience interest, but that doesn't mean it's the only thing you want to do. You also want to show that your publishing house has a lot to offer, and that readers can find value from authors you represent.
Podcasts are also becoming more popular, and there are so many of them that it's vital to find the right ones. While you'll want to look for options that cater to book lovers, you also want to consider genre-specific choices. It's not enough to just focus on people who like books, when you can narrow that down to an audience that's going to have a much better chance of liking the specific books you're offering to them.
Sponsored book mentions are a great way to get access to a podcast's audience, along with author interviews that will give readers a better understanding of a book that might interest them. Additionally, consider co-hosting book-related podcast episodes with podcasters who are open to that, to really give the audience information they can enjoy. You want them to be able to experience more of what you can offer to them, including a better understanding of the value they'll receive.
Getting comfortable talking with a podcaster can take a little bit of time in some cases, especially if you're nervous or not used to engaging with online audiences. However, it's well worth moving past the nerves and getting involved with influencers in the book podcasting space. You never know who might be listening, and it could be someone who could change the game for your book or author based on the level of readership and following they end up with.
Bookstwitching is a relatively new concept, where streamers discuss and read books live with their audience. A lot of people think of Twitch as a platform that's only for video game streamers, but that's absolutely not the case. It's possible to stream on Twitch with just about anything that could be of interest, and books are a big part of that. When you partner with a Bookstwitcher you can get access to a smaller but very focused audience who's truly interested in what you have to say.
There's the potential for sponsored reading sessions, author interviews, and interactive book discussions with relevant book-focused streamers. This doesn't have the kind of large audience that some other platforms might, especially if you're in a very specific genre, but it can definitely add to the value you get from marketing your book with influencers. The more platforms you use the more people you reach, as long as your audience also uses those platforms.
Goodreads has a massive book-loving community, and it also plays a big role in reader discovery. If you can get involved with people who work on this platform you have the opportunity to work with a larger audience that's also committed to reading the latest and greatest options in the niche they like. Of course, many readers on Goodreads also want to explore something new, which means they select options they might not have looked at before, because an influencer recommended it.
When you work with influencers on Goodreads, you can explore opportunities for author Q&A situations, book giveaways, and partnerships with established book reviewers. That gives you a much larger platform for your work, and can get you noticed by readers who might not have found your publishing house, authors, or books in other ways. It's an excellent way to start building a larger community and engaging with it on a platform that's already well-established for readership.
A lot of people don't realize that Goodreads is much more than just a platform where people can list the books they're reading or have read, and can follow other readers or authors. It's much more than that, and there are influencers on it just like there are on any other platform. When you get in contact with the right influencers you can start building stronger readership numbers and helping your authors and books get noticed in all the right ways for the future.
As with any influencer marketing campaign, it's vital that you make sure to do your research and meet your audience on the platform(s) they utilize most. By doing that, you'll have better access to readers who are actually interested in the genres of books you're offering, and who are also more likely to give a smaller publisher or newer author a chance.
Finding interested readers can sometimes be a challenge, but proper platforms and engagement increase your chances of building your audience. Whether you have a larger publishing house moving into a new niche or a smaller space that's showcasing new authors, the best platforms are the ones that help you increase your audience and grow your readership over time.
