6 Tips to Maximize Media Exposure with Book Publicity

The Best Book Publicists Maximize Media Exposure

In book publicity, it’s tempting to sit back and wait for the campaign to produce results. After all, your book has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and their websites, you’ve been interviewed countless times on radio programs, appeared on TV, podcasts, and even enjoyed some glowing published reviews. You might think it’s time to watch the sales rack up and your book become a best-seller.

But, the reality is that simply getting publicity is no longer sufficient. Record numbers of books are being published every year, the competition for attention is intense, and well, it’s just not like it used to be. The game has changed, and it’s time to change your thinking about book PR and marketing.

With Every Marketing Challenge Comes an Opportunity

This game-change, however, has also opened up new opportunities for authors beyond book sales. Books are now being written and published for various purposes, and the media exposure secured can be the catalyst for success in new and exciting ways. For example, many C-Suite executives today become authors to promote themselves and their businesses.

Therefore, publicity isn’t an end; it’s a beginning; it’s now more of a tool than a process. To maximize the benefit of media exposure in today’s market, you need to use your media exposure. To paraphrase a famous American president, “Ask not what publicity can do for you, but what you can do with your publicity.”

The following are tips to get your mind thinking in a new direction when it comes to your book and publicity; your imagination only limits the possibilities of what you can do.

1.) Repurpose Your Media Coverage Online
 There are many ways to use the Internet to get the most from your book PR campaign, and more opportunities are developed every day.

Website: When you get media coverage, immediately put it on your website. Launch an engaging and exciting media page on which you showcase your coverage. Include audio links to radio interviews and video links for your TV appearances, and list all of the print coverage you’ve received. Creating hyperlinks to archived coverage is essential; virtually all media outlets now have online equivalents or supplements. In most cases, MP3 or similar audio files and videos will already be created for you by the media outlet; you have to link to it.

Social Networking: Announce every interview or article about you or your book to the online world via social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and the scores of other places. You made a radio interview, Tweet about it, and list on all your social networking outlets. If you haven’t already, find the special-interest networking sites; join them, and let them know what you’re doing.

The key thing to keep in mind about the Internet is that what goes on the Internet stays on the Internet. And the more you put on the Internet about your book, the more search engines will find it, the higher your website Google ranking will become, and that beautiful thing known as a “buzz” about your book will begin. Trust me. If you are diligent about using the Internet, a word about your book will spread to more people than you can imagine.

YouTube: YouTube has become a powerful tool to spread word-of-mouth awareness about a person or book.  Add a clip of a TV interview to YouTube, and make sure you include keywords so when people search, they find you. Why not make a short video of yourself describing your book and display the print coverage you received?

These components are vital to maximizing the benefits of an author-publicity campaign.

2.) Use media exposure as a tool to get more exposure.
Contrary to what you might think, media outlets often become interested in an author or book when a producer or editor hears or reads about it from another media outlet. Why do you see authors become buzz-worthy media items heavily requested for interviews? Because once media professionals are no different than anyone else. If they hear about someone interesting, they are going to be interested. Except for hard news, i.e., breaking, explosive stories, media outlets consistently cover the same subjects and people.

 If your local newspaper, for example, writes a story about you, then why not tell a national or much larger regional paper about it? Send them a clipping of the story, show them you’re engaging, and they might want to cover you. If you’re interviewed on a small radio talk show, why not send a BBC producer a link to your interview?

When it comes to TV, most producers of mid to large programs want to see a potential guest on-air before booking an interview. You can use a local TV interview to demonstrate to another producer that you can handle yourself on the air and are an excellent guest. Sending an e-mail link is the most convenient way for a producer to review the video.

3.) Leverage Book PR as Personal (and Business) Publicity

Even with the explosion of self-publishing and more people than ever publishing books, the vast majority of people have not written one. Whether you realize it or not, you’re unique, and people will look at you differently because you’ve written a book. Most importantly, the media coverage you secure makes you more than memorable; it gives you credibility and makes others view you as important. Whether you’ve penned a novel or written a business advice book, you can use that book to enhance your career.

Example #1: You’ve published a novel and have received great media exposure, and you’re in competition at the workplace for the next promotion. Why in the world wouldn’t you let your boss know about the interviews you’ve completed or the print coverage you’ve received? Inevitably, they will be impressed, and in their mind, you’ve become different and separated yourself from others. Your status as an author can only help improve others’ image of you.

Example #2: You’re a business consultant, and published a book displaying your expertise on the subject of your work, and have enjoyed a surprising amount of media coverage. You and another consultant are vying for a lucrative contract with a firm. Along with your other marketing materials, you submit a copy of your book and examples of your press coverage to the person or people who will make the hiring decision. Your competitor has similar credentials but no book and no media “credentials.” Who do you think has a better chance of getting that contract?

When it comes to resumes, when one includes articles written about you and your book, there is no doubt the interviewer will be impressed and put your application at the top of the pile.

4.) Make you and your book more appealing to agents and publishers.

Authors are increasingly going the self-published route first and the traditional publishing route second.  Self-publishing is no longer the ugly stepchild” of the publishing industry, and agents and publishers are taking notice and offering publishing contracts to self-published authors who’ve proven their merits. But simply writing and publishing a book isn’t enough. High sales numbers will undoubtedly open eyes, and media coverage will also do it. The classic query letter to an agent or publisher can be transformed into a magnet for attention if accompanied by press clippings and media coverage highlights. Your odds of getting the attention of an agent or publisher increase substantially if they see that others have already taken an interest in you.

5.) Gain an Advantage for Future Books You Write.

Even the most famous authors rely upon previous media coverage to enhance the appeal of their next book. You can do the same thing. Pull quotes from articles or reviews and put them at the top or bottom of your book cover. Put “As Featured In” if you received coverage in substantial outlets or were interviewed on well-known shows.

The idea is straightforward: If your previous book received acclaim and positive media feedback, your new book must also be good.

One thing to keep in mind: For book covers, it’s best to include quotes or a listing of interviews completed if these are from mid-level to prominent media outlets. Although great publicity for your book, an endorsement from your tiny local newspaper probably won’t mean much to book buyers worldwide.

6.) Show off and have fun.

Too often, authors — and publicists — forget to have fun along the way and after book publicity and book promotion campaign. You worked hard; why not show off and have some fun? From simple things, like framing an article about you in your office to sending copies to friends and family, promotion is all about showing off. It’s hard for some people to draw attention to themselves — it can feel awkward — but you need to shed your fears and tell the world.