5 SUREFIRE TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF
GROUP LIST-BUILDING PROMOS
Ask any indie out there why she loves self-publishing, and you’ll hear
time and time again: “the community!” It makes the tag of self-publishing kind of ironic, doesn’t it? Because when you really
stop to think about it, our careers live and die by the connections we create.
Of course, your number one community should always be the one you create
with your readers, but we authors also need the bonds we forge with each other.
Whether through a friendly ear, a sage bit of advice, or just a quick
celebration of success, our author friends are most often the ones who keep us
going when we want to lock up our word processors and throw away the key.
Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz about group promos, especially those
surrounding list-building. The benefits are obvious: lower costs, higher reach, and less work for
you personally. But these promos can also be extremely overwhelming especially
the giganto ones. (I should know, the promo I’m co-organizing for January has
over 300 authors—yikes!)
So how can you get the most out of that big group promo? That’s what I’m
here to tell you today.
#1. Be selective. Don’t just sign up for everything under the
sun. Stop, think, make a strategy. Not only do you want to be sure that the
genre focus is appropriate for you and your books, but you also need to
consider how many group promos you are inundating your readers with. If you
join a new promo every week (especially those that require sharing in your
newsletter or on social media), why would your readers ever pay for your books? Giveaways and other
incentives should enhance your marketing efforts, not overwhelm them.
#2. Set clear expectations. What are the goals of that newest group
promo you’re participating in? What will readers be expected to do in exchange
for an entry? What do authors need to do to stay in good standing with the
promo organizer? Not only should you understand the basic aims of the promo
going in, but you also need to adjust your expectations accordingly. If 5
authors decide to band together with lots of heart but no marketing budget,
well… It may not produce the kind of results you write home about to tell your
parents that “see, I really did make something of my life by pursuing writing!”
#3. Diversify. Finding a marketing company you love is
practically like discovering gold in that grimy river down the road. It can be
exciting—real exciting—to finally find someone you trust who also delivers
great results, but… if you keep tapping the same promo well time and time
again, those awesome returns you had the first time are going to taper off.
Yes, even with diminished returns, the best companies can still far outstrip
the others—but, keep in mind, if your promo organizer is hitting the same list
of readers again and again and those readers have the opportunity to sign up
for your same newsletter again and again, you’ll find fewer and fewer readers who
haven’t already accepted your offer. Yup, definitely keep that in mind!
#4. Fine-tune your machine. Some authors don’t like doing large group
promos because it means sharing their new reader lists with all the other
authors in the group. This isn’t something I personally worry about. Why?
Because I know my welcome sequence is dynamite! I’ve worked hard to craft,
hone, test, revise, etc., etc. the first four newsletters new readers receive
when joining my list. I know that my target reader loves the free books I
offer, the fun anecdotes, and the special surprise. It helps me stand out from
what other authors are doing and makes the competition not quite as scary J
#5. Network! Because we authors aren’t in competition
with each other—not really. One of the best things about this job is the
opportunity to collaborate. Use group promos to meet other like-minded authors
in your genre who have similar goals and are at similar stages in their
careers. Who knows? Maybe next time YOU will be the one organizing a promo, and
it will be the best one ever! YAY, you!
Melissa Storm is a mother first, and everything else second. She used to
write under a pseudonym, but finally had the confidence to come out as herself
to the world. Her fiction is highly personal and often based on true stories.
Writing is Melissa’s way of showing her daughter just how beautiful life
can be, when you pay attention to the everyday wonders that surround us. When she’s
not reading, writing, or child-rearing, Melissa spends time relaxing at home in
the company of her four dogs, four parrots, and rescue cat. She never
misses an episode of The Bachelor, because
priorities. 
Connect with her as an author at www.MelStorm.com, a marketer at www.NovelPublicity.com, a web designer and webinar instructor at www.TheAuthorSite.com, an Etsy shop owner at www.TheAlliterates.Etsy.com, and a group promo dynamo at www.LitRing.com.
