All you need to know about Setting Up and Promoting a Book on Instagram

Instagram has over 1 billion users every month. It has become one of the biggest platforms for businesses and artists to promote their product/talent. So, if you’re an author looking to market your book and have already created a Facebook Author Page, then Instagram should be your next target. The primary benefit of Promoting a Book on Instagram is excellent visibility.

Authors can grow their network exponentially through this channel. However, you have to go about it in the right way. Some essential points that you need to keep in mind to get your book on top of the charts. Here we go:

How do I Create a Public Instagram Page?

The first step would be to create an Instagram page dedicated to you, the author, and your work. Creating an Instagram page is not rocket science. However, strategically utilising its potential is a thing only a few know.

What are the essential points to remember while creating an Instagram page?

• Signing up: You can use your author email id or phone number to sign up.

• Business Account: Do not confuse a personal account with a business account. Having a business account is always advisable as it provides you with analytics and reports. Also, a business account enables you to create ads to promote your book.
• Edit Profile: Go to the “Edit Profile” section and edit the necessary details about your page. Some of the information that needs editing is as follows:

• Profile picture: You should choose a professional image for your profile. It should be a photo of you rather than a random image that you have liked. Remember it’s an ‘author’ page.
• Name/Username: You should preferably enter your full name for easier recognition. As for the username, you can choose a name that best represents you. It could be a shortened version of your name, such as @G_Kalra, @Prakriti_K, etc.
• Website: Provide a link to your website, if any.
• Bio: This is an important detail as it tells visitors a lot about you and your page. You have to express yourself in not more than 150 characters. So write wisely. Include relevant hashtags.
• Category: There are numerous categories available for the page. The category name will appear below your name in your profile. Go to “Edit Profile” and select the “Category” option. You will get a list of categories to choose from. Select “Author”.
• Contact: You need to fill in your author email ID. This is an essential detail because people might want to reach out to you for collaborations etc.

• Link Facebook Page: There is an option to link your account to your Facebook Page. You can choose to link it through that page by going to the “Settings” tab in your account. There’s an option “Connect to Facebook” which you can use to link both the platforms.

What social media strategies can I use to develop content for an Instagram Page?

Once you’re done creating the page, you can now focus on strategising your content/promoting your book on Instagram. A carefully planned content strategy will take you a long way. You might be wondering what to post, and when. The content ideas you can use before your book release are:

• Quotes/Excerpts: There is a need to build anticipation for your new release amongst readers. It is therefore okay to share snippets from your book from time to time. It could be an excerpt or a short quote from the book.

• Request to vote: If you’re deciding which cover to use for your book. The best way to determine which one to choose is by asking your followers. Not only will it help you get an idea of what people like, but it will also let readers know that you care about their opinion. This will help build their trust.

• Pre-release offers: You can post a contest and ask your followers to participate and win a free copy of your book or a discount on your book. E.g., “First ten signed copies giveaway content”, etc.

• Launch events: Share news about book launch events in whichever cities you choose to organise it, and ask people to attend the same. They will be excited to meet you in person and get copies signed by you.

After you have launched your book, you can start posting regularly. Decide on the number of posts per week and stick to it. Remember, consistency is essential for success. In terms of the type of posts you should share, here are some ideas:

• Share News/Interviews: If any news channel has covered you, or if you’ve given interviews, post the video/screenshot of that piece. You can post it in your story, or as a post.

• Share mentions/Tags: If you’ve been tagged by someone in a post or a story related to your book, you can repost it, or add it to your own story to let your audience know that you’re being loved!

• Quotes/Excerpts: Sharing quotes and excerpts work well both before and after the launch; repeat this activity frequently. It is an excellent way for readers to ‘taste test’ the book.

• Giveaways/Contests: This is an exciting way to grab the attention of readers because readers get something in return for liking your post, commenting, or performing a given task that indirectly benefits you. Giveaways can be in the form of a free copy of your book, a goodie, or a discount code that they could apply on checkout while buying your book.

• Reviews: If you have received good feedback/reviews about your book on platforms like Amazon or Goodreads, take a screenshot of that feedback and post it on your page so that other people who like your page can read them and be driven to buy the book.

• Instagram Live Sessions: Interacting with readers in real-time is one of the best ways to build deeper connections with your readers and promote a book on Instagram. Now and then, conduct Instagram live sessions and talk about topics relevant to the theme of your book.

• Pre-recorded content:  If you do not want to go live, you can record your video in advance, edit it as per your need and then post it on your page. This is another wonderful way to connect with readers on a personal level.

How can I promote my book on Instagram to new readers?

Building the right amount of audience base on Instagram is important in promoting a book on Instagram. Initially, there may not be many people who follow your page; it could just be your friends and family members, or friends of friends. Some of them might not even be that much into reading. Hence, your purpose gets lost here. Therefore, it becomes imperative to attract new readers and followers.

Here are some interesting ways in which you can attract people to your page:

• Use relevant hashtags: Instagram hashtags help you sort and filter content. The maximum number of hashtags one can use in a post is 30. However, it is not advisable to use all the 30 hashtags for a post; only the relevant ones will do. You can use the Instagram search function by typing keywords pertinent to your post and select the Tags tab. You will see a range of hashtags. Select relevant tags that are not overly popular. Alternatively, you can use the hashtags that the influencers in your industry use. Notice their posts to ensure that the hashtags are not specific to their brand.

• Use Tags: When you post something, you can tag relevant accounts(famous/public accounts) on your post by using the “Tag people” option. This will help spread the word amongst people with similar interests and when they get a notification about the tag, they will probably notice the post and may want to explore your page and also follow it.
• Create an aesthetic pattern: Instagram is majorly about aesthetics. So, while you post, keep in mind a pattern for your posts. You can choose a specific colour palette for all your post and consistently use that palette. Or, you can select a particular pattern for every type of your post. You may have noticed that Instagram allows three pictures per line. You can decide on the kind of post for the first, second and third line and follow it throughout. Making your profile look aesthetically pleasing is very important to attract followers. Haphazard postings ruin the aesthetics, so do not ever post haphazardly.

• Create Ads:

Instagram and Facebook advertisements are tied together. Instagram lets you create an ad if you have an associated Facebook page. You can run ads on Instagram for your posts by deciding your target audience based on their interest, location and age group. Your ad will reach all those that you have targeted, and they will be prompted to visit any of these:

• Your profile
• Your website
• Your Direct Messages

Advertisements help your post appear in the organic Instagram search results, thus assisting people to reach you easily.

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing has been a buzzword in the Instagram market for a while now. If you’re wondering who are the influencers, or what is influencer marketing, we’ve got you covered.

Influencers are the people who have the power to influence the decisions of their followers. They can influence people to purchase something that they have been endorsing in their posts. People get influenced by them because they have that kind of authority, knowledge, or position.

Influencer Marketing is a marketing strategy that businesses or artists use by collaborating with the Influencers to promote and market their products or services. Influencer marketing acts as a catalyst to improve the recognition of your brand or product.

What are the ways in which I can use Influencers to help me promote my book on Instagram?

1. Make a list of all the influencers that you think might be apt for promoting your book on Instagram. Usually, for a book, a book blogger is the most appropriate influencer that you can reach out to.
2. Use the DM (Direct Messaging) feature on Instagram to reach out to them. Alternatively, you can also reach them out on the email that they have provided.
3. If the influencers are interested in promoting your book on Instagram, they will probably provide you with their charges list for every type of promotion. Promotions through their pages could be in the form of:
4. A story
5. A post
6. A video
7. A Reel

         You can choose the best-suited option out of these and pay charges accordingly.

Influencers might also ask for a copy of your book, or they could include the book charges in their total compensation amount. Whichever way, you need to bear the cost of the book yourself.

Publishing and marketing are equally crucial for your book. If you market your published book correctly, your book will most likely become a bestseller in no time! I hope these strategies would help you out in chalking out a proper plan to market your book.

All the best-promoting your book!

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