In today’s blog post, we’re diving into an essential topic for authors: the five questions every author should ask when planning their book marketing strategy, plus one big bonus question. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your approach, these questions will help you align your goals, target the right audience, and measure your success effectively.
1. What Do You Want to Do with the Book?
The first question you need to ask yourself is, “What do I want to do with the book?” This question helps you visualize your ideal success and clarifies the purpose of your book. Is it to build credibility for your business? Launch a speaking career? Entertain readers with a thrilling fiction series?
Understanding your end goal and visualizing your ideal future for the book will shape your entire marketing strategy and help you make better decisions along the way.
2. Who Are My Ideal Readers?
Next, you need to identify your ideal readers. Think of this as defining your target market—those people who will connect most deeply with your book. Consider their demographics, interests, and desires. Who are they? What do they care about? What are their fears? How are you helping them?
Understanding your ideal readers will guide everything from your writing style to your marketing tactics, making sure you’re reaching the right people with the right message.
3. Where Should I Publish Content?
Once you know who your readers are, you need to determine where they spend their time online.
“Where should I publish content?” is a crucial question because it helps you identify the platforms where your audience is most active. Whether it’s social media, blogs, podcasts, or email newsletters, choosing the right platforms is key to connecting with your audience effectively.
This process often involves some trial and error, so be prepared to experiment and adjust your strategy as needed.
4. How Will I Measure Success?
Determining how you will measure success is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of your efforts. Ask yourself, “What metrics will I use to measure success?”
This could include page views, click-through rates, video views, engagement (likes, comments), email sign-ups, or any other relevant metric.
Setting clear success criteria helps you track your progress and make data-driven decisions about where to focus your efforts.
5. When Will I Write?
The question of “When will I write?” is about setting priorities and scheduling dedicated time for writing and content creation. Life’s distractions and creative resistance can easily derail your progress, so it’s crucial to treat writing as a non-negotiable commitment.
I recommend the “big rocks” strategy: schedule the most important tasks first and fit everything else around them. By scheduling blocks for dedicated writing time, you are giving yourself permission to write, and setting the expectation for others who might need your time. Whether it’s daily, weekly, or a specific block of time, making time for your writing is essential to make progress.
Bonus: Why Should Anyone Care?
Although this might be the last question on the list, it’s one of the most important: “Why should anyone care?” This question asks you to consider what’s in it for your readers. What problems does your book solve? How does it add value to their lives? Why should they invest their time and money in your work? The market for something to believe in is vast—your job is to clearly articulate why your book matters.
Recap of the 5 Questions:
- What do you want to do with the book?
- Who are your ideal readers?
- Where should you publish content?
- How will you measure success?
- When will you write?
These questions are fundamental, not just at the beginning of your book marketing journey but throughout the process as you refine and grow. By asking these questions regularly, you can stay on track and ensure your efforts are aligned with your ultimate goals.
If you found this post helpful, consider sharing it with fellow authors and subscribing to my newsletter for more tips and insights. Let’s work together to get your book into the hands of the readers who need it most!
Thanks for reading, and happy writing!