The Fundamental Equation for Book Promos

Do you exasperate potential readers with any of the following thirteen no-nos? Remember this equation:

• exasperated readers = fewer sales.

As an admin of several book promotion groups, and also someone who displays ads in those and other groups, I’ve noticed several practices that may annoy prospective readers.

Here are a few of them. Since thirteen is considered an unlucky number by many people, I decided to include thirteen no-nos.

Note: Sample links have an extra space inserted after their double slashes (//) so that they don’t work.

No-No #1. URLs (Links) Buried in a Flood of Hashtags

Can you find the URL in the following promo?

Appropriate hashtags are beneficial — but would-be readers shouldn’t have to hunt for your book’s link. The more you make folks work, the less likely they are to become buyers.

This would be better:

Are all those hashtags necessary? Many social media sites will provide a flyout that shows the popularity of each hashtag as you type. Why include one that nobody uses?

Inserting an arrow or a pointing finger emoji before the link will also improve its visibility. And speaking of link visibility, let’s move on to the next no-no.

No-No #2: Poor Link Visibility

If possible, place your link(s) near the beginning of your posts so that readers don’t have to access see more. Ignore this point if everyone reaches your landing page by clicking on your graphic.

No-No #3: Links That Aren’t Clickable

It takes time to copy and paste. People are busy, and if they have to work to find your book, you risk losing sales. MAKE IT EASY for them.

These links will be clickable:

These won’t:

No-No #4: Links Buried in a Reel or Video

When shoppers can’t find your link … Well, if you paid attention to the previous tips, you know what happens.

No-No #5: Promos Where Nothing Stands Out

If your ads lack paragraphing and emphasis of important words, nothing will catch the eye.

Text modification will make your blurb eye-catching. Try Capitalize My Title for various font frills that should work on most social media.

Sites such as Facebook will allow you to enlarge a font in a group post (not available for personal or business pages) by selecting words and then choosing H1 or H2.

Facebook also provides a few other formatting options for group posts.

No-No #6: Controversial Topics

Steer clear of religion, politics, or any other topic that might alienate readers. A book ad is not where you want to stimulate controversy.

Some venues will allow erotica. Check before you submit erotic books, though.

No-No #7: @Mentions

You’ll irritate people if you use tags such as the following:

• @everyone
• @followers
• @highlight
• @topfans

Many group administrators will ban you because of inclusive tags and empty comments such as “.” on your promos. “And why,” you might ask “do some people add empty comments.?” The reason: They cause a fake elevation in post popularity.

No-No #8: Multiple Ads for the Same Book in a Single Day

This is another practice that can result in disinterest or banishment. Nobody wants to see the same book a dozen times within half a dozen screen-scrolls.

No-No #9: Universal Book Links … Or?

UBLs are loved by many and hated by a few. I prefer a webpage with sales links. However, not everyone has a website. You can create book pages at sites such as Substack and WordPress.

This page provides more information about universal book links.

If you try the UBL route, I recommend Draft2Digital’s service: Books2Read.

No-No #10: QR Codes That Don’t Work

Maybe you haven’t shared a clean graphic, or your QR code is too small. I suggest that your QR be at least 76 x 76 pixels. Some social media sites and blog software will resample images in such a way that they render your code ineffectual. If you can’t point and click with your e-device, neither can would-be readers.

Check first, smile later.

I suggest that you place your QR code high on your book graphic if it’s pulled from an internet page. Sites such as X-Twitter display text that covers the bottom area of promo graphics. Or at least place the code high enough to avoid it being covered.

No-No #11: Pinned Posts That Are Weeks or Months Old

Repost and repin your ad once a week. The frequency isn’t enough to annoy users, but it lets prospective readers and online friends know you’re still active.

Some of your friends will reshare. If you post and pin your book once every five months, shares will be limited to [insert drumroll] … once every five months.

No-No #12: Promos in Ineffectual Facebook Groups

Check the About tab in any group and scroll down to the Activity section to see how active the group is. If it has fewer than 150 posts per month, that equates to fewer than 3 posts per day — probably a waste of your time and effort.

A small percentage of Facebook groups don’t have About tabs, but you can still access the information by typing “about” (without the quotation marks) after the last forward slash of the group’s URL.

For example, if your group’s link ends in:

groups/250223038500218/

edit it to:

groups/250223038500218/about

Give new groups time to establish themselves. If you see the number of members increasing every time you visit, the post frequency should increase as well.

No-No #13: Suspicious Comments on Posts

Watch your comments on other writers’ books. These might look suspicious:

• Your book cover is beautiful.
• How many books have you written?
• Great work. What was your motivation?
• Congratulations on your incredible achievement!
• Are you looking for reviews?
• Good job.
• What inspired you to start writing?

See this page for a humorous look at spammers and their tactics.

Postscript

I find most of the books on my TBR list via book blurbs I see on social media. How about you?