Revive Your Book Sales Part 8: The Power of Promoting with Interviews

06/16/23 • 22 min

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

A real-world example of the difference interviews can make for your book sales
The key to effectively promoting with interviews
Why your “sales problem” may actually be a connection problem — and what to do about it
What it really means to build authority as an expert
How to establish trust with your audience
Tips for a successful interview

The Power of Interviews: Tracy’s Story

Tracy had a dream to publish her own book. She poured her heart and soul into the pages, but she wasn't sure how to get it out in front of more readers. Finally, however, after weeks of research and networking, Tracy was able to land an interview on a popular podcast that catered to her niche.

During the interview, Tracy talked about why she wrote her book and shared valuable insights with the listeners. She explained how each chapter was inspired by a personal experience and revealed some key plot points without giving away too much of the story.

At the end of the interview, Tracy also took time to explain where people could find out more information about her and her book and purchase it if they wanted to read it for themselves. She was thrilled when she saw that sales had picked up and that her audience had grown on all of her social media platforms — all from one interview!

Though she’d never considered it before, Tracy quickly realized how effective promoting with interviews can be for getting her story in front of new readers. From then on, she made sure to take advantage of every opportunity for an interview so more people could discover what her book was all about.

So what can you take away from Tracy’s story? First, if you are a Christian author who wants to reach a specific audience, but you're struggling to sell your book, you are not alone. And second, there is a solution that you may not have considered: promoting with interviews.

So let’s use Tracy’s experience as a guide to explore how interviews can help you sell more books. That way you can do what Tracy did and get your book in front of more readers.

The Key to Effectively Promoting with Interviews

Interviews are powerful marketing tools. Whether they’re podcasts, blog features, or radio shows, promoting with interviews allows you to share your story and connect with potential readers on a personal level.

Tracy's experience is a prime example of this. After her interview, sales of her book increased significantly. That's because readers felt more connected to Tracy and her story, making them more likely to purchase her book.

You see, as humans, we typically make decisions based on emotion, not just facts. So when you have an interview, it allows you to make that emotional connection with your reader and get them to a place where they really connect with you. That's what it's all about — connecting with your audience on a deeper level.

Consider this: you may not have a sales problem at all. Rather, you have a connection problem.

But by sharing your story, experiences, and insights with your listeners, you're giving them a glimpse into who you are as an author and the mission God has called you to. This creates a stronger bond between you and your audience, and makes them more likely to want to read your book.

Plus, by promoting with interviews, you have the potential to reach a much wider audience than you would through other marketing strategies. For example, if you have an interview on a popular podcast, you could potentially reach thousands of new readers from one appearance.

Just think about that. Dedicating 30-45 minutes of your time could put you in front of thousands of people! There aren’t a lot of places where you can accomplish that. If you go to a book fair, for example, or a bookstore book signing with a really good showing, you might be in front of hundreds of people. But there’s a huge difference between hundreds and thousands of people.

Plus, this kind of interview is evergreen. That means every time someone discovers the podcast, there’s potential for them to discover you. It’s not just a one-time event like a book signing.

The True Meaning of Authority & Expertise

When you're interviewed as an expert in your niche, it can also help build your authority and credibility with your audience. But let’s talk about that word authority for a minute, because as believers, we can get into a space where we have a negative association with that kind of word.

But the kind of authority we’re talking about here isn’t about putting other people down and putting yourself on a pedestal. It simply means that this is an area God has called you to, and you have something powerful to say about it.

Having authority means that what you bring to the table is going to make a difference in someone’s life. That the words you p...

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

A real-world example of the difference interviews can make for your book sales
The key to effectively promoting with interviews
Why your “sales problem” may actually be a connection problem — and what to do about it
What it really means to build authority as an expert
How to establish trust with your audience
Tips for a successful interview

The Power of Interviews: Tracy’s Story

So let’s use Tracy’s experience as a guide to explore how interviews can help you sell more books. That way you can do what Tracy did and get your book in front of more readers.

The Key to Effectively Promoting with Interviews

Consider this: you may not have a sales problem at all. Rather, you have a connection problem.

Plus, this kind of interview is evergreen. That means every time someone discovers the podcast, there’s potential for them to discover you. It’s not just a one-time event like a book signing.

The True Meaning of Authority & Expertise

Having authority means that what you bring to the table is going to make a difference in someone’s life. That the words you p...

Previous Episode

Revive Your Book Sales Part 7: 5 Steps to Optimize Your Amazon Book Categories

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

How Amazon book categories work — and why they matter
What to do before you choose your book’s categories
How to choose the right categories for your book
When not to invest in advertisements

Introduction to Amazon Book Categories

Before we get into optimizing your book’s categories, it’s essential to know how Amazon book categories work. Essentially, each book on Amazon is assigned one primary category and up to 10 secondary categories.

Keep in mind that Amazon has a list of more than 16,000 categories — so it's essential that you choose with care. The key is to select categories that are relevant to your book's topic and that target the right reader. This means choosing categories that are broad enough to fit your book and niche enough to get your book noticed by potential readers.

Ready to get started optimizing your Amazon book categories? Here are the five steps you should take.

1. Research

To improve your Amazon book categories, you’ve got to understand your reader and what they’re looking for — and that means doing a little research. Look into the categories that similar books to yours are listed under, and also check to see what categories are most popular. This will help you find the categories that are best suited for your book.

Once you have an idea of the categories that fit your book, do a quick search to see what books come up under those categories. This will give you insight into the competition that you're up against.

2. Choose Your Categories

Now that you have some information on your market and competition, it's time to choose your Amazon book categories wisely. In a nutshell, you want to pick categories that are relevant and not as competitive.

If you choose categories that are too broad, you'll get lost in the sea of competition. But if you choose categories that are too specific, you won't get enough visibility. So try to aim for a mid-level category that has high demand but isn’t too competitive.

Another important point here is that it's best to choose categories that accurately reflect your book's content. Don't try to force your book into a category that doesn't fit just because it has less traffic and you'll have a better chance of hitting the bestseller list. Amazon may eventually remove your book from that category if it doesn't fit the criteria.

3. Evaluate the Categories

After choosing a few categories that fit your book, it's time to evaluate them. You need to optimize your Amazon book categories so your book can rate higher and be more visible to potential readers.

You can do this by using relevant keywords in your book's title, subtitle, and description. These keywords help Amazon's algorithm place your book in the right category and improve its visibility.

4. Monitor

Once you've done the work to choose the best categories and keywords for your book, make sure to monitor your book sales, rankings, and reviews. This will help you see which Amazon book categories are working and which aren't.

If you're not getting the results you expected, don't be afraid to adjust your categories and your keywords until you get the desired outcome. Selling books is often an iterative process — you'll need to start with one strategy, and then tweak it based on the results you get so you can improve your rankings.

5. Leverage Amazon Advertising

If you want to get an extra boost for your book’s visibility, leveraging Amazon advertising can be a great way to do it. Amazon offers a few advertising options that can help you market your book to potential readers.

With Amazon ads, you can target specific categories, keywords, or even readers who have already shown interest in your book or in another book that’s similar to yours. This can help you improve your sales and visibility in the long run.

But a huge word of caution here: Don't get ahead of yourself. Only take this step of leveraging Amazon advertising after you've taken the steps listed above. If you don't start by choosing and optimizing your Amazon book categories and keywords, investing in ads will be a waste of money — and you won't see a return on your investment.

So don't just throw your money out the window! Improving your categories on Amazon is a crucial step to getting more book sales as a Christian author. Researching your market, choosing relevant categories, optimizing your categories, and then moderating your book’s performance will help you stay ahead of the curve. Then, once you've taken all of those other steps, consider leveraging Amazon advertising to give you that extra boost.

Once you’ve completed all five steps, you'll be well on your way to selling more books and gaining more new readers.

Get Your Book to #1 on Amazon...

Next Episode

Revive Your Book Sales Part 9: 4 Benefits of Consistent Promotion

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

How easy it is for people to forget your book exists — and how to prevent it
How consistent promotion continues to bring in new readers
Why you must be committed to your message — and how to demonstrate your commitment
How to get more word-of-mouth marketing
Free training on keeping your book at #1 on Amazon

Consistent promotion can seem a little daunting at first. You might be afraid that people will get tired of your promotion efforts, or you might believe that it simply isn’t necessary to keep promoting your book for such a long time. But neither of those things are true.

So if you’re still on the fence, here are four reasons consistent promotion is the key to more book sales.

It Keeps Your Book in the Minds of Readers

When it comes to books, out of sight is out of mind. One post on social media or an interview that you did two months ago may not be enough to keep your book in the forefront of your readers’ minds.

Instead, staying in your readers’ thoughts requires consistent promotion of your book through various channels such as social media, email lists, advertising, interviews, and so on. You've got to be looking for different ways to constantly remind your readers to purchase or recommend your book to their friends and family.

It Increases Your Online Presence & Builds Long-Term Success

The more you promote your book, the more people are likely to stumble upon it. Running Amazon or BookBub ads that specifically target your desired audience can increase your entire online presence and bring in new readers that may never have heard of your book before. Continually guest blogging on popular online platforms can also direct more traffic to your website, increasing your exposure and credibility as a writer.

Plus, consistent promotion creates a constant flow of readership, reviews, and sales. The more reviews and sales you accumulate, the better your book will rank on online bookstores like Amazon — and a higher ranking can lead to even more purchases, reviews, and ultimately more success as an author.

It Shows Your Dedication to Your Work

Listen, you can't say that God called you to do something — to share His message with the world — and then give up when it gets hard. That's just not an acceptable outcome. Why? Because if God truly gave you the message, then you are a steward of that message. That means you have an obligation — that’s right, an obligation! — to make sure that message gets to the intended audience. Consistent promotion is your responsibility.

Remember the Parable of the Talents? (If you need a refresher, it’s found in Matthew 25:14-30.) The end message of that story is that we are held accountable for what God gives us. Eventually, we will be asked to give an account, to answer for the message God has given us.

So how committed are you to not just writing the book initially, but also making sure you do everything you can to get that book into the hands of readers?

Of course, the results aren’t in your hands. You can’t make specific results happen. But you are called to be obedient. So, if God gave you your message, and you know He wants you to get it to people, the question is: How obedient are you in consistently doing everything you can to get that message in front of the right people?

Consistent promotion demonstrates your commitment — not just to potential publishers, if you’re going the traditional publishing route, but to potential readers and other authors, too. It shows them that you are committed to your writing and you're willing to put in the effort to get your book noticed.

Here’s the thing. People come and go. They get really excited about what they're doing, and they tell everyone and splash it all over social media. But over time, a lot of that excitement fades. And for many people, not only does the excitement fade, but their commitment also fades.

So one day, they're selling this. And then a couple of months later, they're doing that. And the next year, they're doing this. That doesn't show commitment. If someone is investing in a product or service, they want to invest not just in that product or service, but in a relationship with that person. They want to know that the person will be there for them, to help them use the product or service and get the most out of it. To make sure they’re successful.

So how committed are you? There could be people out there who want what you have to offer in your book, course, and coaching program, but they don't know if you're committed. Consistent promotion — even though you might be thinking of it negatively in your mind — is a way to show your audience that you are committed to showing up for them. This alone can lead to new readers, interviews, collaborations, and other opportunities that can help you grow as an author. <...