Blog tours have become a common way for writers to promote their work because they are much cheaper than making bookstore appearances, and can help to reach a wider audience. Both traditionally published and self-published authors can be successful at it. But it isn’t easy. Consider some tips and tricks to make your blog tour a success.
Blog Tour Giveaway Ideas
To generate interest in your blog tour, you should offer some sort of giveaway as incentive to follow the tour throughout. Some give away copies of the book in question, others give away Amazon gift cards. Some even give away Kindles and Nooks. You can also try and give away a library of e-books comprised of e-books donated by authors you know. This helps to promote other authors, but be sure to return the favor.
There are pros and cons to the type of giveaway you’re offering. For example, you should avoid offering copies of the work you’re promoting as the tour followers will have little incentive to buy it. They will only enter the contest. Instead, offer copies of a different book if this isn’t your first book. Kindles can be tricky too because readers may already have a Kindle or an equivalent e-reading device. In that case, you might consider offering the newest and most updated version, so tour followers will have incentive to enter, and to buy your book.
Interact with Readers on Blogs
Be active on your tour, visit the comment section of each tour stop and interact with readers. This will show readers how interested you are in interacting with them. You’ll be more than just the author of a book or someone who has just given an interview or written a guest post. By allowing them to engage you, you will be better able to sell them on your book.
Promote Your Blog Tour Through Social Media
It goes without saying that you must promote your tour. Whether you organized your own tour, or outsourced it to a publicist, you must get the word out. Blog tour companies generally create banners and tour buttons for their clients, so be sure to utilize them. Be sure to take advantage of social media like Facebook and Twitter to let others know. If your book is in a genre, contact writers' organizations for those genres so they can pass the word on to their members.
Once your tour dates are lined up, make sure to take to social media with your banner and tour button, not to mention your planned giveaway. Once the tour starts, carve out some time each day to visit your tour stop and join the discussion in the comments section.
Derek Clendening - I'm a freelance writer and have combined writing with my love of football. I'm very opinionated about football, which you can learn more ...
