Publicity Tip #100 ~
You may or may not have started building your author mailing list; regardless, if you’re not sure of what you’re doing or how to expand your meager beginnings perhaps these tips will be of help.
Previously I spoke of how you can get FREE content working for you by changing your website’s landing page to offer a promotion prompting curious readers to give you their email in exchange for goods (your free content).
Today I’d like to touch on a few other things you can be doing that will help invite new readers to contact you.
Jase Digital Media (Creative Commons)
Webinars
Social Media
Current Mailing List
WEBINARS
Not everyone has a personal video camera or web-cam and not everyone is interested in utilizing Youtube as a culling device. However, if you have the time, the patience, and the desire to push yourself into new territory then making a short “How To” video (or a series of them) and posting it for free with a link-back to your website for access to the rest of the series or different free content on the same or a similar topic (a small non-fiction e-book you’ve written) will earn you 1 chance at getting someone new on your mailing list. Add any new emails from people who linked in to your promotions on your mailing list.
SOCIAL MEDIA
This is an old, worn out option – right? Not necessarily. If you follow bloggers who are interested in the subject you write about or focus on your genre and you take the time to engage them and their other followers in conversation then people will start to take notice of you. They’ll check you out online, find that promotion you’re running (could even be a Goodreads Giveaway) and you now have a chance to add their email address to your mailing list.
CURRENT MAILING LIST
Don’t have one? Sure you do. We all start with our friends and family (but not Uncle Harold – we all know he’s a stick in the mud and will do nothing but complain about you spamming him even though you’re not), our ‘home’ mailing list of people we intend to keep in regular contact with. Then, there are work and writing colleagues… add them to your growing list too. Don’t feel bad. Don’t feel ashamed. Don’t second-guess yourself. We all have to start somewhere. Then, in your next official Author Newsletter, be sure to thank them for all of their support and ask them to spread the word about your most recent free promotion to anyone they think might enjoy what you have to offer. It’s their referrals and the eventual referrals’, referrals that build your list.
!WARNING!
No matter which email newsletter/mailing list service you decide to go with (some want you to pay but many reputable ones are free) you need to include an “Unsubscribe” option either in the body of your letter or as part of the fine-print at the end. It’s the law. It’s what keeps you from being a spammer. It’s what will lose you many of those first email address on your list BUT it’s also what will help you keep other addresses – people don’t like to be cornered and knowing they can disconnect at any time will make them consider hanging out with you that much longer.
Keep giving your followers what they want and you’ll continue to build your list one or two names at a time 😉 Before you know it, you’ll have over 100 and then over 1000 names with active email address for people interested in wanting to know about your writing. And that’s when you offer ‘limited time’ options for free content to the first ‘so many’ people interested… and the rest will have to buy it instead 😉 It’s a long-term marketing plan that will help you sell books when all is said and done.
Good luck!
If you love reading sci-fi and fantasy click HERE to check out my author website and received a free e-book 🙂
Categories: Publicity
infinite-pathways.org 
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