Deciding Where to Advertise to

Reach Your Target Audience

Before launching an advertising campaign for your book, determine exactly

who the target audience is for your book, and then figure out the best adver-

tising vehicles to potentially use to reach that audience. To successfully make

this determination, you need to understand the daily habits of your audience,

know what media they’re exposed to, and then determine how you can best

spend your advertising dollars to reach those people using the appropriate

forms of media.

There is no such thing as an all-in-one solution for creating an advertising

campaign or even a single effective ad. Every situation is different, based on

the type of book you’re trying to sell, the audience you’re trying to reach,

your budget, the geographic area(s) you’re planning to target, and your time

frame. If you choose to use paid advertising, focus on what you’re trying to

accomplish, and then research the best ways to achieve those objectives.

In the following sections, I discuss different media outlets that carry paid

advertising. I also show you how to match outlets to your target readers,

obtain advertising kits from outlets, and draw up an advertising budget.

Here are a couple of tips to help you start working:

-

 Find a successful book or product similar to what you’re offering and

determine exactly what was done to make it successful in terms of

advertising. Discover what’s worked in the past without trying to re-

invent the wheel.

-

 One way to capitalize on free publicity and maximize the impact of your

advertising dollars is to run ads with the media outlet(s) that give your

book free coverage in the form of a review, article, interview, or profile.

This helps ensure that the people interested in the article about your

book know exactly how and where to purchase it. For example, when a

media outlet interested in reviewing your book approaches you, call the

media outlet’s advertising department and look into advertising in that

same issue or on that same show

Posts les plus consultés de ce blog

 Your outfit Feeling stumped about what to wear? Try the following tips: -  Choose a stylish outfit, keeping in mind the image you’re trying to convey. For example, dress more formally for a business or news-oriented show and casually for an upbeat morning show. Overall, try to dress along the same lines as the host(s). -  Make sure that everything fits you perfectly and is wrinkle-free and looks good on you — not just the mannequin in the store. -  Pay attention to colors and patterns. Never wear busy patterns or solid white on television. Your objective is to look good, not to make a fashion statement like those celebrities waltzing down the red carpet at an awards show. If necessary, think about what Joan Rivers would say about your outfit if she were to see you on TV and rate your outfit like she does with celebrities. Would you make her best or worst dressed list? If you’re having trouble deciding on an outfit, read a few current issues of fashion magazines and ...
Lire la suite
 Developing sound bites Most television and radio interviews last only three to five minutes. You need to convey a lot of information, without speaking too quickly. The best way to do this is to speak in what the media industry calls sound bites. For every question, provide a comprehensive answer that lasts between 5 and 15 sec- onds (that’s fewer than 50 words). By anticipating what questions you may be asked (see the previous section) and knowing your subject matter well, you can write answers out ahead of time that communicate the necessary information but that are very concise. Answering a question in a sound bite means using as few words as possible. In other words, don’t babble or ramble on. Answer the question, get your key point across, and wait for the next question. Don’t go off on tangents. Discovering how to speak in sound bites ensures that you can answer the maximum number of interview questions in the time allotted, giving you greater opportunity to promote yourself ...
Lire la suite
 Examining different publishing deals Just as there are thousands of publishers, as well as imprints and subsidiaries within those publishers, there are many types of publishing deals that can be structured. If you’re working with a literary agent, he can help you evaluate and negotiate the best deal possible. The four most common scenarios are -  The publisher pays a one-time, flat fee for the manuscript and becomes the sole copyright owner of the material. You provide the manuscript on a work-for-hire basis. -  The publisher pays a licensing fee to print copies of your self-published book. -  The publisher pays an advance, plus royalties on all copies of the book sold. This means you’d receive money upfront and ongoing royalty payments based on sales of your book. The advance is usually fully recoupable from future sales. (When you receive an advance, that money is deducted from your initial book sales. Think of your advance as a loan against your future income. I...
Lire la suite