Q2 Week 1 Marketing: The Promo Plan
I have a 52 week marketing strategy (technically it’s now a 365 day strategy, but I don’t want to scare you away the first week of a new quarter😂) It is just as it sounds; you execute a weekly marketing tactic to get eyes on your backlist of books.
STEP ONE
The first step is to determine which book in your backlist to give the love to for this quarter. I would recommend choosing a book that’s the first book in a series (though I will admit that I’ve been testing out using the second book in a series, which then forces them to buy Book One as well). Make sure your selection has good reviews -plenty and positive. And finally, make sure that it has good read through from Book One to Book Two and on to the end of the series.
STEP TWO
Go to your royalty Dashboard’s whether on KDP or Nook Press or other retailers. Gather what this entire series made over the last month, the last quarter, and the last year. You’ll need this baseline of data to compare your efforts moving forward.
STEP THREE
Now it’s time to put on your investigation hat. If a promo company wants your money, they must first be vetted. Below you’ll find links to lists of Paid Promo companies. Before I book a promotion, I go onto the promo company’s site and see who has been booking them. I’m looking for books in my genre. When I see a company that is spotlighting books in my genre, I might go and check on that book’s ranking on Amazon and wide platforms. Hopefully, the book is below the million mark on Amazon, at least out of the six digits, even better if it’s lower.
Honest moment: I don’t do this investigative sleuthing anymore. I’ve found a number of promo sites that continually work for me and I book those each quarter with a new book from my backlist. After you do this initial work, you’ll be able to rest on your laurels too!
Wait, Ines, can you just give us your list? Nope. Why, girlfriend? Because I have different lists for different pens and different subgenres. I did the work for each one and got different results. So you should do the work for your particular book and have the data for your results to make a decision -not my data from at least a year ago.
STEP FOUR
Book it! I book one promo a week for whatever backlist book I’m spotlighting that quarter.
Whoa! That sounds expensive!
No, not really. There are promos for $20 and lower on the linked list. When I was first starting out, I would book one expensive one like Robin Reads or Ereader News Today and a couple of cheaper ones.
I do recommend you only book one a week during this testing phase. Because you want to see clear results.
So let’s say you spent $20 on Week One. Ideally, you’ll make back $20 PLUS whatever your baseline of sales were for that series PLUS some extra money that’s pure profit.
If you don’t make the money back, or you lose money, then it’s either an issue with the promo company… or it might be an issue with your book. We won’t know immediately. Please aim to commit to one month of promotions to find out.
Schedule a paid newsletter promotion each week for the first book in your chosen series. There's a wealth of newsletter services out there, and here are some resources to find the best fit for your book:
These resources offer a diverse range of options to suit different genres and audiences. By carefully selecting and scheduling these promotions, you can create a consistent buzz around your book, drawing in both new readers and those who might have missed your work the first time around.
Remember, the key to successful book marketing lies in strategic planning and diversity of approach. By focusing on one series per quarter and maintaining a steady stream of promotions, you're not only keeping your backlist alive but also continually expanding your reader base. This approach ensures that both your new releases and cherished older titles receive the attention they deserve.
I plan these quarterly and monthly promotions out in my bullet journal, but I've attached a worksheet for the non-bujo folks on this newsletter. I’m also designing a monthly promo tracker in the Page Turner Journal which I hope to launch for 2026.
Download the Promo Planner here: https://ineswrites.com/PromoPlanner
Thank you!