How to Create a Review Campaign for Your Book Launch

Author: Book Marketing Tools / Source: bookmarketingtools.com

Let’s be honest for a minute.

Generating reviews can be tough. It’s not always easy asking strangers to help you out, which is why some authors resort to buying five-star Amazon reviews from sites like Fiverr.com. Although gaming the system this way could boost your sales rank and attract new readers, it also taints your success. It makes readers suspicious and damages your credibility. You only have to ask self-published authors like John Locke whose review scandal was compared to the likes of Lance Armstrong’s doping debacle when it eventually hit the headlines—and it did hit the headlines. With the illusion of truth broken, there may be no recovering from the fallout with readers—which just isn’t worth it.

Honest, authentic reviews are the result of connecting with readers and either exceeding or failing their expectations. Contrary to what some authors might believe, however, getting reviews isn’t a waiting game. What you need is a system to ensure you’re predictably and steadily bringing in reviews from the moment you hand out your first advance reader copy (ARC).

So, let’s get to it.

Preparing for a Review Campaign

Before you start hitting people up for reviews, there are a few things you need to do in preparation.

1. Set a timeline for your review campaign. Although you’ll want to create a long-term strategy in the context of your overall book marketing efforts, this timeline needs to be specific to the launch for this particular book. Ideally, you’ll want to start as early as possible and then drive reviews for a few months after launch day (depending on when your launch campaign ends). An early start will allow you to build relationships and contacts so that you’ll obtain the quantity and quality of reviews you need for a successful outcome.

2. Set review goals. Setting milestones can help keep you motivated, but it’s also important to base your goals on your launch campaign objectives. If your goal is to generate 100 4-5 star reviews by a certain date, then you should use this goal to set a realistic pace for the efforts you need to put in for garnering reviews.

3. Prepare your ARCs. With the advent of ebooks, it’s more common now for ARCs to be distributed in digital format. Whether you want to send a print copy or ebook will depend on who you’re sending an ARC to for review. Either way, it should include a disclaimer on the cover stating that it’s an Advance Reader Copy. It should also be marked as an uncorrected proof that’s not for sale and incorporate details such as the number of pages, price, and release date.

Here’s an example:

4. Create a spreadsheet to keep track of your campaign. You’ll want to create columns for the potential reviewer’s name, email address, and website URL. You’ll also want to add columns for the date you sent your review pitch, the person’s answer to your request, the shipping address for those who require printed ARCs, the date you sent the copy, the date the review was published, and the date you sent a thank you note. If you like, you can also include information about your connection to that person (i.e. book blogger, media contact, influencer, family member, friend, street team member, etc.).

Now let’s explore exactly how to get those valuable reviews.

How to Solicit Reviews like a Pro

Although you want to rack up reviews on Amazon, don’t forget that all your distribution platforms need some review love. Depending on your strategy, consider splitting up your campaign tactics to drive reviews to certain platforms. You’ll also want to ensure your book pages on sites like Goodreads garner plenty of attention from reviewers. The key is to keep the flow of reviews consistent.

Here are our top tactics for soliciting reviews in a non-scammy way:

1. Leverage Your Pool of Insiders

Your list of insiders includes family, friends, colleagues, fellow authors you know well, street team members, and anyone else who has expressed their willingness to lend a hand with your book launch or writing career. Go through this list to find people who would consider the exchange of your book for a review mutually beneficial and then create an email to get them on board with reviewing your book.

Here’s a basic email template you can adapt accordingly. Keep in mind that it should be highly personalized—you’re leveraging an existing relationship, not selling to a stranger.

Email Template (Sent 6-8 weeks before launch)

Subject: Can I send you my…

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