You want to be familiar with both the hosts and their platforms when you pitch. Step 3: Start Interacting with Potential Hosts and Audiences Once you’ve identified your target tour stops, start engaging with hosts and their audiences by posting comments, sharing their content, and linking to them on social media. Step 5: Brainstorm Content Ideas Armed with a list of your goals, start writing down a few guest post concepts. I’m the author of [insert your book’s name]. I’m scheduling a virtual book tour from [insert tour start date] to [insert tour end date] and would love to make [insert name of blog, podcast, or social media channel] a “stop” if you’re interested. While I have an idea for a guest post on [insert topic], I’m open to interviews, reader Q&As, social media chats, reviews, giveaways, and more. [Insert name] [Insert contact details] Once the person responds, you can then start working out the finer details of the event with them. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Write social media posts Share all tour stop guest post and interview links Write a promotional blog post for your own blog Write an email to your current list Add tour date information to your author newsletter Create a page on your website with your tour schedule Encourage your street team to participate Get friends and family involved in sharing the content Create fun video content inviting people to join Step 11: Follow Up In addition to thanking your hosts and possibly sending a small gift, follow up by frequently revisiting stops throughout your tour and afterwards to address any reader questions and respond to comments. Were there tactics that worked so well, you should include them in future launches? What do you think is the most important part of planning an online book tour?
Whether you’re launching for the first time or hoping to drum up support for a published book, virtual tours can be incredible for building buzz, encouraging people to share your content, growing your platform, enhancing your reputation, selling books, and much more. Before you reap the rewards, however, you must first plan.
Since book bloggers and podcast hosts will be counting on you to deliver content and show up to interviews during the tour, it’s crucial to be well organized. That means scheduling and preparing content well ahead of time, as well as ensuring your digital assets are up to scratch. You’ll want to start at least 3-4 months ahead of launch day so that you have plenty of time to connect with hosts, create content, and manage the entire process without being rushed.
Besides checking your author website, book sales page, retail product page, and social media accounts, make certain your media kit contains a short and long bio, a high resolution profile photo, a high resolution book cover, a list of potential interview questions, and links to all relevant profiles.
When your assets are in order, begin building your virtual book tour using the following steps:
Step 1: Decide on Tour Length and Dates
Tour lengths are generally two to three weeks long. However, they can be extended or shortened based on your goals, availability, and the length of your book launch campaign. Ideally, you’ll want to pick tour start and ends dates with your launch day in mind. Having content and interviews published on release day will be crucial for generating visibility and buzz at the right time.
Step 2: Research Prospective Hosts
Compile a list of potential tour stops (i.e. book blogs, podcasts, and radio programs) that fit your genre, niche, subject matter, and target audience best. Research the hosts, research their content, and then gather any relevant contact information. If there are any specific or special events (e.g. author spotlights) that could work well for your campaign, be sure to note those down, too. You want to be familiar with both the hosts and their platforms when you pitch. Keep in mind that some will decline your request, so always look for more opportunities than you’ll actually need.
Step 3: Start Interacting with Potential Hosts and Audiences
Once you’ve identified your target tour stops, start engaging with hosts and their audiences by posting comments, sharing their content, and linking to them on social media. Early interaction can help raise your profile, and you’re far more likely to be accepted if you pitch to a warm lead than a cold one. During this time, you’ll also want to start pumping up your own audience so that they’re ready to support you all the way.
Step 4: Outline Your Goals
What do you want to achieve during your book launch? Every blog post, interview, or virtual appearance should tie into those goals and contain a relevant call to action for readers, listeners, and viewers.
Step 5: Brainstorm Content Ideas
Armed with a list of your goals, start writing down a few guest post concepts. It’s important to note that this tactic is not just about promoting your book. You want to provide value, education, and entertainment to both yours and your host’s audiences. The easiest way to brainstorm ideas is to take lessons and story elements from your book and then repackage them for individual tour stops. If you’re a non-fiction author this might include sharing a few key tips from your book. If you’re a fiction author, this might…
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