Getting your book from your computer to the shelves is a grueling process, for sure. You’ve probably already spent months if not years drafting and revisiting your stories and characters until they’re perfect.

Then you’ve gone through the painstaking publishing process. And finally, your book is getting printed! Hooray. 

But even after all that, the hard work isn’t over yet. 

You’ve still got to market your book to get readers interested.

While your book being published may cause a tsunami of excitement, that will quickly evaporate into nothing but disappointment if no one purchases or reads it. 

And I wouldn’t let all your hard work go to waste like that. Not on my watch. 

That is why, in this article, we’re going to go over how to promote and market your book on Instagram to generate a buzz for your book and help you get one step closer to that coveted bestseller spot. 

Establish A Content Strategy

The first thing you need to do is establish your content strategy. You may already have a strategy for a different social media network…forget about it.

Each social media platform is completely different from the other and so you’ll need to work into the specific advantages of the platform. 

In Instagram’s case, you need to remember that this platform is primarily and predominantly visual. It rewards its users for unique and original content.

When creating your advertisements, you’ll need to conform to this strategy. Lengthy and wordy ads don’t really have a place on Instagram. 

So, let’s take a look at some of the general content you are looking to achieve. 

• Book Cover Art – Before your launch, posting several copies of your cover art will always go down a hit. You can even create polls where audiences can vote on their favorite versions. 
• Screenshots – Showing short screenshots and snippets of the best or your favorite quotes throughout your book works great as teasers that will generate intrigue. 
• Author Events – Post about events that may be taking place. Followers can attend take videos and pictures themselves and ultimately help generate more visibility for your upcoming release. 
• Instagram Stories – Post frequent stories about the process of writing or the book launch for a more personal approach between the author and followers. 

Remember that the content you post will also vary depending on the genre and themes of the book itself. You will want to create a list of goals and aims before you begin the campaign process.

Also, keep in mind the target audience you are trying to reach and what appeals to them. 

Reaching Readers

One of your goals is ultimately to reach new readers and audiences that may not already know about you or your work. Now, this can be quite difficult since your posts are obviously only going to reach those who are already following you. 

Luckily, there are a few ways that you can improve your rank on Instagram Search meaning that you’ll be visible to those you might not initially have reached.

The search bar allows users to use keywords to try and find posts that interest them, and you want to be one of the results that pops up, right? 

Well, then you’ll need to appeal to the algorithm using relevant hashtags, engagement, location tags, and much more. Below are some of the best ways to boost your rank in Instagram Search. 

Interesting Post Ideas

You’re looking to stand out from the crowd. You want your posts to be unique and interesting but they should also earn high amounts of likes and help to promote your book in a less ‘salesy’ way. 

Using stock images of characters with snippets of their dialogue for interesting scenes is always a great option. You’ll want to choose something that will engage the audience but leave them wanting more. 

Anything like this will work well. Make it stand out. Make it engage. And make it leave the audience hungry for more content. 

Hashtags

Knowing how to utilize Instagram’s hashtag (#) system is imperative if you want to skyrocket to the top of search optimization. 

Adding the right hashtag can be the difference between a dud and a viral post so the correct research is vital.

You’ll need to identify the hashtags that are popular and trending. Then you’ll want to create posts that relate well to these hashtags. 

Another good option is to research the hashtags that other authors are using. There’s no shame in learning what’s working and then stealing those tactics for yourself.

Take a look at what authors with similar genres or stories are doing and if it’s working for them, implement it yourself. 

Just be sure not to steal an exclusive hashtag for a particular business or writer. 

Advertise Your Posts 

Instagram and Facebook ads are tied together and allow you to reach your target audiences for specific topics and interests…such as books. 

Advertising should never hinder your reach. It can help you to reach audiences that otherwise might never stumble across your content. They also help to up your engagement levels which will boost your search rank too. Win-win. 

Influencer Marketing

Influencers are popular users on social media platforms that have very large audiences. Teaming up with an influencer to promote your book can work absolute wonders to get your book out to the masses. 

You’ll want to research popular influencers in the book world and reach out to them. You can do this by DMing them or emailing them or their workforce. Typically there are two main ways to make a promotion deal. 

You can either pay the influencer to promote your book or alternatively you can promote something for them in return for promoting your book. 

Keep in mind that you will want to do the correct research on the influencer that you choose. Some influencers may have fake followers to make their following look larger than it actually is.

Obviously, these types of followers won’t convert to engagement or sales and so should be avoided where possible. 

Final Thoughts

The main thing to remember when it comes to promoting your book on Instagram is that it is all about visuals. Your posts need to attract users to like and engage with your content.

This won’t happen with long posts of written words. You want high-quality images with short and snappy captions to go with them. Or something that is very stimulating and engaging such as short snippets of dialogue from your story. 

You will also need to make the most out of Instagram Search. This means creating unique posts, optimizing your hashtags, and using advertisements to reach a wider audience. 

As long as you follow all the tips and tricks mentioned throughout this article, though, you should be on your way to your next viral post. It’s all about engagement.

Get your audience excited and intrigued as to what is to come. Build a relationship with Instagram users and you’ll be surprised just how quickly word will spread. 

Have fun with your campaign and make relatable content that everyone will love.