marketing ≠ public relations

but knowing how to dip your toes into both does = a good time

We’ve talked so much about how authors need to be everything to everyone. You’re an artist, a writer, a business manager, a marketer, a content creator, an editor, a social media savant, and…a publicist. I think we often confuse marketing with PR and, while they both ultimately serve one common purpose, they are not the same thing. And I think it’s so important to understand what PR is, is not, and how to manage it yourself even if you do have some help.

First, the differences.

Marketing: this is you talking to your audience. You’re controlling the narrative. You’re building the story. You’re pushing people to want to buy your book. Think: social content you create, newsletters, giveaways, sales, paid ads, pre-orders…

vs.

PR: this is you trying to get other people to talk about your book. This is you earning visibility. You’re less in control of the narrative. You put out part of the facts, and you hope the story told fits your overall narrative. You’re building third-party credibility and trust. Think: podcast guest spots, panel appearances, interviews in publications, bookstagrammer’s spotlighting you…

Both of these ultimately serve the purpose of getting you and your books out there. But while you are in full control of your marketing efforts, your PR efforts are less up to you (at least, the end result is). But it’s so important to be thinking about both of these as you go through your author journey.

Most of us are not in a position to get media training¹, even if we are traditionally published authors. And if you’re an indie? Well…unless you’re spending thousands for your own training or happen to work in PR, it’s even less likely to happen.

But…there are some things you can learn and keep in mind that will help you feel and show up as a well-oiled PR machine. Move aside, Tree Paine²!

Think About Your Pitch:

If you want to get traction beyond your own feed, you have to pitch! I know, I know. What the hell is that and why and I don’t want to. BUT pitching yourself as a news story is the same whether you’re going to a bookstagrammer or a large media outlet.

Your pitch itself can be pretty simple: have a snappy subject line that makes them want to open, introduce yourself, and why you’re reaching out. The most important thing to remember is you need to highlight and personalize what’s in it for THEIR audience? When you’re looking to get traction with bookstagrammers, on a podcast, or on a blog or other outlet, you are (believe it or not) the least important part of the story. Yes, you might have an amazing author background and the book you wrote is special, but so what? You need to think about why your book will matter to their audience.

Pro Level Move: create a short media kit. This should include your author photo, bio, book blurb, cover and any other relevant information (i.e. author blurbs or reviews). Canva has templates for you!

Curate Who You Reach Out To:

Reaching out to bookstagrammers or podcasts or newspapers can be scary, but it becomes infinitely less scary when you know why you’re reaching out to that specific one. Think about your readership and what else they are reading. Think about bookstagrammers that often talk about books like yours. Think about podcasts or blogs or newsletters that you subscribe to or that have a listener/readership that seems to match your own.

And, it bears repeating, just because a bookstagrammer had tens or hundreds of throusands of followers does not automatically make them the right fit for you. If you’re going to be spending time and effort (and maybe money) in doing outreach, then do it to those that actually talk about books and create the type of content that can help you build your reputation and brand. Aligning with a few smaller outlets or bookstagrammers who will give you a feature will be more helpful than one or two big ones that won’t feature you as prominently.

Build and Maintain Relationships:

Nobody likes feeling like they are being used. If you’re going to do outreach to someone, spend time in the months leading up to it following and (if possible) engaging here and there. Don’t just come in cold. And, if you get some kind of traction with a bookstagrammer, outlet, or podcast, maintain that relationship beyond that. You will have other books come out. They will have something that they think of you for invite you to be a part of. Either way, network like you’re a white man in a Fortune 500 company.

Remember What PR Truly Is:

It is long-term reputation management. It’s not a quick win. It needs to be consistently done, strategically built, and something that you embed as part of every book release, book announcement, or newsworthy change in your author career.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way, some FAQs for you (you’ll want to read these):

I pitched, got my book to a bookstagrammer/outlet/podcast, but it got an awful review. What do I do?

Simply: nothing. PR is unpredictable and not a narrative you can control. If it’s something you were tagged in on socials, you can (quietly!) untag yourself. Do not blast them online, do not complain about the negative review, don’t talk about it (outside of the group chat, of course)³. You shot your shot, it didn’t work, it’s not the end of the world (I promise).

I said something/was associated with something that’s caused some controversy. How do I save it from hurting my ratings or readership?

Depending on what that thing is, my experience is usually to let sleeping dogs lie. A few important things to remember: never delete posts or comments unless they are actively harmful to you or your community (i.e. threats, aggressive, any kind of -phobic, actively targeting other readers, etc). Try to not engage if you can - it stokes the flames unnecessarily. Assess the situation - is this a lot of people feeling the same way or is this a loud minority in your comment section. If it’s a groundswell and you do think you need to take down a post or limit comments, acknowledge it (you’d be surprised how far a very simple but sincere apology can go, if that’s what the situation warrants!) Remember: the internet is forever and people LOVE their screenshots, so trying to hide anything negative will just make the story that much bigger.

At the end of the day, if you ever find yourself in a situation that is less than favorable for you, you’re best bet is to minimize acknowledging it and focus only on facts. Never respond in frustration or anger, and encourage others to do the same. Stay cool, calm, and collected⁴.

Also, what is this thing I hear about…UGC? C’est quoi?

UGC - User Generated Content - is anything that’s created by not you for your book. This can either be PR (if it’s organic - i.e. a reader just making a post about your book, or talking about a book event) or marketing (if you incentivize a post by providing a gifted copy, creating or promoting a hashtag, etc).

OK, what about book signings/events/panels? Are they really necessary?

I mean…yeah. But don’t think of them as big sales drivers. The point of doing book signings or author in-conversations or panels is to get YOU out there. It’s to get your brand known. It’s to inception yourself into readers minds for when they may be ready to buy or read. You are positioning yourself as an expert, as a part of the community, as someone worth listening to, and that will drive your overall stock higher over time.

Ok, this is all great, thank you so much, Ada. You’re a genius⁵! BUT I don’t have the time, mental or physical bandwidth to do this so…whatdoido?!

The great news is, we have such a vibrant and BEAUTIFUL community that is full of independently-owned companies that can help you with all of this. If you’re a trad published author, you should be getting marketing and PR plans from your publisher (and you should absolutely be asking for their reasons for what they are proposing, and their expected ROI on everything…you can advocate for yourself!) If you’re indie, there are a lot of companies out there that offer services and can help you get yourself sorted out. I did a post about this a while back (related to ARCs specifically) with some great companies to check out!

You got this, besties!

xo

Ada

1. I did get media training at my last job and, let me tell you, it both is and isn’t like the movies. I was told if I was ever at a party or somewhere I was at and was approached by a reporter to make up some kind of excuse or meeting and leave. Which…is what I will be doing at parties generally now, once my social battery runs out.

2. This is Taylor Swift’s long-time publicist, for those of you not chronically on Taylor Swift’s Internet

3. This is specifically if YOU reached out to get some kind of review or feature. If someone is tagging you in a negative review as a reader (or if they’re coming for you in your comment section with negativity) feel FREE to block, delete, call out the bad behaviour.

4. They told us to stay cool, calm, and collected a LOT in grade school and I can confirm I have NEVER been cool, calm AND collected all at once. If you figure out how, please let me know!

5. If I can’t praise myself, WHO WILL!?!?!