{"id":26238,"date":"2022-11-22T03:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=26238"},"modified":"2022-11-26T10:13:29","modified_gmt":"2022-11-26T18:13:29","slug":"building-your-mailing-list-5-concrete-steps-that-work-by-laurel-osterkamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/22\/building-your-mailing-list-5-concrete-steps-that-work-by-laurel-osterkamp\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Your Mailing List: 5 Concrete Steps that Work by Laurel Osterkamp"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Building<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back Laurel Osterkamp<\/a> as she shares with us \u201cBuilding Your Mailing List: 5 Concrete Steps that Work.\u201d Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Selling books is HARD.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think about it: your title is literally competing with over two million other titles on Amazon.<\/p>\n

How do you get readers to notice your book, and to want to buy it?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard it over and over<\/strong>. The answer is to develop your reader base and build a mailing list.<\/p>\n

Okay, cool. Sign me up. Except, \u201cbuild your mailing list,\u201d <\/i>is never followed with instructions on just HOW to do that.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m figuring it out through trial and error<\/strong>. I\u2019m not claiming to have all the answers, but I\u2019ll share how I gained nearly 600 mailing list subscribers in the last nine months.<\/p>\n

*Disclaimer: I receive no kickback from my recommendations. This is simply what has worked for me. I realize there are competing sites that may be equally as good, but I\u2019m not familiar with them.<\/i><\/p>\n

1. Have a website that people want to visit
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

If your website only promotes your books, then it will be difficult to attract readers.<\/p>\n

When I developed my website<\/strong>, LaurelLit.com<\/a>, I decided to offer free content that would hopefully engage people and promote my author brand.<\/p>\n

I do literary lifestyle posts like book reviews, lesson plans, and writing advice.<\/p>\n

Also, I try to make my website visually appealing<\/strong>. Two memberships I find invaluable are with Book Brush<\/a> and Pic Monkey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Set up an account through <\/b>Mailchimp<\/b><\/a>
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

They are easy to use and you can start with a free account. After you have over 500 contacts you\u2019ll need to upgrade.<\/p>\n

3. Create a Reader Magnet
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve got your Mailchimp account, you can put up a pop up form on your website, offering readers a freebie for signing up for your newsletter.<\/p>\n

I found that the easiest way to offer the free download is through BookFunnel<\/a>. I pay $5 a month, which is their cheapest subscription plan.<\/p>\n

4. Use Social Media<\/b><\/h2>\n

Perhaps you already have a lot of social media followers on one or more platforms. If so, good for you!<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t the case for me<\/strong>. I decided to focus on one platform (Facebook) and post often, thinking of posts as mini-blog entries.<\/p>\n

I like Facebook because you can boost posts, and unlike Instagram, you can link to your site in non-boosted posts.<\/p>\n

Also, occasionally I run giveaways using the<\/strong> King Sumo<\/a> app, where readers enter to win a book.<\/p>\n

I pick bestsellers with readers who\u2019d find my books appealing. Signing up for my mailing list is one way to enter.<\/p>\n

5. Other Services
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There are many websites that offer author services. I\u2019ve used them with varying amounts of success, and I\u2019m listing them in order of how highly I recommend them.<\/p>\n