By Matt Cost I am an author who once owned a mystery bookshop. It was called The Coffee Dog Mystery Bookstore, named after my chocolate lab of the time. I also work very closely with my publisher in marketing and promoting my books. And I read. One could say that I have seen the business of books from every angle. For me, people coming into my bookstore fell into two … [Read more...] about Guest Post: Life as a Mystery Bookshop Owner and Writer
Self-Publishing
Marketing Funnel Part 5: Driving Traffic to Your Content with Paid Ads
Editor's Note: This is part 5 of my marketing funnel series. You can read part 4 here. We've covered quiz funnels, SEO, and email lists. Another way to drive traffic to your content (such as a quiz funnel), is with paid ads. For my podcasting quiz, I created paid ads for Google, Facebook, and Reddit, mostly because we saw the most conversations and activity around … [Read more...] about Marketing Funnel Part 5: Driving Traffic to Your Content with Paid Ads
Marketing Funnel Part 4: Building and Making the Most of Your Email List
Editor's Note: This is part 4 of my marketing funnel series. You can read part 3 here. All right, you've created some great content and you're starting to get people to read or consume your content because you've set up your SEO, and they can easily search and find it. The next step is to build your email list. Remember in the first post of this series, when I wrote you … [Read more...] about Marketing Funnel Part 4: Building and Making the Most of Your Email List
Marketing Funnel Part 3: Driving Traffic to Your Content With SEO
Editor's Note: This is part 3 of my marketing funnel series. You can read part 2 here. My last post was about building a quiz funnel to reach a new audience for a product, such as an online course. So once you've built your quiz, how do you go about finding your audience? The first step is to use SEO to your advantage. For your quiz page, figure out the keyword or phrase … [Read more...] about Marketing Funnel Part 3: Driving Traffic to Your Content With SEO
Marketing Funnel Part 2: Lessons Learned Building a Quiz Funnel
Editor's Note: This is part 2 of my marketing funnel series. You can read part 1 here. Last year, my husband and I launched our online course, Complete Podcasting Course. We'd been podcasting for nearly 7 years and in 2021 it became both our full-time jobs, so we wanted to share what we'd learned and help people who are just getting started. I'd built online courses before, … [Read more...] about Marketing Funnel Part 2: Lessons Learned Building a Quiz Funnel
Marketing Funnel Part 1: Going to Market With an Online Course or Book
For authors and content creators, marketing may seem like a foreign thing. Something that should be done, that could help. I used to feel the same way, then a few years ago, my job shifted to a marketing role, and I learned there are so many interesting ways to do marketing, and that, if done right, marketing (and a marketing funnel) can make a huge difference in whether or not … [Read more...] about Marketing Funnel Part 1: Going to Market With an Online Course or Book
Using Facebook Ads for Your Book or Podcast
Though Meta may not be as highly valued as it was, Facebook ads can still be a powerful tool to promote your products, such as books and podcasts. Define Your Target Audience The key is to find your target audience. Start by figuring out who your ideal reader or ideal listener is. What are their interests? Where do they like to hang out (do they spend time on … [Read more...] about Using Facebook Ads for Your Book or Podcast
Tips for Creating Engaging Content Your Audience Will Find
Sometimes, writing content can feel overwhelming. It helps to have a framework in mind, and to plan ahead of time so you know the content you create will reach your audience. Here are some tips: Write content that people trust. Figure out what answers your audience is searching for (via search terms and predicting search engine rankings), and provide them with … [Read more...] about Tips for Creating Engaging Content Your Audience Will Find
Creative Physical Books
This blog is about digital publishing, but there is something to be said about the creativity around physical books and related products. Here are a few projects with creative physical elements. Four Secret Novels An inspiring story of how when you build an engaged community, you can create some fun, interesting content for them. Author Brandon Sanderson took two years to … [Read more...] about Creative Physical Books
Earning Money From Blog Posts and Social Media
As a writer, it's always helpful to be on the lookout for ways to earn money. One of the ways is, of course, to get paid for writing articles. The Writing Cooperative shared 10 publications you can write for and earn money. But there are other ways. Kristen Walters wrote about how she made over $10,000 from one of her blog posts. Like anything content-related, the key is … [Read more...] about Earning Money From Blog Posts and Social Media
3 Ways to Step Up Your Book Marketing
I'm on a roll with marketing related posts lately. For this post, let's get back to books specifically. Sometimes, when it comes to marketing, it's helpful to have some big goals and then break things down into smaller, easier to manage, tasks. With that in mind, here are three ways you can step up your book marketing. 1. Spruce up your book sales page Especially your … [Read more...] about 3 Ways to Step Up Your Book Marketing
5 Lessons Learned From Roy Chapman Andrews
“If we are to understand our world of today we must know its past.” —Roy Chapman Andrews If you know of Indiana Jones, then you know Roy Chapman Andrews: the explorer, adventurer, and naturalist who was indirectly the inspiration for Indiana Jones. Andrews is well known for his expeditions to the Flaming Cliffs of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, where he and his team found … [Read more...] about 5 Lessons Learned From Roy Chapman Andrews
Writing Content People Want to Read
Let's talk about writing, and how to write content (whether it be books, articles, or even marketing copy) that people will want to read. Start with your goals. Kindlepreneur has a great guide on goal setting. The gist is to figure out your big project goal, and then break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. Then create a system so you're accountable for achieving … [Read more...] about Writing Content People Want to Read
Preparing for an Extended Leave (When You Work for Yourself)
My husband and I had an exciting summer, starting with welcoming our first baby into the world! We took the last 4 months off to take care of her and now we're back from our parental leave. Since we work for ourselves, producing our weekly dinosaur podcast, we ended up working a lot of extra hours in the months leading up to her birth to make sure our podcast was still going … [Read more...] about Preparing for an Extended Leave (When You Work for Yourself)
Guest Post: Is Podcast Advertising Worth It?
By Farlyn Lucas Have you ever gone for a walk, a drive, or even done chores around your house and thought to turn on a podcast? You’re not alone. Insider Intelligence highlights how “demand for on-demand audio has increased” and “in 2022, the number of monthly US podcast listeners will increase by 6.1% year-over-year to 125 million.” The podcast industry is undoubtedly … [Read more...] about Guest Post: Is Podcast Advertising Worth It?
