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 Facebook)?
Next, figure out what message would resonate most with your ideal reader or ideal listener. Is your book or podcast educational or entertaining? Is it for professionals, or students, or someone else?
As an aside, some people have found success using Facebook ads to drive traffic to their podcast on Spotify. Passive Promotion shares some best practices for music, which can apply to other types of media. Tips include creating profile and playlist ads, using different video lengths, using dynamic creative to test your ad copy, and experimenting.
Create Eye Catching Images/Videos
Once you’ve narrowed it down, you can come up with images and videos that will catch your audience’s attention. Karola Karlson has examples of effective Facebook video ads. Colors and patterns are important, and you want to be true to your brand. Ads can be simple, and straight to the point, to be effective.
Videos can also be a slideshow of images, or static images with some animation effects. If you go that route, make sure you’re allowed to use all the images and photos you include in your ad (this goes for videos and ads with just images). There are a number of sites where you can download images to use for free. However, if you want to have something more unique, you may want to consider creating your own images.
Plan Your Next has a post on how to create your own digital illustrations, with suggestions on what tools to use. Some of the tips include brainstorming a collection of ideas, combine ideas, and use color.
Put It All Together
First you figured out your target audience, and the messaging (the ad copy) that will resonate with them. Then you created some images and/or videos that you know will catch their attention. Now it’s time to put all those elements together. Like Passive Promotion suggested, don’t be afraid to experiment, and to let Facebook optimize ads for you (such as by trying out different headlines and descriptions with the dynamic creative).
Start small, and see what works. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to make changes. Once you see some traction, you can build out more similar ads or add to your budget.
