Looking for brands, podcasts, or influencers to partner with to get the word out about your book? Then you need my Brand Partnership Research Template! This template is 1 of the 6 that helped me to make $2200 in book sales before my books were published.
In this blog post, I share:
👉🏾What to look out for when researching brands to partner with
👉🏾How to get organized when reaching out to brands
👉🏾How many brands to reach out to and how to get responses
Here are a few tips:
Use the spreadsheet to track where you’d like to be featured.
Search the same keywords that you would use to find your book on Amazon.
Don’t be afraid to reach out multiple times.
When reaching out, come up with an idea that benefits the group/podcast host.
For example, with my New Mom Thoughts book, I focus on groups with new moms or podcasts that focus on moms.
When I'm presenting or when I reach out to folks, I will say to them, “Hey, I have a book that I think would really help your audience.” I talk to them about my book and let them know that it's beneficial for new moms to help practice their self-care and in a way easy to commit to. For example, mental health challenges for new moms especially during the pandemic can be heavy to deal with on top of having a child. My book serves as a resource to give moms the help they need. I think this is something that your audience would really benefit from and to be able to manage their self-care in an easier, manageable, bite-size way.”
Be specific in the way that you can help their audience with directions.
Make a note to reach out to potential partners in the future.
Once you've made the initial contact, make time to circle back to them. People are busy and sometimes just need reminders.
Facebook Groups
This resource also includes a tab to research related Facebook groups. Along with the template, I share a video walking through the steps of how to locate groups on Facebook that your ideal reader might hang out in. Researching these groups helps you to better understand the types of members they have and how to position yourself as an expert on the topic. If it seems they have a pretty good amount of traction in the group, you might want to consider reaching out by messaging the admin, letting them know your offer, and see if it's good for you.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a perpetual and productive way to advertise your book.
Most podcasts that have guests generally have an email form on their website for you to apply.
Be sure you listen to a few episodes of the podcast or spend time in the Facebook group that you would like to partner with to make sure it's a good fit for you.
At the surface level, some things look one way, and then once you dig into it a little further, you might notice that it doesn't align with your belief system or whatever the case may be. Be sure to do both of those.
Red Flag: Podcasts that ask you to appear are not the move. There are hundreds if not thousands of free options. You can find resources for free podcasts directly on the template.
Lastly, check out this post about why podcasts are a great option for authors.
Organizations and Community Groups
Though we live in a virtual world, there is still a lot of business that happens offline. Community organizations, non-profits,
Avoid Overwhelm
Get help from a virtual assistant, college intern, or your kids (who are likely already on social media)
If you're doing this and you're realizing this is too much for you to do, we do currently offer this as a service. Just reach out and email us back at info@sheppublishing.com. Or, this is a task that you can hire a virtual assistant. For my two books that I have currently, my virtual assistant did this for me.
