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25 Creative Ways Authors Usage Images for Social Media Marketing

Whether you’re promoting a specific book or trying to drive direct exposure to increase an author’s brand, posting distinctive images is crucial to capturing readers’ attention on social media.Some social

platforms focus on sharing visual content, consisting of Instagram, where images still produce 36% more engagement than videos. And on platforms where images are optional, including them considerably increases engagement. For instance, Facebook posts with images see 2.3 x more engagement than those without images.You don’t have to

be an expert photographer or have a costly DSLR electronic camera to take initial premium pictures for your social networks marketing projects. Your mobile phone can take outstanding photos, and there are excellent articles with suggestions and techniques for easily shooting and modifying photos, consisting of guides specifically from book bloggers. And you can utilize totally free tools like Canva or RelayThat to quickly produce custom graphics.So what kinds

of images should you share on social networks to engage with readers? Here are some creative methods we’ve seen authors use images on their channels. We hope this helps you brainstorm some brand-new kinds of images to publish, so you can check which works finest for reaching your special audience.1.

Use clever props when displaying books on a rack

While books on a rack are enjoyable to take a look at, blend it up by including something special to the shot. When Brenda Novak desired to encourage fans who liked her Facebook page to join her Facebook group, she included a picture of several of her books lined up on a rack together with a callout promoting the group in the photo!Colleen Hoover

likewise utilized a strategically-placed prop to make the image pop.2.

Turn a book into an artful display screen

Lots of authors post gorgeous photos of their book (or a book they recommend!) along with captivating props that are either pertinent to the book’s plot or look great with the cover design. Numerous also use appropriate hashtags like #bookstagram, like Adrienne Young performed in her description on Instagram.3.

Glimpse out from behind a book

We’ve seen lots of selfies from authors on their social media profiles, but looking out from behind a book is a terrific method for those who aren’t incredibly comfy posing in front of a camera. Meghan March peeked out from behind her book for an Instagram post.Here’s another

peek-out shot from Chelle Happiness.4.

Display a book cover on a phone or ereader screen

Even if a book is only offered digitally does not make it any less photogenic. With the right props and lighting (to decrease glare) or photo control knowledge (to superimpose the book onto a blank device screen), you too can publish stunning images like this one from J. Daniels.5.

Develop a test or game pertinent to a book

Creating a distinct video game or quiz is fun for readers and provides an unique method to communicate with you– and individuals love sharing their results with their friends! It’s likewise simpler to share if there’s an image to opt for it. Mackenzi Lee created a name generator relevant to her book Bygone Badass Broads as an image enhanced for Instagram, branded with the book’s cover and hashtag. Nearly a hundred followers chimed in with their produced name. Mine is “Boston’s Mother of Procrastinating,” which I have actually mixed sensations about.Sylvia Day published a simple fill-in-the-blank image branded with her image and URL.6.

Show a sneak peek of an upcoming release

Fans love preview of books they have not gotten their hands on yet– even if they’re still works in development! There are lots of smart methods to include text in an image. Susan Dennard published an image of a page from her upcoming release Bloodwitch.7.

Program books with food or drink

Catch readers’ eyes by consisting of something delicious in the photo with a book. It will take a bit of testing to determine what types of photos your fans engage with most. Possibly some fans choose coffee and tea, while others choose sugary foods and cookies … like these macarons in R.S. Grey’s image.8.

Program books with an adorable fuzzball

If your readers are pet lovers, draw their eyes by consisting of animals in your bookish photos. Brenda Novak published this charming photo of a pup in checking out glasses holding her book under its chin. What pet dog enthusiast wouldn’t pause to take a more detailed look in their feed?This image

from Rainbow Rowell includes her books subtly stacked next to her feline. It’s sort of like subliminal messaging. “Oh hey, that book title looks familiar …”

9. Take a book sightseeing

Have a trip turning up? Take a book along for the flight and photograph it in front of picturesque backgrounds. Benefit points if the place pertains to the book’s plot! Karina Hale published photos of her book on Instagram in a variety of locations.Jessica Hawkins posts photos with excerpts of her books in an ereader, rather than showing the cover. This lets readers both travel with her and get a preview of her work.10. Promote a discount rate If your book is discounted, let fans know so they can snag a copy! Some authors include the price in the image to draw attention, like Christine Feehan did.( Notice in the description that she also asked fans a concern to increase engagement.)Another alternative is to publish a picture of the Featured Offer in BookBub’s everyday

email. That’s precisely what Denise Grover Swank did when her book Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes was available for complimentary.11. Ask fans a question in an image Post a question asking fans for their viewpoint, even if it’s not

about a specific book. This can make

readers feel valued and make them most likely to engage with the author’s online personality. Instead of simply posting the text of the question, turn that text into an image, like Tillie Cole did here.Or ask fans to ask you a question for an upcoming Q&A. Colleen Hoover crowdsourced questions for a Q&A and turned it into a contest– each fan who asked a question would be gone into to win a signed copy of her newest book. She coupled this with an image to catch readers’eyes.12. Utilize a customized graphic to promote a giveaway When running a free gift on social networks, consider producing a custom graphic to make the contest pop. This is a terrific example from Lex Martin, who took a promotional picture of among her books and added text to explain this specific giveaway.13. Display quotes or amusing quips as a graphic Readers like sharing inspiring quotes with their pals, whether it’s a quote from among your books or one that resonated with you (an author they like!).

Instead of simply sharing the text, spin up a graphic

consisting of the quote(or share a pre-existing one). Alice Hoffman posted an image of a quote from one of her backlist books.Or you can share a joke, quip, or gripe that readers can concur with– like this image from Julia Quinn. Fans will frequently chime in and concur! 14. Show books you’ve left for strangers to get A trendy marketing strategy is to leave books in random places around a city and drop hints about the books’location in an image. Simon Sinek’s strategy is unique– he bundles two books and encourages the finder to offer away the 2nd copy, either to a good friend

or by dropping it at another random place for somebody else to find.15. Display your workspace Give readers a look into where the magic happens! R.S. Grey took a photo straight down of her desk(with her legs and book in the shot). Sarah M. Eden exposed the truth of lots of authors’composing spaces: any place they can cram in some composing time! 16.

Hand-write a note to readers An enjoyable method to turn text into an image is to hand-write it out and take a photo of it! Reward points if the handwritten note is artfully displayed like it remains in this Instagram post from Sylvia Day.17. Show occasion or trip dates in an image

Instead of promoting a single event or tour dates in a text update, show them in a distinctive image! Karen Kingsbury published an image on her Facebook page to promote an occasion to fans.Tahereh Mafi published her Restore Me tour as an image optimized for Instagram, including her image and book cover.18. Promote virtual events with an image Likewise, if you have an upcoming online event like a live video chat, a podcast, or a release day Facebook celebration, develop a graphic to promote that occasion. That’s how Philippa Gregory revealed an upcoming Facebook Live Q&A.19. Program stacks or boxes of books to build occasion buzz If you’re selling or distributing copies of a book at an event, posting pictures of substantial stacks of books or boxes can

be an excellent method to construct excitement– particularly among fans who may be able to grab a copy! Jennifer Armentrout published a photo of neat stacks of her book ahead of a conference and consisted of the conference hashtag in the description.20.

Display swag Boodle can make excellent fodder for images, and it’s fantastic to

publish these pictures when promoting contests or free gifts providing stated boodle as the reward! James Rollins posted some artfully arranged boodle for a free gift to commemorate the release of his newest book.21. Offer local information If you have updates pertinent to readers in different regions, such as launch dates that vary by nation, you can avoid reader confusion by elegantly including the details in a graphic. Khaled Hosseini published a graphic to reveal differing cover designs and publication dates by country, utilizing an intense backdrop to capture readers’eyes.22. Post fan art You can also reveal fan gratitude by sharing art they’ve created based on your books, or reposting pictures they have actually shared

with you. Karin Massacre posted a photo a particularly skilled fan messaged her: Jennifer Niven makes fan art a weekly event, utilizing the hashtag #fanartfriday to constantly encourage fans to create and share fan art for her books.23. Show props from a scene in a book Bring your books to life by revealing fans how you visualized objects from particular scenes. Maggie Stiefvater posted an image

with tarot cards that appeared in a scene from her book. The tarot cards were likewise part of a month-long free gift and used as a reward to fans.24. Display character art and costumes Let fans see how you pictured your characters, beyond what the cover art

programs. Pinterest is a terrific place to share boards of your initial art work. If you can’t draw, that’s not a problem– you can compile images you find online! Leigh Bardugo produced a Pinterest board for each of her main characters showing her motivation for how they looked and dressed.25. Post pics while shopping for books(something readers also take pleasure in!)Offer readers insights into your love of books by exciting about finding new books yourself! Victoria Scott published a photo

of herself digging through rows of books.Author and agent

Eric Smith regularly posts pics of books he finds at bookstores and book festivals.When it concerns creating images for social media, the sky’s the limit– it would be impossible to list them all in one place! What’s the most imaginative sort of image you’ve seen authors post on social media? Let us understand in the remarks below!Want to share this post? Here are ready-made tweets: Click to tweet: Wish to up your social networks game? Post much better images! Take a look at these sensational examples from authors. #pubtip http://bit.ly/2IdyDO1!.?.!Click to tweet: If readers aren’t engaging with your social networks updates, you may need to rethink your images. Inspect out these excellent concepts for images to post! #pubtip http://bit.ly/2IdyDO1!.?.!Close!.?.!About Diana Urban Diana Urban is the

Market Marketing Manager at BookBub, and was formerly the Head of Conversion Marketing at HubSpot.

She’s an expert in incoming marketing, content marketing, and list building. Diana is also the author of three young person thrillers, and is composing her 4th novel. Follow her on Twitter at @DianaUrban.

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