In our last post we shared 6 Tips For Building Your Author Emailing List. Today we want to share some ideas for email incentives that can help you grow your subscribers.
Your author email list is a vital tool to help you promote and sell your novels. Grow your subscribers and you'll be sure to build loyal readers who hang (pun intended) off your every word. But how do you motivate those readers who don't want to sign up for yet another author email or catch the eye of those who are blind to sign-up boxes? The answer is that you provide an incentive that holds both appeal and value for your readers.
6 Email Sign-Up Incentives For Authors
Your email incentive is a chance for you to have fun as an author and to provide your readers with some extra excitement!
1. Chapter Preview Or Behind-The-Scenes Information:
Chances are you have a deleted chapter, a behind-the-scenes short story, a really cool character that you've since put on the back-burner, or even a plotline that you drafted but never followed through on. Whatever the case may be, you can use this treasure trove of goodies as email incentives because they're all things your readership would be interested in seeing. They'll be excited to learn more about your novels and the lure of being an exclusive VIP will be the draw for them to sign-up. Another way you can spin this is by offering insights into your writing process, the tools and methods you used to write your book, where your inspiration came from, etc. Offering tips on how to write is not only valuable but it also provides further insight into yourself as an author.
2. Early Works Or Other Projects
What better way to treat your readers to a freebie than to give them more of your written work? You can include a teaser chapter from your next book, provide an excerpt from one of your earlier works, or go with a collection of poems or short stories. This incentive helps tide over readers who are waiting for your next novel, and attracts new readers who want a sample of what your writing has to offer.
Relating:
3. Character Art
Downloadable character art that's able to be used as screensavers, framed pictures, printable bookmarks or other digital prints can be a great way to entice your readers. This is a good choice for authors who have an established fan base already familiar with your characters. Need an extra boost in to grow your list after a slump? Consider commissioning fresh art or a few different styles of character art and offering it for a limited amount of time to make it an exclusive perk for signing up. Want to generate even more excitement? Offer your readership a chance to vote for the design of the next book cover.
4. Ebooks or Video Courses
If you're an established author who has been writing and publishing for a while, you may want to consider creating an Ebook or a video course for your incentive. This can be centered around your experience in the industry, tips for authors looking to follow in your footsteps, how you made your start, marketing advice- the list is endless. You can turn your incentive into a free email mini-course that allows you to connect with your subscribers on a more permanent basis, thus building your trust and relationship with them.
5. Offer Coupons or Discounts
This one is so simple, but one-hundred percent worth it. Handy to both loyal readers and potential new ones, everyone loves to save money. As an author, it might have slipped your mind that you can create and offer coupons and other discounts to your readers. Celebrate holidays such as Christmas (or Valentine's Day for romance authors and Halloween for horror authors) and other special occasions such as your book's birthday, your birthday, the day you found out you were being published, etc. by gifting your readers with an opportunities to save. Bundle your novels together and offer a larger discount, spread the word on social media, and make sure your followers know they need to subscribe to save. Also remember that future editions or updates to your novels can be used to entice new subscribers as well. Anniversary Editions can also be used to create a stir that can lead to more newsletter sign-ups.
6. Giveaway Time!
What better way to celebrate with readers other than to host a giveaway? Whether it's for a special event or to just spread joy it makes for a great technique for gaining new subscribers. There are a few things to keep in mind before you announce one. First and foremost giveaways are more exciting when they contain more than one book. Consider teaming up with fellow authors within your genre to double your audience and your new subscriber potential. Another thing to remember is to give your followers notice that there will be a giveaway. Spontaneous giveaways may be fun, but what they often do is miss out on a larger pool of applicants. This is because when you announce on social media that one is taking place, not every follower you have will see your post within just one day. Make sure to be clear about when your giveaway will take place, who is involved, what they will get as the prize, the details, who can participate, the time frame for applying, and of course how to apply. Want to garner even more followers? Host the giveaway directly on your website for the best results. The more people have to "travel" to join, the less likely that they'll follow through.
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