Ebook publishing is a thrilling occasion, but marketing it to readers is a whole new ball game. Many authors wake up to the fact that there is no hope of seeing even the best-written ebook marketed, let alone recognized if strong marketing measures for it are not in place. This is the purpose of ebook advertising platforms. The platforms allow you to push your ebook directly to readers who are interested in your topic, thereby giving the first much-needed exposure to the book in a rapidly digitalized setting.
So, how are these platforms operated, and which ones warrant your time and investment? Here, we will have a look at the major ebook advertising platforms and how you can leverage them to improve your book’s reach and sales.
Why Do Authors Need Ebook Advertising Platforms?
You might be wondering why the a need for advertisement in the first place. Wouldn’t word of mouth or a compelling cover be enough? Unfortunately, not all the time. With thousands of new ebooks released every day, visibility becomes the greatest challenge. Ebook advertising platforms exist to get your book in front of a targeted audience that is interested in finding their next read.
These platforms bring together readers who are known to be interested in ebooks, further categorized by genre or niche. Instead of waiting for readers to just accidentally bump into your book, you can bring the book to them. Advertising works to set the newest author or the most established author aside from the entire market and conjures up consistent sales.
What Makes an Ebook Advertising Platform Effective?
Not all platforms have been created equal. An effective ebook advertising platform should reach as wide an audience as possible, have a strong user base of readers, and have proven successful in delivering sales. The platform should allow targeting, whether by genre, device, location, or reader behavior. Some platforms are for bargain books, others focus on freebies, and some do full-price ebook advertising as part of a long-term strategy.
Here, the price varies from platform to platform. Some charge for a click, while others have a flat rate for email promotions or placing books on their sites. The most suitable platform for you is based on what you want to achieve, your genre, and your budget.
Is Amazon Advertising a Good Choice for Ebook Promotion?
Amazon Ads work on a pay-per-click basis, where you set a budget for the keyword or keywords you choose, and Amazon finds potential buyers for your book. This kind of advertising has a massive payoff, especially for ebooks that are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited when it is done right. But it does take some learning to do it. You have to test, analyze, and refine your campaign constantly to remain profitable.
Can Facebook and Instagram Work for Ebook Advertising?
Definitely, social media advertising and ebooks co-exist like husband and wife, as Facebook and Instagram are strongly ranked as the most effective platforms. They allow such granular audience targeting using interests, demographics, reading habits, and even virtually anything like purchasing ebooks or following author pages.
Impressive images coupled with persuasive ad copies can impress traffic to your ebook’s sales page and may as well be used to collect emails for future promotions. Social media ads are best suited to a situation wherein you already know a bit about your ideal reader and how to address them.
Be prepared, as advertising ebooks through social media will demand much more creativity than even platforms such as Amazon or BookBub – it will require heavy visuals, alluring headlines, and a very clean call to action.
Is BookBub Still the Gold Standard for Ebook Promotions?
BookBub is probably the most mentioned ebook advertising platform since its Featured Deals are likely to bring you up an email list of serious readers, and readers often translate such deals into thousands of downloads and sales. Unfortunately, Featured Deals are quite competitive, not to mention expensive, to get approved for them.
BookBub offers ad self-service; that is, authors create their own campaigns to advertise. These ads are also sent by email and appear on the BookBub website, thus giving one exposure even if one doesn’t get selected for a Featured Deal. It is serious about author interest, genre, and reader behavior targeting, thus being very popular with both traditional and indie authors.
Are There Niche Ebook Advertising Platforms That Work?
In addition to your typical names, certain niche sites focus solely on ebook promotions. Bargain Booksy and Freebooksy include ENT (Ereader News Today) and Robin Reads, which curate lists of discounted or free books. These platforms tend to be more targeted and small in the audience and are very effective for certain genres. Usually charging a flat rate for promotion, they can give great returns on investment, particularly if timed with a launch of the book or series of discount offers. Since these platforms are very reader-oriented, they perform well for authors who know their genre and pricing layers.
How Should Authors Choose the Right Ebook Advertising Platform?
Testing is usually the best strategy. Start with one platform, measure your results, and then scale what works to reach those goals finally. What do you have in mind: would you like to create some awareness, boost sales, build an email list, or hit the bestseller list?
If your target audience is that big and unconditional, then Amazon Ads and Bookbub are the options for you. For discounts or giveaways, use Freebooksy or ENT. Facebook and Instagram are also very effective for building long-term brand awareness.
Also, the results will be monitored closely through tracking links, ad tracking, and the evaluation of which platforms yield the best results according to the budget.
What Budget Should You Set for Ebook Advertising?
This is more of an idiosyncratic matter than anything else. Some authors do budgets as low as $50, but some invest hundreds and thousands per campaign. The pertinent question is how to keep your budget manageable to test your message and platform before scaling up.
Keep on calculating return on investment. If you’ve spent $100 and $150 comes in ebook sales, that means your campaign is working. If you’re losing on every campaign, the ad copy may need refinement; the same goes for targeting and pricing.
Should You Advertise a Single Book or a Series?
The best case for advertising is when you have a funnel. One can take advantage of an advertisement for the first book in a multiple-book series because such a promotion brings interested readers to the other books. The cost (or even making a loss) on the first book will be dealt with by future sales.
Single-book authors can also benefit from advertising. However, they must focus more on pricing strategy, leads, or building a loyal reading base that can prove helpful for the next books.
Ready to Choose the Right Ebook Advertising Platforms for Your Book?
Which ebook advertising platforms will you try first? The answer to this question can only be found out from goals, genre, or budget. But one thing is clear: marketing is not optional if you want your ebook to succeed. Amazon Ads, social media, Book Bub, or niche promo site platforms have their own unique offerings. How to market your books: Stretch beyond one’s limit by experimenting with ebook adverts today and figuring out which strategy works best for you. They exist -the right readers- you just have to promote your book well.
