Last week I told you how to get your marketing motor fired up by pledging to do whatever is necessary to create strong book promotion copy. I also urged you to commit to being your book’s most enthusiastic promoter.
This week I continue my back-to-basics series by showing you a powerful first step you can take when it’s time to craft your book marketing copy.
This is a fun writing drill I’ve worked through with more than a hundred authors. Do it and you’ll feel inspired and liberated.
It starts with answering one simple question: “Why are you so passionate about what you’re sharing through your book?”
Surprisingly, I’ve found that many authors never really consider this question until I ask it during our interview process.
Writing this answer down in a raw, flowing style can be a powerful launching point for crafting memorable marketing copy that sells more books.
To find out how to turn your passion into great marketing copy,
watch this week’s Book Marketing Copy Quick Tip video.
Here is an overview of what you’ll hear me cover in this week’s video.
Ask Yourself the Question
The first step to turning your passion into great marketing copy is to ask the question: “Why am I passionate about the material in my book?”
Perhaps you’ve written a novel and you want to bring characters to life that will entertain people around the world. Or maybe you’re over 50 and you’ve shed 50 pounds and gotten into the best shape of your life. And now you have an unstoppable desire to show other people your age how they can do the same.
If you’ve gone through the arduous journey of writing a book, there’s a burning reason why you did. Now’s the time to look into your heart, find that reason, and write it down.
Don’t worry about grammar or being organized. Just begin writing in a raw free-flowing manner and see what pours out.
Do the “Why?” Drill Down
When you ask the question, “Why am I passionate about the material in my book?” you may be inclined to answer it in a single sentence. However, you may also choose to go into more detail, which I encourage you to do.
Whether your answer is one line or a few paragraphs, follow it up with another “Why?” question. For example, your initial answer may be something like: “I’m passionate about the material in my book because I want to help other people my age lose weight and get in their best shape.”
Your next step would be to answer the question: “Why do I want to help people my age lose weight and get in their best shape?”
Your answer to this question may be along the lines of, “Because I want them to feel great and still be able to enjoy their favorite activities.”
From here your next step would be to drill down deeper by answering the question, “Why do I want them to feel great and still be able to enjoy their favorite activities?”
I think you get the idea. I urge you to go at least five layers deep with your “Why?” questions – but feel free to be a rock star and go even deeper.
Put simply, just pretend you’re a five year old who can’t stop asking “why?” questions. The goal here is to flow as much raw detail into your document as you can.
Highlight the Golden Nuggets
After you complete the above two steps, review your document and highlight your “golden nuggets.” Your golden nuggets are any phrases or thoughts you find that may be springboards for headlines, thematic concepts, or reader benefit statements.
Don’t worry if the words and phrases you find are raw and rough around the edges. You can polish and refine them later. For now, just look for words and phrases that jump out and catch your attention.
When you see them, highlight them and keep them at your fingertips. You can draw from them when it’s time to create headlines, bullet points, and body copy for your book marketing materials.
Again, I dig deeper into this exercise in this week’s video, so please check it out.
Until next week, take a lot of action and make things happen!
Casey
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Will this post help you leverage your passion to write better book marketing copy? Please leave a comment and let me know!
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