Take it away, my sweet friend -
Do you have a street team? Do you need some ideas on how to spice things up a bit? Maybe you haven’t created one yet and need some direction in how to start one. Whether you have an established influencer group or are new to the club, I am excited to share some of the ins and outs of Street Team mechanics.
First, let me introduce myself. I am Rachel Dixon, homeschool mom, bookstagrammer, avid reader, Partner at JustRead Tours, LLC., and virtual assistant to Roseanna M. White. I have been managing street teams for almost 4 years now and through trial and error...have definitely learned a few things. I’m here today to give you some ideas to help make the process a little easier and a whole lot less stressful.
Curating the Team
Who your publisher is will determine the size of your street team. Some publishers have an allotment of print books set aside for influencers. But if you are self-published, you can choose to stick to only digital copies and use a few print copies as giveaways exclusive for the team.
Google Forms is my BEST FRIEND when it comes to street team sign-ups. You can customize the questions to make sure you are getting the best team for you and your book...Plus, it’s free! One of the most critical questions that I include is: “What is your favorite thing about being an influencer? (Or that you are looking forward to)”. This is an excellent “first impression” question. A question to consider while looking over their answers is this, “Are they only in it for a free book or do they genuinely care about promoting my books?” I also make sure to ask for links to their blogs, reviews of other books by the author. This helps narrow down the search for team members as you can ask yourself, “Do they follow instructions & show at least basic skills in navigating links, their blog & social media?” You want competent team members after all. (butting in from Carrie: otherwise it will just cost you more work in the long run!) Don’t forget to ask for email and mailing addresses too. After you acquire the applications, you can narrow down the applicants to the required number and curate a team that will be customized to your needs.
Managing the Team
You’ve selected your team...Now what?
There are several options for where and how to manage your team. My favorite (right now) is a hybrid option. We have a private Facebook Group as well as a Newsletter style email list. Doing it this way gives the team a chance to interact with each other, share graphics, links, info...But not everyone is on Facebook, so sending team emails out is also useful.
Working with the Team
Ok, NOW...you have the team all ready to go….WHAT do you have them do? One thing to keep in mind is the difference between INFLUENCING and REVIEWING. As an influencer, your team’s main focus is to generate positive buzz about your book. This may or may not include a review. I try to make sure that team members know that they can still be an active influencer, even if after reading, the story isn’t quite their cup of tea. While one of our main focuses is spreading reviews, there are so many other actions that team members can complete in order to make your book launch a success. Some of these actions include:
● Blog Post (doesn’t HAVE to include a review)
● Email your recommendation to anyone who you think would enjoy my stories
● Talk to your friends and family in person about my books
● Post a picture on Instagram
● Pin the covers to Pinterest
● Vote/Add my books to lists on Goodreads
● Donate or Giveaway your print book when you are finished to someone who you think will enjoy it
● Create your own quote graphic
● Take a picture of your self with the book and share on Social Media
● Request your school library, church library, public library, and/or local bookstore to carry the book
● Add a quote on Goodreads or share it on social media
● Share interviews and giveaways that I post on my author page on Facebook
● Upload a video of yourself talking about my books
● Follow me on Amazon
● Follow me on Bookbub
● Post about the book on Facebook
● Share my posts about the book on Facebook
● Tweet about the book
Having FUN with the Team
It’s fun to post “getting to know you” questions in the group. From questions about the current book they are reading, to their favorite animal. It is a way to connect with your team members and make the whole experience more personable. Rather than “Here’s my book, hope you like it.”
Hosting exclusive giveaways just for team members, and sharing content such as sneak peeks and cover reveals with the team first is always fun.
Helpful Tips:
Media kit - This is so helpful for your team, for reviewers, for bloggers, to have easy access to. A simple media kit includes:
● Author Headshot
● Author bio (you can have different length ones available)
● Author social links
● Recent book cover
● Recent book blurb
● Recent book purchase links
Review submission form - To keep your team accountable, I HIGHLY recommend having the team fill out a form after the book release. This allows you to have all the reviews in one place for easy reference, as well as keep tabs on who is an active member of the team and who...isn’t.New
Blood - Even if you have a well established and loyal
street team. It is always good to bring in new members. And life changes,
sometimes people have to step down for a while. Occasionally checking in with
the team to see if they’re still interested and filling positions as they come
available is always useful.
Resources:
Google Forms
Google Sheets
Send in Blue
Mad Mimi
Mail Chimp
Canva
~*~*~*~*~
Thank you, my dear Rachel for this fabulous post! Check out her gorgeous bookstagram feed on Instagram @bookwormmama14
What burning questions do you have about street teams & the care thereof?
Or, if you're not an author, what do you enjoy most about your fave street teams?
Comment on this post for a chance to win one of these January 2021 new releases!
(winner's choice of 1 book from linked list, open internationally as long as Bookfunnel has the book & ships to your country.)
Rachel!!!!! So good to see you here and this is great advice. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful nature and wisdom! Good morning to you!
ReplyDeleteGood morning to you, dear Ruthy!
DeleteThank you Ruthy! :) It is my pleasure to be here!
DeleteHi Rachel!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great information! My street team has been a huge blessing to me - I think of them as my cheerleaders as they "ramble" through social media reaching people I can't. It's worth the time to develop a loyal team, and many of them have become friends!
very true, Jan. That loyalty and the friendships (even friendships developed among the team members) are priceless!
DeleteYes! I love this!!! I have built some awesome relationships through street teams!
DeleteThank you, Rachel, this is helpful. Working on assembling a group for my next release and these tips will be helpful.
ReplyDeleteKathy Bailey
yay!! So glad you got some tips to take away, dear KB :)
DeleteYay! Thank you for this! :)
DeleteThis was such good information. I just released my second book a few months ago and have about decided to quit having a "street team". Results were dismal, to say the least. But after reading this, I may give it another go next time around. My problem is that most of the people I got to sign up were friends who did not really have a social presence. I couldn't tell them they didn't qualify....I just couldn't. So there wasn't much influencing and there certainly wasn't many reviews. I signed up my book for JustReadTours for a reviewer tour so I'm hoping I can get the reviews up in number. Live and learn. Thanks again for all the information.
ReplyDeleteHi Sherrinda! Friends can absolutely be valuable members of a street team when it comes to word of mouth but when you know they don't have a social media presence, it's also good to supplement with a bunch of people who do and who will commit to review the book :) Give it another go with some of these tips & i bet you'll see a big difference!
DeleteI like the way you worded it...supplement the less social reviewers with those that do have a presence and can review AND promote. It doesn't have to be one or the other. :)
DeleteOh I'm so glad you stopped by! I agree with Carrie! If you use a sofn up form, yoi can share it on social media and in your newsletter to help spread the word to your readers.:) Best wishes!
DeleteI love interacting with the authors and others on street teams. It is a pleasure to help .
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, Lucy!
DeleteYes! I love it so much! #fangirl
DeleteRachel, thank you for sharing with us today. So much great information here. I appreciate your insight.
ReplyDeleteRachel's awesome! (and i'm not biased at all. nope.) lol
DeleteCarrie, LOL!!! Thank you Mindy!
DeleteI love interacting with authors and being able to help promote my favorite books
ReplyDeletethat interaction is so fun, isn't it? My fave part too :)
DeleteYes! Building relationships is the best part!
DeleteJust launched my street team. Good reminder to send out emails with tasks too, thanks
ReplyDeletereminders are key because we bloggers/reviewers get so busy! lol
DeleteYes! Reminders are so helpful!
DeleteThis is super helpful! My debut novel is coming out in August and I'm trying to wrap my head around all the marketing and advertising. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your debut, Sarah!! All of the marketing & advertising can definitely be overwhelming, and we're happy to help with info like this!
DeleteMy pleasure Sarah! Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteThis is so helpful. Makes the whole idea of building a street team seem a wee bit less overwhelming :-) Thank you!
ReplyDeletei'm so glad you found it helpful, Jenna! The street team definitely doesn't have to be overwhelming and should ultimately be fun :)
DeleteYay! I'm so happy to hear this! While navigating the ropes can seem overwhelming at first, it is such a fun and rewarding experience!
DeleteI really need to do this. I'm absolutely horrible at organizing other people to promote me and now have a fourth book releasing in just over a week with no street team again. I even had someone message me to ask if I had one because she'd like to be on it. Maybe I need to go see if others are interested, too. Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteAmy Anguish, if you decide to form a street team I would love to apply!
DeleteYou should absolutely form a street team, Amy! :)
DeleteYes! You should definitely start a stretch team! :)
DeleteHi Carrie & Rachel, thanks for sharing this very informative post. I've served on several street teams and I've actually benefited from your guidance, Rachel. I love helping with book launches and street teams but they do involve work and effort!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Connie
yes, i think people forget how much work & effort bloggers & reviewers DO put in to a book launch. That's why it's so important for the author to make sure they're using people like you who really want to be there & are willing to put forth that effort :)
DeleteHi Connie! Thank you so much for this and for all of the hard work you put into supporting authors!
DeleteRachel all these details are interesting. I have what we call a launch team. I'm not sure the difference. But I've loved doing it. I wrote for a LONG TIME before I got the launch team up and running and I'm so glad I did!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post.
Mary, I LOVE being on your launch team! It's such fun! As you know, I'm quite tech-challenged, so I don't do as much on social media (other than FB) as some of the others do. However, I enjoy posting my reviews on lots of sites, commenting on posts and blogs, recommending to others, etc. There's room for all sorts of helpers on launch/street teams!
DeleteThank you, Mary! :) yes, they're the same thing. ;)
DeleteSo very excellent! I have had a street team for a long time, but it needs a refresh!
ReplyDeleteRaising my hand if you need a new member who loves your books, Erica! :-D
DeleteSo many excellent ideas! Thank you, Rachel, for sharing of your expertise!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Rachel. I don't have a published book yet, but good to have this information for the future.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy being a part of a launch team, although I am limited because I'm not a blogger and don't do Pinterest or Instagram. But I really like promoting the things that I enjoy. I also don't mind requesting books for the library to order but they have now limited us to two times a month instead of two times a week. I guess budget cuts brought that about? Thank you for all of the interesting information!
ReplyDeleteperrianne (DOT) askew (AT) me (DOT) com
Perrianne Askew
Thanks a bunch, Rachel! Great post! I'm not an author, but I do enjoy being on launch teams and promoting books and authors that I love. It's great to have a list of influencing ideas, as different readers have different talents and interests so we can pick and choose those we're comfortable with doing.
ReplyDeleteI love being on street teams where the author has a special Facebook group and interacts with the members in it. It's extra fun and I love the "insider information" ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post. I'll be sharing the link with some author friends.
ReplyDeleteGreat list Rachel :)
ReplyDeleteCan I add one thing?
That Authors make sure they are clear in what they expect from their team (We only want to please you, but we can't do that if you do not tell us what you really expect to see from us) and give them a goal/deadline to post reviews; The deadline is immensely helpful for me personally as it reminds me to put the book at the top of my TBR Stack so I can make sure Amazon/BN accept it before the form needs to be filled out.
Again I loved reading your list Rachel :)
Sincerely,
Kimmie