by Shannon Redmon
I’ve heard many people say, Book Trailers don’t work. Book Trailers aren’t effective. Book Trailers aren’t worth the investment. If that were the case than why are video social media apps, like Tik Tok and Instagram Reels booming?
Video is everywhere and our younger generations don’t know a world without them. What better way to reach an audience than provide content that gives a sneak peek into our books across all our social media channels. Here a five tips on book trailers.
1) Provides content for all social media channels
As authors we must cast a wide net across many different digital channels to promote our books. We have to post on our websites, add to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Amazon Author page etc. just to name a few. A book trailer helps us to have interesting content to add to all of these areas. Some authors only add book trailers to their websites, but these videos can be added anywhere an mp4 file can be uploaded especially if they are kept under thirty seconds in length. My favorite place to upload them are to Amazon and Goodreads. Readers are looking for books on both of these sites and a book trailer can help them make the final decision to click the buy button.
2) Builds author name brand
Book Trailers help to promote our name as an author. These videos can give readers a quick way to understand what type of author we are, what genre of book we write and peak their interest in our stories.
3) Reasonable budget
When we hire a company to do our trailers, there can be a hefty price for the finished project. However, there are several small budget ways to create a book trailer without breaking the bank. There is some software out there that is inexpensive and most of them offer free trials to see which one best suits our wallets. Also, audio and video clips can be found on some royalty-free sites without having to pay a license fee. Be careful here and do your research to make sure no copyright laws are broken.
4) Add to newsletters
Don’t we always complain about having to do newsletters? Usually because we have so much content we have to create to fill the spaces. A nice book trailer can be a feature of your newsletter. We can use these videos to help promote other author’s books and of course our own when the time comes.
5) They are cool!
When done well, book trailers are just plain cool to watch. However, if they have an amateur look to them, then they can also hurt our brand. Check out some professional author’s trailers and create a video of similar quality. Most best selling authors provide book trailers so if they put them out there for their readers, shouldn’t we?
Check out the book trailer I made for my latest release, Secrets Left Behind.
Book Trailer videos are here to stay and as authors we can utilize them to help build our name brand in so many ways.
Shannon is giving away a copy of her new release, Secrets Left Behind, to one lucky commentor (US only, please). Simply leave a comment to be entered. Or you can snag your own copy here.
Shannon
hopes her stories immerse readers into a world of joy and escape while
encouraging faith, hope, and love for those around us. Her debut novel, Cave
of Secrets, was released by Love Inspired Suspense in October 2020 and Book
2, Secrets Left Behind, is available now. Her other published works have
appeared in Spark magazine, Splickety magazine, The Horse of My Dreams and Romantic
Moments compilation books, the Lightning Blog and the Seriously Write blog. She
is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
Connect with Shannon:
Shannon, you are so right and this is something I have got to do. Today's audiences are much more media-savvy, aren't they? And used to multi-media presentations. I'm comfortable with Zoom now after being dragged through the valley of the shadow during COVID, but I'd like to be more multi-dimensional. Agree with you about not doing it oneself, unless oneself is already experienced at this kind of thing. Me, it would be a disaster.
ReplyDeleteChained to desk today for variety of reasons, may be back later.
KB
Kathy, I hope you're chained to your desk because you have a lot of writing to do. And I agree about today's audiences. They're very visual. As someone who's always been a visual person, I can very much appreciate book trailers. Like the back cover copy, it's just another way to grab reader's attention.
DeleteMindy, I AM chained to my desk because I have a lot of writing to do. Fortunately, I love what I do.
DeleteEveryone today is visual and we all need to up our game to recognize that.
BTW and FYI, I just got off the e-mail with Meez Carrie and I will be blogging here on July 26. Time to schedule your vacations, ladies. Or not....
Kathy, I'm excited you will be blogging here!
DeleteLooking forward to it, Kaybee!
DeleteHi Kathy! I'm glad your busy doing what you love with writing. I'm a writer too, so I understand being chained to the desk. Book trailers are another way to grab the reader's attention and get your name in front of them.
DeleteHi again Kathy! Sorry about the Anonymous - that last reply is from me :)
DeleteOkay. I'm convinced. I loved your trailer, Shannon - short, but so effective!
ReplyDeleteI'm putting a book trailer on my to-do list!
Hi Jan - Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it and hope that a book trailer helps you promote your stories!
DeleteJan, I admire you. You've been stretching your wings and learning so many new things these last couple of years. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
ReplyDeleteMindy, it's all about stretching, isn't it? A new genre, a new time period if you're doing historicals, a group effort as we learned about yesterday, GOING INDIE. SO much to learn!
DeleteDid you know that when you stretch yourself too far that your brain can actually feel the strain just like a muscle when you overuse it?
DeleteI'm not sure if that's scientific, but that sure is what my brain feels like some days!
I've had days like that too, Jan and I just have to take a nap when my brain gets to feeling like that!
DeleteI enjoy book trailers. I've had a few made for me, but I haven't stretched to making one myself yet.
ReplyDeleteErica, once Jan figures it out, she can teach you. ;-)
DeleteI think many authors find them a bit intimidating but when we break them down into their pieces, they become a little easier to put together!
DeleteBook trailers are fun. Please put me in the drawing for the book. It looks good.
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed, Sandy. And your name is in the hat.
DeleteSo glad you like them Sandy!
DeleteI still remember some of the book trailers that I watched in elementary school, before the annual Scholastic book sales. So I guess that just proves that trailers can be VERY effective!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to learn that there's free audio and video on royalty-free sites--I want to look into that now.
Thanks!
Yes there are - be cautious and make sure to read all the licensing to make sure they are truly royalty free. They're are some out there to use though.
DeleteShannon how did you make this? I've done a very few but I've never seen cool video like you used. It was great and I wish I was better at stuff like this.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great, Mary? Shannon does a really good job.
DeleteThis was such an interesting post!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, Angeline. I thought so, too.
DeleteLoved the post and the trailer. And then I saw one after that one that you did for Dana. Both were great. I'm with Mary. I'd love to know your go-tos. I have my system now for mine, but I always like to see what others are doing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this article.
ReplyDelete