Monday, April 17, 2017

Authors: Get Attention By Tapping Into Psychology Of Readers & News Media



Why do we read books?

The answer to that question may help us promote our books to the news media and market them to potential readers.

The obvious response is that fiction allows us to imagine and reside in worlds that don’t or can’t exist, or exist, but just not for us.  Non-fiction allows us the opportunity to learn about life and the people and things that make up the world, as well as gain an appreciation for history.

Reading a book can be enlightening, inspiring, entertaining, and educational.  Books can disrupt our thinking and provide ammunition to question our views, probe our belief system, and challenge our understanding of the world and ourselves.

We should craft media pitches, press releases, blog posts, FB posts, Tweets, YouTube videos, and podcasts that reflect some kind of perceived benefit for readers. What will they learn, feel or think as a result of consuming your book?  Turn that into a headline or a story idea for the media.

You can promote a book by highlighting an author’s credentials or experiences, the perceived benefits of the contents, its connection to what’s in the news, or its curiosity factor. 

You need to appeal to what readers:
 Want/desire
·         Need/avoid
·         Think
·         Feel
·         Expect
·         Have experienced
·         Love/hate
·         Fear/fantasize
·         Believe
·         Understand the world to be like
·         Wish or dream about
·         Seek to avoid

Play into any or many of these things and you’ll quickly tunnel into the psychology of the media and readers.  You peddle hopes and dreams, not mere stories or facts.  You impact one’s life and help them experience something they otherwise were not experiencing.

Take a lesson from the movie industry.  They hype a movie by building up actng celebrity brands, mixing in strong visuals, a catchy dialogue, and great sound effects.  Hollywood likes to play up the “what if” factor that thrusts you right into the middle of controversy, fantasy, or danger.

Your goal with a media or sales pitch is to be persuasive.  The way to do that is to use certain words, phrases, questions, and facts or stats so that you can make them feel something.

When you go to a good restaurant the waitress doesn’t just say she has steak, fish, pasta or chicken, right?  No, she will say they have:  “Freshly prepared steak, cooked to your preference, a mouth-watering 14-ounce choice cut, hand-selected by the owner, seasoned with the best Brazilian spices and marinated in a reduction of…”  You get the idea.  They are descriptive.  They paint a picture.  They make you want everything that’s offered.  They tap into your food passions and present their wares as the solution to whatever bothers you.

To get media attention for your book and yourself, speaking enthusiastically, descriptively, and in a tone that allows them to feel they’ll be rewarded with something special will surely do the trick.  Find your unique selling point and then play it up until the reader or listener can’t find a reason to refuse you.

READ THIS!!
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Author 2017 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

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