Can you effectively promote a book only online and predominately through social media? It's a question most self-published authors and book marketing services experts answer. It depends. If you're an established celebrity with a huge following (hundreds of thousands or millions), your social media posts alone may sell your book adequately. But since the number of people in that league is limited, it's wiser to think about a multi-faceted publicity program with multiple elements, including media coverage. The affirmation of media coverage gives you and your book greater stature.
If you've decided you'd like to seek media coverage, hiring a publicist can help. There are a few authors who have had success handling things DIY, but having professional help is an asset. First off, PR people have developed media relationships. It helps them get their emails and calls returned while yours might go unanswered. They also have expertise in developing pitches and can craft a press release that interests people. You're trying to demonstrate your book's newsworthiness, and when you do, its chances of being covered increase. It is the same with you receiving invitations for TV interviews.
The process works differently for fiction authors; if you're in that category, your book will compete for different media opportunities. Novels are more in the arts and entertainment realm, while nonfiction books often work for the general news cycle. When you begin writing your book, keeping your target audience in mind and ensuring you're saying something new on your topic is helpful. Finding ways to pitch your book to the media often means finding the "sound bites" within it and highlighting them. They are also the points you'll bring up when being interviewed or giving quotes.
While today's premise is the importance of media coverage in a book marketing campaign, it by no means implies social media should be ignored. It should be actively used to complement any media coverage you receive. Links to articles and interviews make excellent social media posts and increase the reach of your coverage. If they are interesting, you can expect some fans to share them, which increases your visibility. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tactic for books, and social media amounts to a virtual version of it. You want to get a buzz started in places target readers are reading.
