Book sales are in the interest of many people: writers, publishing houses, and bookshops. They all often participate in book promotions – in an attempt to attract as many potential customers as possible. But where do you start when your newly released book hits the shelves? We strongly believe in the power of Instagram, and so should you! Let’s take a look at different ways to promote your book with Instagram Giveaways.
Book giveaways on Instagram organized by bookstores
Do you remember the excitement of walking into a bookstore as a child and putting your eyes on thousands of books that were within your reach? You can still get that buzz if you’re a real bookworm. But with the easy access to Internet, there are now millions of books that are literally within our reach. There’s nothing simpler than online shopping: it’s less time-consuming and allows you to research more books. Of course, the magic might not be quite there. When was the last time you bought a book in an actual bookstore? Because the last three books I bought online… And this is why bookstores are now putting so much effort into moving online and increasing their social media presence.
Waterstones – the UK leading bookseller – regularly promotes the audience’s favorite books, as well as new releases and classic gems. They often organize easy-to-enter giveaways for their online community. Take a look at the above example to see that all the participants had to do was leave a comment on the giveaway post. Is there an easier way to partake in an online promotion?
Instagram book giveaways by authors and writers
Book writers often attract many users to their social media profiles, as the readers like to know who is behind their favorite books. A big social media following is a great opportunity for writers to promote their newly released books – they can boost product awareness and promote it to a wider audience. Authors often share shots of their publications, show screenshots of specific pages, or even organize live videos where they read fragments of their books. And some organize giveaways on their Instagram accounts just like Lydia Michaels in the following example.
The organizer was clearly looking to reach a wider audience – she asked participants to tag three friends in the comment section. That highly increases the possibility of the giveaway going viral!
Book publishers on Instagram: promote new releases with giveaways
Publishing houses also depend on the number of books they sell – that’s the reason why book promotion is an important aspect for any publisher. The social media users that enjoy a book every once in a while (or every day), often follow publishing houses to make sure they don’t miss any newly released books. Atria Books is a popular American book publisher with a very active and big social media community. They recently took it to Instagram to promote one of their best-selling authors – Martha Waters. They organized a comment giveaway for all their followers. All they needed to do was to follow the organizing account and tag a friend in the comment section.
Are you looking for ideas for book giveaways on other social media platforms? Discover more about book sweepstakes on social media channels.
Book giveaways on Instagram organized by social media influencers
We’ve all seen our share of beauty and fitness influencers. But did you know that there are also book influencers? They’re people that love reading as much as they love sharing their opinions on the recently read books with a wider public. Some of them have become so popular that they team up with publishing houses to organize comment giveaways on Instagram.
In the above example, Kensington Books teamed up with a popular book influencer to give away five copies of a new release from a bestselling author. The entry requirements were as easy as ever: users followed the organizing accounts, liked the post and tagged a friend in the comments.
Another example of a giveaway comes from My Book Features – another account promoting attention-worth books. In this case, the organizer was giving away a bundle of 15 different books.
Are you planning to launch an Instagram Giveaway for World Book Day? Use our ready-made World Book Day giveaway template to save some time!
As you can see, Instagram giveaways are all about comments and engagement. Take the opportunity to boost social media engagement and boost awareness for your products. Do you have more questions about organizing book giveaways on Instagram? Don’t hesitate to contact us!
