How To Attract Your Ideal Audience Online Before Your Official Book Launch

As an author, building excitement around your book launch is essential—but it doesn’t start on launch day. Attracting your ideal audience well before your book hits the shelves is crucial to your book’s success, whether you’re self-publishing or working with a traditional publisher. While the number of followers you have can be a factor, today’s literary agents and publishers are also looking for the level of engagement the community you cultivated is having with you and your content (and whether you’re engaging with them right back).

This blog will walk you through why it’s important to start building your audience early, how to attract the right people, and what you should focus on to create a meaningful and engaged community.

Define Your Ideal Audience Early

Before you even begin crafting your social media posts, it’s important to know who you’re trying to attract. This isn’t just about getting as many followers as possible; it’s about finding the right people—the ones who will truly resonate with your message and ultimately support your book.

Start by creating a detailed Ideal Client Profile (ICP): – Who are they? What age group, profession, or interests do they have? – What are their pain points? What problems, concerns, or desires do they have that your book addresses? – What do they need from you? Are they seeking inspiration, practical advice, or entertainment?

Understanding your audience allows you to create content that speaks directly to them, building a genuine connection that leads to higher engagement.

Pro Tip: The earlier you define your audience, the sooner you can tailor your content to attract the right people, not just anyone. This clarity will help you avoid the outdated “more followers = better” mindset.

An ICP is the true North Star of your content for your book launch and beyond! Taking the time to craft this using data and experience will set you apart from others in your industry.

Because I believe in developing this piece of the content strategy puzzle so much, I’m hosting a boot(k)camp for authors like you to dive deep and source the right data to properly craft your custom ideal client profile.

Join me for the boot(k)camp here!

Timeline: Why Timing Matters in Building Your Audience

Timing is everything when it comes to social media and book launches. Starting early gives you the time needed to build an engaged community, not just surface-level followers. Literary agents and publishers pay close attention to the size and engagement of your online audience well before they agree to work with you.

They want to see: ???– Consistent posting that shows dedication. ???– Engagement metrics like comments, shares, and meaningful interactions. ? – Audience growth that is authentic and aligned with your book’s theme.

Recommended timeline: – 6-8 months before launch: Start posting regularly about the themes of your book. Engage with your followers through questions and conversations about related topics. – 4-6 months before launch: Build excitement with teasers, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes content. Start creating a sense of anticipation. – 2-3 months before launch: Share more specific content around the book, like cover reveals or sample chapters, while increasing your call-to-action (CTA) to join your email list or pre-order the book.

Publishers are no longer just looking at your follower count—they’re also gauging your engagement levels. A smaller, highly engaged audience is far more valuable than a large, passive one. This is why starting your audience-building efforts early is key.

Post Content That Speaks Directly to Your Audience

Once you know who your ideal audience is, the next step is to create content that? draws them in and keeps them coming back for more. This is when things get gooood! Consider these content types to test:

– Tips and Insights: Share valuable advice or key takeaways related to your book’s subject matter. This positions you as a thought leader in your niche, attracting those interested in what you have to say. This type of content especially when presented in talk-to-camera style video can accelerate trust!

– Personal Stories: Let your audience in on your journey as an author. Hi! You’re a human and people want to double make sure you are, k? Share the ups and downs of writing your book, your inspiration, and what keeps you motivated. Personal stories create an emotional connection that resonates with readers. This is what 99.9% of my clients are missing. Why? Because being vulnerable is scary. It is often uncomfortable to open up the curtain for some of us who have been taught through societal norms to be humble and not show off. But in social media, this level of transparency — showcasing your wins and unpacking your losses — is not only essential, it’s expected.?

– Engagement-Driven Posts: Use polls, Q&A sessions, and open-ended questions to encourage interaction. Social media algorithms favor content that sparks conversations, so engaging with your audience can also help boost your content’s visibility.

By offering valuable, interesting, and relatable content, you’ll begin to draw in the right audience—the people who will be excited to support your book.

Focus on Metrics That Matter

Engagement vs. Follower Count: The New Publisher Standard

It used to be that publishers and literary agents would judge the success of an author’s social media presence solely by the number of followers. While follower count still matters, engagement is far more important today. Publishers want to see that your followers are engaging with your content, not just scrolling past it.

When publishers say they’re looking for engagement, what they should be measuring is engagement rate, not just raw engagement numbers. The difference between engagement rate and engagement? Engagement refers to the total number of likes, comments, shares, and interactions a post receives. On the other hand, engagement rate is the percentage of your audience that interacts with your content, relative to your follower count. This is a much more meaningful metric, as it shows how actively involved your audience is, regardless of size.

For example, if you have 1,000 followers and 100 of them engage with your content, that’s a 10% engagement rate—far more valuable than having 10,000 followers with only 100 interactions, which would result in a 1% engagement rate. Although, many publishers may not distinguish between the two, the engagement rate is a better indicator of audience quality and loyalty, which is what truly drives book sales and long-term success.

Focus on metrics that matter like:

???– Comments: Are people responding to your posts in meaningful ways?

???– Shares: Are your posts being shared with a wider audience?

???– Likes and Saves: Are people finding your content valuable enough to save or react to it?

Engagement metrics show that you’ve built a community that values what you share—and this is what publishers are paying attention to now.

Stop, Collaborate and Listen

One of the fastest ways to grow your audience and reach your ideal readers is through collaborations. Partnering with influencers, thought leaders, and other trusted professionals in your network who share a similar audience can help amplify your message far and wide. But! You have to make it easy for them to do so. I have an entire chapter in the book How to Build Empowered Partners to Skyrocket Your Visibility and Income on this very topic — Connect to Convert: The Art of Partner-Powered Promotion. In fact there’s a whole event dedicated to aligning these partnerships throughout your launches. Get your ticket.?

Ways to collaborate: ??

?– Interviews or Guest Posts: Appear as a guest on someone’s blog, podcast, or social media livestream. Again, you must make sure they have a similar audience to the one you’re looking to attract to your corner of the internet.? ???

– Social Media Takeovers: Offer to take over someone else’s social media account for a day to share your expertise and book journey.? ?

– Joint Giveaways: Partner with influencers or complementary authors to run a joint book giveaway.

And of course, we can’t sleep on traditional PR from local all the way through national news outlets. But I suggest you take a gander at Nardi Media’s blog for all the rich insight Ashely and her team can share around the publicity piece of book promotion that social undoubtedly amplifies.?

Collaborations not only help you reach a new audience but also lend credibility, as you are being introduced by someone the audience already follows and trusts. Win-Win scenario!

Create a Lead Magnet to Capture Emails

Social media is great for visibility, but capturing your audience’s email addresses will give you direct access to them when your book launches. Creating a lead magnet—a free resource that aligns with your book’s themes—can entice people to join your email list. Pro Tip: I’ve also seen publishers and literary agents consider email list size when looking to sign authors.?

Ideas for lead magnets:

?– Sample Chapters: Offer the first chapter of your book as a free download.??

?– Webinars or Virtual Events: Host a free webinar or event where you share valuable insights tied to your book’s message.

?– Exclusive Guide or Checklist: Create a resource related to your book’s topic (e.g., a wellness guide, a business checklist).?

Once they’re on your email list, you can continue nurturing this relationship with exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes content, and special offers, ensuring your audience is engaged and ready for your book’s release.

Quick Example:

A real life example of these strategies being leveraged is Mel Robbins, author of The 5 Second Rule, High 5 Habit, and soon to be launched in December 31, 2024, The Let Them Theory. For the upcoming, The Let Them Theory, the promotion has already begun. Her Today Show interview aired this week, but that opportunity was likely secured by her publicity team months ago.

She shared on Instagram: “I cannot believe it. YOU have made The Let Them Theory book the #1 BEST SELLER on Amazon in all of Canada and the #2 BEST SELLER across all of Amazon in JUST 24 HOURS!!”

She’s reached Best Selling Status and her book won’t be released for 2 more months! Because yes, she’s Mel Robbins, but also ALSO, she know that prior proper planning infact does prevent poor performance. On top of the publicity she’s secured now and up to her book launch, she’s also running a webinar on Dec 12 for people to attend and learn more about the book and the theory. This webinar will be live AND a copy of the recording will be available for all those who pre-order the book and signed up for the masterclass

Here’s what she’s including in her ‘Exclusive Live Let Them Masterclass with Mel!”

New Insights: Strategies and research directly from The Let Them Theory book.

Personal Guidance: A live chapter reading, featuring personal stories from Mel.

Interactive Q&A: Get transformative, actionable advice in real-time.

This masterclass gives people what they want more of, Mel! But at the same time Mel and her team are strategic by making it exclusive to those who pre-order the book before that date. Why is this important? Pre-orders signal demand and increase the chances of bestseller lists, while setting the stage for additional PR and media opportunities.

Bottomline? Build an Audience With Intention?

Building an audience before your book launch is not about accumulating followers for the sake of numbers—it’s about attracting the right people who are genuinely interested in your message and work. By starting early, posting valuable and engaging content, collaborating with others, and focusing on engagement over follower count, you’ll create a strong and authentic online community that’s ready to support you when your book is finally released.

Your efforts on social media now will pay off in the long term, giving you the foundation for success not only during your launch but throughout your career as an author.

Let’s get that audience built ASAP >> Join My Supercharge Your Sales through Ideal Client Attraction BOOTCAMP