Your promotion has finally come to an end. You check your numbers…
Satisfied? Maybe.
But, it’s not over.
There are several critical things you must do after your KDP free days promotion ends.
In our two previous articles, we went over social media tactics and preparatory strategies that were applicable to the before and during stages of your promotion.
This third and final article will give you some pointers on how to successfully bring your promotion to a close.
Thank Your Supporters
Here are a few tips when using Twitter, Facebook, a press release, as well as your mailing list to thank your supporters.
Be genuine! Don’t sell them anything. You’ve probably done enough of that when scheduling you tweets for the promotion.
We tend not to include links in our ‘thank you’ tweets. But, we are not completely opposed to supplying the link to our book, especially for those who are not aware of what it is that we are thanking our followers for.
If your book reached #1 in a category during the promotion and you got a snapshot of it, include the image in your ‘thank you’ tweet. It’s always nice to show your followers exactly how they helped you.
Less words, more graphic. Remember the viral post segment on our first installment of the KDP series?
Well, the same goes for when you thank your supporters.
We typically use a snapshot of our category rankings, of course the best rank we reached during the promotion, and headline it with a simple, genuine “Thank you to all those who made our promotion a success!”
Press Release
If you use a press release service, this is a great opportunity to get link backs and more exposure for your book and your brand.
Unlike thanking your supporters through social media, we believe that in a press release that recaps your promotion, you ought to brag a little bit more but do NOT be arrogant.
Thank your supporters again and mention all the great numbers and rankings your promotion hit.
Ultimately, writing up a press release filled with keywords regarding your book and your author brand as well as links to your website will be very beneficial to your web presence and credibility. It’s also a positive step towards increasing book sales.
Mailing List
Those on your mailing list are typically your most loyal followers. Well, at least more loyal than your Twitter and Facebook followers…
On top of the ‘thank you’ and the great numbers your promotion achieved through their support, give your subscribers exclusive information.
When will your next KDP free days promotion be? Let them know first so that they don’t feel cheated buying the book a day before it goes free for promotion.
Are you working on your next book? If so, consider sending them the first chapter as a teaser as well as a token of thanks.
Review Your Strategies
Each free days promotion we have is different than the previous one. New strategies, refurbished preparatory stages, improved process, and any new ways for a more efficient and effective promotion is critical to adapting to the constantly changing ebook industry.
Here’s a list of several things you need to be mindful of with each new promotion:
- Are there new promotional websites to submit your free ebook to?
- How should I word my tweets to get the most engagement?
- How much time before the promotion should I contact promoters?
- Are there new, innovative methods to letting more people know about my promotion?
For every promotion we have, we come up with a schedule for the week of the promotion. It serves as a checklist of what to do before, during, and after the promotion. It also provides a great way to see which strategies were effective and those that could be improved upon.
A simple checklist that keeps everything organized will make each step of your promotion seamless; more importantly, it will become a template for future promotions.
Is One Promotion Enough?
It’s tough to say exactly how many free days promotion will make your book a best seller. No one knows, and probably will never know.
From our experience, running free days promotions gives a strong boost to book sales as long as you adapt to the ebook industry and make strategic decisions based on reliable data.
We see high value in running 3-day free promotions as it bumps your book’s rankings in categories and subsequently improves its visibility in Amazon’s Kindle Store. It certainly helps book sales especially if you consistently promote your book through other strategies such as guest posting and author interviews.
In this wave of self publishing and indie authors, it’s a complicated free-for-all battle between authors. Keep organized, stay on top of epublishing news, and be quick to adapt to the results you see from each promotion.
Set yourself up for success and with a bit of luck, who knows what can happen?
What kind of strategies have you employed for your KDP free days promotion?
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