This post, by Jean Oram (introduction) and Judy Croome (post) originally appeared on Jean Oram’s The Helpful Writer on 3/9/13.
Last week I introduced you to Judy Croome whom I met while working on “The Fall: Tales From the Apocalypse.” When “The Fall” was released, Judy rocked a Goodreads giveaway, getting “The Fall” added to many Goodreads reader’s shelves. Curious about the ins and outs of holding Goodreads giveaways as well as the Goodreads ad she ran at the same time, I asked Judy to share her knowledge with the readers of The Helpful Writer.
Last week’s post was about the how, why, and benefits of holding a Goodreads giveaway. This week, Judy Croome is sharing the benefits of running a Goodreads ad at the same time as your giveaway. I wasn’t completely convinced that running an ad alongside a giveaway made sense, but after talking to Judy I am a believer. Here’s what she had to say:
Interview with Judy Croome on Running a Goodreads Ad with Your Goodreads Giveaway: How to Reach the Right Readers
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I’ve heard Goodreads ads help create awareness for Goodreads giveaways. Would you run a Goodreads ad again?
Definitely! I did my first Goodreads giveaway without an ad running concurrently and the number of entrants was a significantly reduced, compared to later ads that I ran at the same time as a giveaway.
You ran an ad on Goodreads at the same time as your giveaway of “The Fall: Tales From the Apocalypse.” Can you tell us a bit about why you decided to do that?
An advantage of running an ad at the same time as the giveaway is that you can target specific audiences with Goodreads ad campaigns. If someone enters the giveaway from the ad link, the chances are increased that the free books have a higher chance of going to a reader who is actually interested in the genre, rather than someone who just enters every giveaway irrespective of whether they’re really going to read the book or not.
What else do you feel authors can do to boost their visibility – either on Goodreads, or other places online?
Marketing and promotion is a voracious beast – as much as you do, it’s never enough! There’s always one more trick or one more tip you can follow to boost your visibility. When I first started promoting my books, I was so busy running myself ragged trying to make myself as visible as possible, I lost valuable writing time and exhausted myself for little visible return.
Read the rest of the post on The Helpful Writer.