6 Lead Magnet Ideas for Your Next Book Release

You can hardly believe it, but you are about to FINALLY release your book.

You’ve worked hard on a concept, a manuscript and edits for what seems like eternity. Now, it’s almost time for you to share your work with the world!

But before the accolades, the New York Times Bestseller List and becoming a part of Oprah’s Book List (hopefully), there’s a step that many authors dread – marketing and promoting your book.

But this process doesn’t have to be painful! There are ways to market your book successfully so that you find raving fans in a way that feels honest and true to you.

We recently shared a post about how you’ll need more than an Instagram account to get the word out about your book. Inside we also mentioned the benefits of having an email list.

Today, we’re breaking down how to choose a winning lead magnet that helps you build an audience AND sell your books.

Why Do I Need a Lead Magnet?

As we’ve mentioned before, a lead magnet is a free item or service that you give in exchange for someone’s contact information. This could be anything from a workbook to a video series, product samples, or a free consultation. In exchange for your free offer, you’ll receive your ideal customer’s email address and permission to communicate with them.

The statistics on the success of email marketing is staggering. In fact, the global e-mail marketing market was valued at $7.5 billion in 2020. By 2027 that number is expected to increase to $17.9 billion. So it’s definitely worth it to put a little email strategy behind your book.

By placing a lead magnet on your website, you’ll draw new eyes to your writing and be able to stay in contact with them over time – potentially making these visitors long term customers and readers.

So what kind of lead magnet should you create to help promote your book? We’re so glad you asked!

Lead magnet ideas for you next book release

1. Offer a free chapter of your book.

This idea is definitely the easiest, and often the most successful! Offer the first chapter of your book for free, or maybe even the foreword if there’s a good amount of content inside. This is almost like an appetizer for the book itself – a way to introduce readers to your writing and leave them wanting more.

2. Create a study guide for your book.

Could your book work well in a book club setting? Create a list of questions for each section or chapter of the book or even some discussion questions that relate to the overall theme. This encourages your potential readers to buy the book AND share it with their friends to use your conversation starters.

3. Design a simple journal or companion resource with your book’s branding.

Not a designer? No problem! You can use a free tool like Canva to create a digital journal, bookmarks, desktop wallpapers, or anything else you can think of that features content or quotes directly from your book. Bonus points: Every time someone sees their desktop, journal, etc it reminds them that your book exists!

4. An invitation to a private book club or community.

A great way to build your list and your fans is through creating a community! Invite your website visitors to join a Facebook group where you read and discuss the book together. Create a message board or online event where they get exclusive access to you and a like-minded community. The sky really is the limit on what you can do here!

5. Offer discount coupons for their purchase. (30% off, buy one get one free, etc.)

Last but not least, if you don’t want to get too creative, EVERYONE loves a discount! Offer a special discount code or percentage off your book to those who sign up for your email list. You can even arrange a Buy One, Get One deal or include something else for free (an audiobook, etc) along with their purchase.

Once you have a lead magnet set up that points to your book, share it on your website, your socials and with everyone you meet! We all love a free resource and by creating a valuable lead magnet, you’re on your way to building your audience, creating trust and yes – even selling your book.

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Have you tried any of these lead magnet ideas? What questions do you have about lead magnet creation? Let us know in the comments or over on Instagram at @redbirdsocialco.

Need help creating your lead magnet or developing a marketing campaign for your book? That’s what we do best! You can reach out to our Red Bird Social team for your free consultation right here.