Publicity Campaign Success

You hear it all the time - more books are being published these days than ever before. Generally, this is a positive thing because it means more authors are accomplishing a dream and getting their books into the hands of readers. However, it does lead to the inevitable question: how do you get your book to stand out in a crowded market?

There are many different types of marketing you should consider as an author. Still, one of the most effective ways to gain visibility for your book before and around publication is through a media campaign. A media campaign is what it says on the tin: it’s a campaign dedicated to approaching media in the hopes of soliciting coverage, whether that’s an interview, feature or some spotlight. While this may not necessarily translate into immediate sales, it’s undeniable that the more visible a product is, the more likely it is to sell. 

So, how do we go about launching a media campaign? Earlier this year, we had the privilege of publishing part one of Johnny Ball’s memoir, My Previous Life in Comedy. Johnny is a well-known and loved celebrity, but we approached his book like any other author’s, starting with a media list, a press release, and a plan.

Planning is crucial

When undertaking a media campaign, the best thing to do is to plan who you want to approach, how you’re going to pitch and when the best time to approach them will be. Some media outlets operate on a long-lead calendar, meaning they have articles and features booked in advance for a month or two, whereas others can quickly respond to an item and publish it in a matter of days. Generally, the more national outlets, (i.e. ones that are widely available throughout the UK), will work to a longer lead time, and regional outlets, (i.e. ones that are anchored in a particular county/town), will work to a much shorter timeframe. This means you need to start thinking about your media campaign a few months before your publication date to maximise your chances of securing interest.

National media coverage

Therefore, when we listed the media we wanted to approach for Johnny, we ensured that we were contacting the national media outlets first. His publication date was March, so we made sure to send out as early as January to give us adequate time to pitch and to book in any subsequent coverage before his book went ‘live’. This worked out exceptionally well as we were able to first secure The Telegraph, who were interested in running the first broadsheet interview with him. This is something else to be aware of - national media are often in competition with each other, and therefore they ask for an exclusive. You need to nail down what exactly they consider exclusive. For The Telegraph Arts, they wanted to be the first broadsheet. This freed us up so that when Loose Women and The One Show responded to our pitches, we were able to discuss appearances with them happily. Again, though, both wanted an exclusive. The One Show wanted an exclusive as the first TV interview, whereas Loose Women wanted the first ITV exclusive, so with some careful planning, we were able to say yes to both. With most media coverage, a research chat is always needed prior - another reason to plan your time carefully to hopefully get the coverage out at the best time. 

From that point on, we knew we had those exclusives locked in and if a competing programme got in touch, it was their choice whether to proceed. For example, Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh was fine with going out after the other TV appearances, as were Channel 5 with Dan Walker, Channel 5 with Jeremy Vine, and Saturday Kitchen. With the broadsheet exclusive in play, another way around this is to offer something different - for example, when we pitched The Guardian, they agreed to an extract instead, so covering the same book but from a slightly different angle!

Niche category targeting

But it’s not always about the general national media; it’s often about breaking the book into categories of interest. This part of his memoir is about Johnny’s childhood and exploration into stand-up comedy, so we also approached areas of media where this would be the focus. For example, we were delighted when The British Comedy Guide came back to our pitch wanting an interview, as well as Chortle, Britain’s premier source for comedy news. Fortunately, category-specific media don’t tend to run on exclusives, so this makes approaching and booking them a lot simpler.

We also targeted RAF News because of Johnny’s involvement with them, and they were enthusiastic about the idea of an interview and competition. We also decided to approach the more mature crowd who had grown up with and loved Johnny. This led to an exciting opportunity with Saga, which not only published an article about him and the book in their magazine but also invited him on one of their cruises! Another key target for this section of the media campaign was Best of British, which loved interviewing Johnny so much that they put him as their cover feature.

Regional coverage

It’s always important never to neglect regional media. However, it’s often the section of our media campaigns that yields the highest response, as you can tap into a local pride angle more easily. As Johnny had a few regional areas in his book that were prominently featured, we approached all relevant media in the month before his publication date. We were delighted with the surge of positive responses. Local radio is particularly more responsive to authors with a story to tell, so Johnny made the rounds on BBC Radio Manchester, Bolton FM and BBC Radio Bristol, as well as appearing in print in The Bristol Post, Mancunian Matters, and Bolton News to name a few. You have to remember, we’re targeting readers who consume their news and entertainment in a myriad of different ways, so while some are obsessed with the broadsheets, others may never pick them up but read their local paper religiously. 

Momentum is key

This leads onto the final point - once a snowball is rolling down the hill, it can make it easier to gain momentum and draw interest from other media that you haven’t even pitched. A few weeks into the campaign, we were approached by the producer of the then-new-and-upcoming podcast with Matt Lucas and David Walliams: Making a Scene, who had read about the book in the coverage we’d secured. Remember, we’re trying to access as many channels to get to readers as possible, and podcasts are one way to do that. Johnny was thrilled with the invite and we booked him into a lineup of other celebrities that include Rob Brydon, Richard E. Grant, Alan Carr and Simon Pegg. A definite win!

Every campaign is different, as every book is, but the key fact is that more visibility = more chance your book will sell. By making a plan and executing a media campaign that caters to your book and audience, you’re that much more likely to increase the number of people who know about your book, reach readers who will love it, and (hopefully) make some money at the end of it. Perhaps you aren’t as well-known as Johnny Ball, but if you have a story to tell, with a bit of planning, timing and luck, there could be someone ready to listen and share it with others.