Burst into the charts 🌟

(with this one incredibly complex trick...)  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Hey, Once you have been around for a while – like this 'ol hunk of coal – you begin noticing things. These "things" eventually become notions and opinions and theories before blossoming into glorious hills that you choose to die on. But my min-maxing brain has had to make peace with the fact that there is no One True Way – maybe not even a "right" way – to achieve whatever book marketing goal you have set. Because everything is a trade-off. Launch in January and you just might hit that sweet spot between the Kindle Store still being very busy post-Christmas, but where competition is reduced, visibility is easier to attain, and ads are significantly cheaper. Launch in December, though, and you could win that competition and ride a golden wave into the new year. Or launch in February and you could hit a list – and then leverage that into bigger releases and clickier ads and more BookBub Featured Deals and more translation rights and a better parking space at the squash club. See? Everything is a trade-off. You can't see the future and make the perfect choice, no matter how hard you try. Worse again: it's often hard to tell whether a different choice would have been better afterwards. We don't get to see the version of the movie where Gwyneth gets on the train – we're stuck on the platform, wondering. All you can do as an author is evaluate the marketing trade-offs and choose the set of actions which seem most likely to achieve your goals. Learn from your mistakes – yes – but please don't be too harsh on yourself when there's a misfire; it happens to the best of us, and it will just help you make better choices next time. I spoke about the concept of Burst Marketing in an email a couple of weeks ago. Many of you (so many!) replied asking to hear more on that topic – so here you go. This is a slight change to your scheduled programing. I am heading into Week 4 of Why Is This Computer Dying Again? – a fun game I also played during February. I won't bore you with the details but will give a strong recommendation never to buy a Dell laptop. I've been mostly offline this week as a result – boy is it weird out there – so that has nixed my plan to delve into the Amazon category changes further. But my motherboard is being replaced today (they are replacing the same motherboard they replaced last week and somehow think this will fix things??), so I hope to get back online this weekend, and then I can finally play with this new category system myself. (This might also give some time for all those glitches around the new system to be resolved!) My trusty Remarkable 2 is infinitely more reliable so I've been working outside the office, and offline, scribbling away in the sunshine. (How bad, eh?) One thing I kept returning to was this idea of the different approaches to marketing, and the trade-offs they inevitably entail. Burst Marketing – as opposed to the Always-On approach to advertising and book promotion – is not for everyone, for every book, or every situation. Indeed, the entire point is that it is used strategically. I want to show you how I use it – and when I use it. I'm going to explain the role this tool plays in my overall marketing approach and why it is so effective at getting Amazon's algorithms to support your books. But I also want to detail who it is not for. When I don't use it. We need some proper Pros and Cons – and you're getting them right after this message from our sponsor. Sponsor: Nicholas Erik In partnership with Blank Slate​ The ultimate marketing guide for authors looking to build a part- or full-time career. Freshly updated for 2023. Just 5 of the things you'll learn in The Ultimate Guide to Book Marketing's 40 chapters: The Ultimate Book Marketing Formula that shows you the 9 marketing areas you need to focus on (out of the thousands that you could focus on) (Chapter 2) The ultra-simple 3 x 3 System outlining the 3 things you need to do consistently to build a part- or full-time career in 3 years (Chapter 8) Three key factors that impact whether or not your book is recommended by the Amazon Algorithms (the first one is something 99% of books and courses don't talk about) (Chapter 21) How to add 1,000+ quality subscribers to your list in just one month--whether you're just starting out or have been writing for years (Chapter 31) The Two Lever Marketing Strategy for boosting the power of your launches and promos (Chapter 33)And much more, from how to get a cover that actually sells books (Chapter 24) to the simple formula that underpins 99% of marketing (Chapter 6). Tested over 10+ years of experience publishing books and working with dozens of authors. All distilled into this no-fluff 80/20 guide. Plus, when you pick up a copy directly from Nicholas Erik, get the How to Build to Six-Figures Masterclass: an exclusive 2 hour class breaking down a strategy that he's personally used to help multiple authors build six-figure careers. ​Pre-order today!​ ​ Burst Marketing vs. Always On There's no point getting bogged down in defining Burst Marketing too much – just treat it for now as the idea that you don't need to promote and advertise your books all the time. The central idea of Burst Marketing is the opposite: choosing strategic moments to really push your books, concentrating your budget and focus. An author following the Always-On approach to advertising is constantly trying to push their books, as the name suggests, usually through long-running ads. Spend might ramp up around launches but they advertise/promote more or less continually in some form or another. But an author using the Burst Marketing approach will spend most of their budget during pre-planned periods to push their books. Usually launches (and other big backlist sales). Most of their annual ad spend will be devoted to these moments. That might sound like a matter of degrees but there is much more to it – as a rundown of the Pros and Cons should tease out further. Hopefully that will help you decide if this approach is for you too. Pro: Planning & Headspace The simplest point in favor of Burst Marketing is that it's more manageable. For me at least, it makes planning much easier. I might have 3 launches planned for the next year and decide on a further backlist promo during the quietest period – so that's 4 big marketing campaigns over the next 12 months that I need to plan and budget for, where I'll really go all out. This helps me mentally too in terms of bandwidth and headspace. (YMMV.) Con: No Rank Safety Net Concentrating marketing energy and ad dollars means there will be chunks of the year when rank slides. You can get into a weird space where you feel your "lack of success" is because you're not "doing something." Pro: Boss Launches On the other hand, this concentration of ad dollars over a shorter period (often a week), leads to bigger launches, better ranks, more impact overall – and Amazon gives lots of extra visibility to new books, once you can raise yourself up from the ranking soup. Visibility which gets a lot more lucrative with that bigger launch splash you are making. Con: Amazon Ads Always-on advertising seems to suit Amazon Ads much better. It's very hard to scale them up quickly or even just to get them serving and profitable in the limited window of a launch or sale. Pro: Going Big With Discounts You are not without options that work in a limited-time window if you favour the Burst Marketing approach. In fact, focusing on specific moments throughout the year allows you to go big in other ways too – running discounts and free promotions across earlier books in your series, multiplying your launch week sales and putting your entire series in the charts at the same time – the ultimate social proof. Facebook Ads are excellent here, and BookBub Ads to a certain extent. And with those aforementioned discounts in the mix, promo sites can also provide a superb foundation to your launches as well, by again pushing those earlierbooks in the series and helping to create that synergy with your new release. Con: Constant Evolution An Always-On approach allows you to be in constant evolution, tweaking and refining as you go, until you eventually hit that magic winning formula. Pro: Perspective Taking breaks between ad campaigns allows you to internalize any insights – giving you the distance and perspective you might never attain if your nose is always to the grindstone. (Nose? Shoulder? Millstone rather than grindstone? I honestly have no idea.) Con: Also Boughts Always-on helps you nail down appropriate Also Boughts for your book and keep them too. They are dynamic to a certain extent and will change over time (even aside from Amazon shunting them all over the gaf). Meaning you are continually nudging Amazon's recommendations in the right direction. Especially as you are generally doing this with Amazon Ads campaigns, which are mostly focused on comp books – i.e. the perfect tool for affecting your Also Boughts. And one which doesn't work particularly well with a Burst Marketing approach… remember? Pro: Amazon Recommendations You are correct, but you know what? I'm glad you brought up Amazon's recommendation engine because that's the main advantage of the Burst Marketing approach – indeed, what it was specifically designed to take advantage of. Burst Marketing understands that Amazon likes to see strong, consistent sales over several days – this is the ideal pattern of sales to trigger Amazon recommendations. And if you do that at a high enough level, then Amazon's recommendation engine will start recommending your book to your target audience. And often that is readers in your target audience who you had difficulty reaching yourself, either through ads or organic means, making it especially valuable. Get the launch/promo really cooking, and powerful effects can last for weeks and weeks, long after you have stopped spending money, introducing your work to a whole swathe of new readers. (Reminder: I have written an entire book about this.) Con: Risky This sounds very Amazon-dependent. Which is dangerous when there are so many glitches on Amazon when the store is busy, when they introduce a new feature, when the wind changes… Can these glitches, which can predominate around crucial times like the holidays, also affect this magical algorithm seduction process? Pro: We Are All Made Of Glitches Honestly, yes. Glitches can stop some or all of this good stuff happening and when it does, it sucks. But it's perhaps important to point out that this doesn't kill your book, it just stops you getting the cream you earned. Besides… a launch or promo can get wrecked by glitches regardless. That's the game. Con: What About Wide? Still sounds verrrry Amazon-centric. What about the whole world of retailers outside of the biggest river? And what about things like permafrees or even a cheap series starter? Surely those benefit from a more Always-On approach? Pro: Flexibility You tell no lies, my friend. But here's the thing: Burst Marketing is no jealous lover. You can incorporate aspects from other approaches as long as you remember that the overall aim is to focus your attention and dollars on your books at key moments. Wanna do the Burst Marketing thang and run some Always-On Amazon Ads on the side to act as a safety net on rank? Do it. I do! Feel like carving out some of that Burst Marketing launch budget for a specific Amazon Ads campaign to nail down the right Also Boughts on your precious new baby? Do it. I do this too! Want to ringfence some yearly Facebook spend for regular campaigns to boost your permafrees outside of launches and the likes? Great idea! Prefer to spend your dollars inbetween launches on lead-generation campaigns to grow your mailing list? Another great idea! The Takeaway We will return to this topic again in a much more practical way, showing you how I set up a campaign which tries to lean into the Pros above, and sidestep at least some of the Cons. The thing to remember is that there's nothing exclusionary about Burst Marketing. You can adopt it wholesale, harvest parts for your own bespoke marketing operation, or tweak everything until it suits you better. I'm just presenting this alternative approach for you to consider the central thesis. Namely, focus your love, attention, and dollars on key moments. And see if it works better for you. Dave P.S. Writing music this week is John Francis Flynn with Shallow Brown. Broomfield Business Park, Malahide, Co. Dublin K36 AT04 ​Unsubscribe | Update your profile​