11 Proven Strategies to Skyrocket Your Book Promotion on Amazon

by Penny Sansevieri | Jun 25, 2024 | Amazon Updates & Marketing Tips

Reading Time: ( Word Count: )

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Amazon is the central hub for most authors looking to sell more books. Sure you can absolutely send readers to your website, but the majority of consumers aren’t inclined to buy from someone they don’t know. And with so few authors having access to bookstore distribution – increasing your visibility by creating a smart book promotion plan on Amazon is a must.

But I also know that it’s often challenging to navigate the algorithm, keep up visibility, and compete with the onslaught of books that populate the site on a daily basis.

So let’s dig into some known, and lesser-known ways to gain more visibility on Amazon. Some of these may surprise you!

Your Book Page Matters

And so does refreshing it.

A solid book page is an absolute must if you want to sell more books but so often authors forget to spend time on their Amazon retail pages after their book is uploaded. There’s a real benefit to periodically updating your book page.

I’m not suggesting that you get in there on a daily basis to make changes, but we often forget to add things that could really benefit our book sales. For example: did you win an award, or were you a finalist for one? Did you get a really awesome editorial review that could get added to your book description? Does your bio need updating? What about a refreshed author photo?

This should be your goal. Once a quarter, check out your Amazon book page and really dig into adding or updating things, maybe even tweaking your book description to better serve your market based on reviews and feedback you’ve gotten!

Always keep this in mind: successful book promotion on Amazon really comes down to giving the reader what they want and making sure that your book description is checking all the boxes.

Book marketing on Amazon, 8 things to get noticed.

Navigating the book reviews minefield.

Refresh Your Book Cover

Sometimes authors will launch a book that feels right to them at the time – but then as the book languishes and slides down the Amazon ranking, they realize that something is really wrong.

But what?

Well, maybe it’s your book cover. Is your book cover as strong as it can be? This is an important question especially if you’re struggling to sell books.

If your cover is not exactly right, you’ll start to get clues. These may show up in the lack of reviews, or reviewers saying they thought the book landed differently than they expected (a lot of this speaks to your book description, too). Or you may have gotten feedback from bloggers that the cover didn’t quite fit the genre. Or perhaps bloggers and other influencers aren’t responding to your pitches even though you have some decent reviews on Amazon – the higher you aim the more important details like covers, descriptions, etc. matter.

Why?

Remember, they get pitched hundreds or thousands of books a month, they don’t have to settle for less than the best of the best. And if you know you wrote an amazing book, it might be your cover that’s preventing those doors from opening up.

It’s not always possible to update a book cover, I get it. But to the degree that you can, swapping out a book cover that isn’t serving you can really help boost your book promotion on Amazon.

And, by the same token, holding back your book release till your cover is exactly right may be the best decision you could make.

Make Sure Your Keywords and Categories Are Correct

We know that keywords and categories are crucial but are yours exactly right for your market? If you’re not sure, maybe this is a good opportunity to invest some time in re-evaluating your keywords and categories.

And speaking of categories – beware of the “dead-end” categories on Amazon. We just did a podcast on this, so find it through our link in the Resources section!

How to avoid adding your book to a dead-end category.

Optimize Your Book Title and Subtitle

Your book’s title and subtitle are your first opportunity to grab potential readers’ attention. Ensure they are compelling, keyword-rich, and reflect the essence of your book. I realize changing your title isn’t an easy fix, but there are a lot of ways to get creative with your subtitle if your book is already out.

If your book hasn’t released yet, this is a reminder to really consider if you’ve landed on the perfect options. Peruse some of the bestseller categories in your genre and see what other authors are doing with their titles – let their success inspire some new ideas – or a rebrand if necessary!

Run Amazon Ads

I know that this is easier said than done because Amazon ads can be confusing. It takes time and effort to do them the right way, but trust me when I say that it’s absolutely worth it. And Amazon ads are also a great way to optimize the visibility of your book, too!

Amazon ad success tips and troubleshooting.

Here’s why your Amazon ads stopped working.

Add A+ Content to Your Book Page

I’m always so amazed at how many books land on Amazon without the visual element that A+ content provides.

Suffice it to say, if you can’t add this yourself – by all means as your publisher to help you out with this (or add it for you).

Leverage Author Central

I’m always surprised how many authors have never claimed their Author Central page. And honestly, a lot of them that have, have never explored all the options to ensure they’re not leaving any opportunities on the table. This is your author hub on Amazon, and it allows you to connect with readers, share your bio, and even share some book recommendations (yours!).

Make it engaging and personable and use all the features as additional opportunities to sell your book and convince shoppers you’re a sure thing.

The Amazon sales rank demystified.

Create Amazon Video Shorts

I used to love adding video to my Author Central page, and though Amazon has pulled that feature, you can still upload short videos to your book page. Create a fun, short, engaging video around your book – start with a short introduction, an unboxing video, or a thank you video to your readers. You may be surprised what other ideas you come up with once you complete your first one.

Uploading is easy, it’s done right from your phone!

7 strategies to secure more Amazon reviews.

Maximize Social Proof

Social proof is the psychology behind the idea that people like what other people like: so put all your social proof on display.

Whether it’s an award, or a finalist for a contest, a great review or a mention by a thought leader or influencer, whatever it is, show it proudly on your Amazon book page by highlighting it on your retail page through all the options I mentioned on Author Central.

Discounted eBook Promotions

They’re a fun and easy way to drive more traffic to your book page on Amazon. And you don’t have to make your book free, not at all. Just discount it by $1 or $2 and be sure to call attention to the fact that it’s discounted for a limited time – new readers will love the chance to get to know your work and a sale is a great way to drive more readers to your brand!

Bonus tip: limited-time discount promotions are also a great time to ask current fans to recommend your book to friends, have them tag people in posts on social or forward your special email announcement.

9 proven strategies to increase book sales on Amazon.

Don’t Forget About Goodreads

Amazon has recently begun including Goodreads ratings on book pages, and I think we’re going to see more of this cross-promotion between the sites, so don’t forget to claim your author page on Goodreads and run giveaways throughout the year when you need a big boost in visibility.

Cross-promote with Other Authors

There’s power in numbers and certainly, with all the books being published these days, we’re seeing a lot more collaboration between authors. This could be a cross-promotion in newsletters – or a newsletter swap to help promote your discounted deal.

Whatever it is, it’s never a bad idea to start getting to know other authors in your market and seeing what kind of magic that collaboration can create!

Successful book promotion on Amazon is an ongoing process. Don’t be discouraged by slow starts and be open to trying new strategies to see what works best for your book. The key is to build a strong online presence, connect with your readers, and continually refine your promotional efforts.