Pinterest is the newest and fastest growing social network around. Similar to Twitter, which allows people to “tweet” 140 characters or less, Pinterest is a public bulletin board which allows other people to view photos and illustrations and pin them to their own board. For authors, it’s become another way to use social media to promote their books.
The same self-promotion guideline suggested by other social networks, like Twitter and Facebook, applies to Pinterest: the majority of the pins on your board should be repins from others and ways to connect with and interact with your readers. Ten percent or less of your pins should be promotional. In reality, the best way to promote your book on a social network is to get others to connect with you, relate to you, and like you. When that happens with a large following, book sales will naturally increase.
1. It is acceptable, though, to use Pinterest to promote your book, as long as you don’t bombard people who follow you with endless sale pitches. Here are five effective ways authors have used Pinterest to promote their non-fiction books:
2. Pin a picture of your book cover to your board. It is acceptable, even encouraged, to provide a link to the book (on Amazon.com or elsewhere), your website, or your blog.
3. Add a Pinterest widget to your website or your blog so others can share what they like by repinning your blog or website info.
Pin a screen image of an Amazon review or your Amazon ranking to your board. Again, it’s perfectly acceptable to provide a link to the page with the image.
4. Relate the images and photos you pin to your board to your book’s topic. This will help build your brand, and it will also relate to your targeted reader and add credibility to you as an authority in your field.
5. Pin photos of other people at your book events, speeches, etc. When you promote your readers, endorsers, or affiliates, they will respond in kind and promote you and your book on their board.
These are just a few ways non-fiction authors can use Pinterest to promote their books. It’s all about building a following and creating exposure. When done right, others will repin and share the items on your board, promoting your book for you.