Publisher Promotions on Instagram
We’re taking small steps in the world of Instagram, and today we’re going to follow some folks. Many publishers use Instagram to promote sweepstakes, give-aways, and contests. If you promote publisher contests on your Instagram feed, not only will you expose more books to readers, but you can also use these publisher promotions to increase your number of followers. Here are a few examples of sharable contests:
- Last week I shared information on the SimonTeen #bffchallenge promoting Since You’ve Been Gone. They post a weekly challenge/photo contest for teens to take pics with their bff. The contest lists props and poses the image must contain, and one is a copy of the book.
- And last fall Workman held a photo contest to promote Unforgettable Photo. They encouraged followers to post images using tips from the book, and the “call for entries” posted on the Workman Instagram feed included some of the tips from the book. Entries were trackable and searchable through two hashtags: #ShootYourLife and #UnforgetablePhotograph.
- Another contest sponsored by Putnam Books includes a specific searchable hashtag: #ThrillerThursday. Each week, they post an image of a thriller author with a stack of books. Fans are encouraged to comment for a chance to win a copy of the book shown that week. The hashtag enables the ongoing timeline of the contest. Fans just have to search the hashtag for the current contest.
There are many other publishers to follow in Instagram. Here are some, and as I learn of more publishers to follow, I will post them here:
- Artisan Books
- Crown Publishing
- Macmillan Childrens Publishing Group
- Penguin Group USA
- Random House
- Riverhead Publishing
- Simon & Schuster
- SimonTeen
- Workman Publishing
