How to Ask for a Review

Issue #947 Sept. 1, 2015
Publisher: Joan Stewart

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

In This Issue

How to Ask for a Review
Karmic Marketing = Publicity
Can Anyone Rent Your Brain?
Hound Video of the Week

This Week in the Hound House:

My Hibiscus is in bloom, with 10-inch-wide flowers on a 6-foot stalk. I counted mor than a hundred blooms that will open in the next week or two. It’s been worth the wait. Isn’t this gorgeous?

1. How to Ask for a Review

When Publicity Hound Carol Borthwick saw my plea last week for ideas on how to cure my dog’s bad breath, she sent me a link to a website that sells natural dental chews for dogs. The three 5-star reviews from happy dog owners convinced me.

Reviews, even one or two bad ones, are one of the most powerful forms of publicity because they can nudge consumers need to buy your book or product. Yes, even bad reviews help.

Why? People who disagree will pile on with good reviews that far outweigh the bad one.

Don’t just wait for reviews. Ask for them!

Let bloggers, podcasters, book reviewers, freelance writers, columnists and influencers in your industry know you’d welcome an “honest” review for your product or service. Make sure you use the word honest. And make double sure the person you’re asking has an audience that’s a perfect fit.

This Thursday, Sept. 3, from 4 to 5:15 p.m. Eastern, I’ll share dozens more tips during the paid webinar “How to Ask for Book and Product Reviews from Bloggers, Journalists and Consumers.” Everyone who registers will receive 5 fill-in-the-blank pitches you can use when asking for reviews.

2. Karmic Marketing = Publicity

The next time you launch a new product or a book, let the world know you’ll donate a percentage of your sales to a worthy nonprofit or charity.

You can also reserve a dozen or more products, or a portion of your new book’s print run, to give away for silent auctions, swag bags or fund-raisers.

Book distributor Amy Collins calls this “karmic marketing” and says book buyers love hearing about do-gooder campaigns like this.

I call it smart because journalists, bloggers and your social media followers care and will be inclined to promote you if it’s for a good cause.

Amy and I will join three other book publishing experts–Judith Briles, Joel Friedlander and Kelly Johnson–for a free webinar at 7:16 p.m. Eastern tomorrow on “25 More Author & Publishing Tips from the Pros.” Claim your free seat here. When we did this in May, I was taking notes like mad.

You’ll also learn how you can get in under the wire and join us for our Publishing at Sea cruise to the Caribbean Jan. 24-31.

3. Can Anyone Rent Your Brain?

Are you planting a seed in the mind of every visitor to your website or blog that they can rent your brain?

They might want to buy an hour of your consulting time to find out how you launched your new product. Or they might want you to coach them on how they can follow your business model.

If you don’t have a “Rent My Brain” banner ad or reminder at your website, you’re leaving money on the table. When I added it to most of my website pages last year, and linked it to a sales page that explains how we’ll work together along with a “Book Now” button, the number of consulting clients skyrocketed.

I shared this tip yesterday with several hundred authors when I presented a free webinar with Joel Friedlander on “How to Sell books Using an Author Blog.” You have until midnight Monday night Pacific Time to watch the replay and discover how you can shorten the long learning curve that accompanies blogging.

4. Hound Video of the Week

So you think you can dance while your short leash is tied to the leg of a chair? “Si,” says this Chihuahua.

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