How To Best Approach Bookstagrammers – Crafting the Perfect Personalized Message

Romance readers are a passionate group when it comes to their favorite authors. Their reviews, reels and posts have the potential to significantly boost your books exposure.

However, a collaboration requires more than a generic, copy-paste message.

To stand out from the mass of messages they might receive every day, make yours shine with personalization.

Here’s how you can create a more effective approach!

Why personalization matters so much

Nobody likes to receive a message that feels like an afterthought. I’m sure you’ve had one or two ‘Hi, Author!’ messages in your inbox at some point and I think we can all agree that they feel impersonal and dismissive.

If you want Bookstagrammers to take your request seriously, begin by addressing them by their name. Make sure to have a good look at their profile and triple check that your message starts with the right name!

1.      Do your research and understand their preferences

 The first thing that needs to be understood is that your book needs to fit the Bookstagrammers profile. Not the other way around.

You are reaching out to bookfluencers because you hope they will share your content. Ergo, your book needs to make for the content that their followers are going to be interested in.

If you write steamy contemporary romcoms, it makes no sense to reach out to a Bookstagrammer who focuses heavily on dark or historical romance. Their audiences expects the dark- or historical romance content they are following for.

Invest some time and make sure to find readers who seem like they will enjoy your book. Have a look at prior reviews and find out what they enjoy and if your romance book will fit the bill.  Then it makes sense to reach out.

2.      Be Clear About Why You’re Reaching Out

 Your message should have a specific purpose. What do you actually hope to gain from a collaboration?

Don’t be vague or make them ask for it.

Do you want them to:

-          Join your ARC team?

-          Write a review for your book

-          Host a giveaway for their followers

Avoid being vague – directness shows professionalism and that you respect their time.

3.      Market Your Book Effectively

This is one of the tricky parts – pitching your book in as little words as possible and still making it sound intriguing.

I also recommend including why you think they might enjoy the book. Did they mention a specific trope they love in prior reviews, which your book has?

Always highlight the value of the collaboration – even if it’s “only” receiving an e-book they will hopefully enjoy.

4.      Set Clear Expectations

Even at the risk of sounding demanding – be upfront about your expectations. If you're sending them a copy of your book, specify what you’d like in return so they can make an informed decision vefore agreeing to a collaboration.

BUT: Make sure to keep your expectations realistic. No Bookstagrammer will have the time to read your book within 24 hours and have a post ready to go within that timeframe.

In my experience, 3-4 weeks is a realistic timeframe to ask for, that leaves enough room to read and review your book.

5.      Include All Necessary Information

Don’t make them hunt for details. Include all relevant information upfront.

That doesn’t mean to write an opening message of three pages, but instead of describing your book in a sentence or two and include the Goodreads link so they can readily access more information. If your book has triggers I’d mention them as well.

Again, being upfront streamlines the process and creates an interaction that respects yours and their time.

6.      Stay Polite

Always maintain a polite tone, even if they’re not interested in your offer. Remember, Bookstagrammers receive multiple requests and may not always have time to collaborate.

We all don’t love the sales people knocking on our door unprompted and in this case, you’re the sales person. Don’t make them slam the door in your face. 😉

7.      Don’t Ghost

Some Bookstagrammers want to be paid for creating content and that’s absolutely fair. You can decide for yourself if that’s something you’d like to invest in or not (just do your due diligence that everything is legit).

However, don’t close the door of future collaboration by never replying. It’s not rude of them to mention their pricing, but ghosting is. Especially when you are the one who initiated the conversation.

A short ‘Thank you for your time, but that’s outside of my budget right now. All the best!’ is all it takes to end the conversation in a polite way.

8.      Remember – They are doing you a favor

That’s it really. Sadly, even a friendly conversation and sending over an e-book or paperback does not guarantee you a result. (Unless there’s money and a contract involved.)

A friendly follow-up never hurts, maybe it they simply forgot, but show understanding if they have other priorities.

Not quite sure how to word it? Check out my ARC Guide with all kinds of text templates to save time on your next ARC process (and not have to come up with texts completely by yourself 😉)