Make the most of NetGalley’s social integrations
Word-of-mouth is one of the most effective ways to increase book sales. Whether this chatter happens face-to-face with friends, or digitally through online reviews or social media shares, the earlier audiences are talking about your book, the better! In order to facilitate this digital word-of-mouth, NetGalley introduced simplified social sharing in November 2017, to allow NetGalley members to connect their NetGalley profile with their Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and LinkedIn accounts to share their reviews with just one click.
This is great news for your titles! Reviews of your books are being seen on more platforms by broader audiences. You can track where reviews are being shared by checking the book’s Feedback Report in NetGalley. Plus, it’s easier than ever for publishers to encourage more cross-posting and successfully leverage the buzz. Here are some ideas and best practices we’ve observed in action:
Incorporate hashtags: Publishers can add a custom hashtag for any title on NetGalley. This helps to focus the buzz around a title, and can make members feel like they are joining a rich conversation online. Ask members to share their reviews on social media with the hashtags when you follow-up with them, and then use those hashtags to identify your most vocal pre-publication advocates. Retweet them, favorite them, and consider auto-approving those members in NetGalley! For more information about including hashtags in your NetGalley marketing plan, check out this 2-minute video.
Share the shares: If NetGalley members are sharing reviews on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere, consider using those reviews in your own social strategy. Retweet or re-post the reviews you see, and be sure to thank the member. Everyone loves a shoutout! Use screenshots or quotes of these shared reviews to demonstrat
e the word-of-mouth energy behind your titles and include them in sales presentations. They are visible proof of early consumer interest.
Learn more about your audience: In addition to watching your hashtags, you can use your NetGalley Feedback Report to see who has shared their reviews online. Digging into your data, including the social media presence of members who are talking about your book online, can give you some powerful demographic information about your audience. Are they mostly millennials who post on Instagram? Are they primarily baby boomers who use Facebook to stay in touch with their friends and family? Use this insight to guide your marketing messages and to determine which platforms are worth your investment of time or advertising dollars.
How have you successfully leveraged social media sharing in your marketing campaigns? We love to feature case studies from our community of publishers and authors.
One of your reviewers gave my second novel, Revenge from the Grave, a four-star review on NetGalley. I was thrilled and sent her an email thanking her. I asked her to please share her review with Amazon and Goodreads, but she has not done so. While NetGalley is a great website, the average reader is not generally aware of it. For new authors, like myself, it’s important for NetGalley reviewers to share their reviews with Amazon and Goodreads, which readers are more familiar with. Authors depend on their reviews reaching as wide an audience as possible, so please share them on as many sites as possible..
Hi Susan, We’re always glad to hear when authors and publishers receive positive feedback for their titles on NetGalley. We aim to facilitate as many reviews getting out into the world as we can. That’s why, in addition to social sharing, we’ve made it easier for members to share their reviews to retail sites, added a weekly checklist email, and a pub date reminder on members’ shelves.