Step in Front of the Camera, Now!

Step in Front of the Camera, Now!

by | Jul 22, 2021 | Scoop

Step in front of the camera, now!

Don’t roll your eyes at me just yet. I get it. I 1,000% get it. I went kicking and screaming into video. I didn’t want to do it. Stepping in front of the camera? Nope I wasn’t doing it and no one was going to make me. It wasn’t going to happen… but it did. Why? Because video right now is KING.

You can try to deny it but it’s true. Video is King of social media and because of that our introverted butts need to step in front of the camera.

I’m still learning and you can join me along the way. We started a YouTube channel to go with this blog and I’ll tell you that it freaks me out every time I have to record one. It isn’t natural for me. I’m scared and self- conscious and I’d rather do basically anything else but here I am making videos. I’m not telling you to start a YouTube channel. You don’t have to go crazy. For us, it made sense to start one but for you here are the ways you can step in front of the camera.

Why you need to be in front of the camera
Why you need to be in front of the camera_
Why you need to be in front of the camera_

Let’s start with baby steps…

  1. Create short (15 seconds or less) Reels and/or TikToks. You can repurpose these to share on each platform but here’s the thing… delete the logos off your videos. Instagram has flat out said they will suppress Reels with logos from other apps (you can read a bit more on that from this article).  
  2. Create a story on Instagram. These don’t have to be live so you can practice with pre-recorded stories. For some ideas on what to share you can check out next week’s blog post for a nice list of things but for now try sharing your morning routine or a sneak peek into what you’re currently working on.
  3. Go live in your Facebook group. I know most authors feel like their own Facebook Reader Group is their safe place. So, go live there and be with your people. You know they love you because they are in there and want to get to know you.


Once you’ve gotten the feel of being live then you can try experimenting with video. Trying different transitions in your Reels/TikToks can be fun and leave us a comment below if you’d like us to show you some tips and tricks on how to do that. Again, remember, I’m learning too. It’ll be fun to have you come along for the ride with me. Make sure you are following our Instagram so that you can check out what I’m sharing and doing on the platform.

You can totally do videos and stay behind the camera but if you show your face the views on your videos will increase by a lot. However, don’t take my word for it. Test it. Create a video with you in front of the camera and one without and see what does better. Testing takes time and more than one go of it. So I say do a week’s worth of videos with you in front of the camera and a week’s worth of videos without you in front of the camera and see how they do. Keep everything else the same – post the same days/same times and test on the same platform for each.

I’ve talked about Canva a lot lately but it does a lot and it’s worth mentioning. For videos you can create some Reels/TikToks right on it. Check out the video below for a quick tutorial on how to use Canva to create some really fun and professional looking videos.

If you don’t have a free Canva account yet you can open one HERE.

Try our FREE Canva Template pack below!

 

I hope you loved my top ten reasons why I love Canva! 😀

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Share More Than Books on Social Media

Share More Than Books on Social Media

by | Jul 14, 2021 | Scoop

Why you should share more than just books on social media.


Marketing 101 – Know. Like. Trust.

For a consumer to purchase anything from you they need to know you; like you; and most importantly trust you. This is true with someone buying a book as much as it’s true with buying a car.

There was a time when it was fine to just share your books and never show your face. That time has passed. Now, it’s about connecting with your audience and showing them your personality. Basically, you need to be social on social media. But, for authors, I think knowing what to share – other than their books is difficult for them. Most authors think they’re boring. This is the most popular comment I get when I tell our PR clients to share personal tidbits about themselves. I can’t tell you the number of books and products I’ve bought because I follow someone on social media and they just seem approachable.

With TikTok exploding and Instagram answering with Reels – it is more important than ever for authors to share a side of them most readers would never see or know. It’s your chance to have fun.

Share More Than Books on Social Media
meetedgar

But I don’t have the time!

The next most popular answer I get when I tell authors to share more about themselves is basically that they don’t have the time. I completely understand that but I challenge you all to make the time. Schedule an hour or two a week (it might be more in the beginning until you get the hang of what it is you’re doing) to plan what you want to share; record it/make the graphic/write the copy; and then schedule it.  You can schedule Facebook page posts in Creator Studio, Facebook Group posts right in the group itself, Instagram in Creator Studio (just make sure you’ve linked your IG business account with your Facebook page) and for Twitter you can schedule tweets within the app. All of these are free – which is great! 

We use a service called MeetEdgar which allows us to schedule posts for us and our authors (up to 25 accounts) and allows them to be evergreen! I have a complete blog post planned for MeetEdgar but if you’d like an early look at them you can go HERE.

Now you need something to schedule right? 

Canva is the way to go for this. You can create easy graphics with their templates for your books but there’s so much more you can do with it. If you’ve not checked out our previous blog post, where I explain why I love Canva so much,  you can check that out HERE. 

So I’ve squashed the time excuse, now let me dive into why you aren’t boring and why it’s important. With the constant changes to social media, email marketing (that’s your newsletter) and paid advertising it is no longer possible to ignore anything that will help you grow. There was a time you could just concentrate on one platform but now, not so much. That doesn’t mean you have to work harder —just smarter, by planning your content in advance (and then of course, schedule it like I mentioned above). 

What do you plan though? That’s the million dollar question. Well, here’s a list of things you can use and feel free to adapt it to fit your genre, personality, brand, etc. If you plan content around this list I guarantee your audience will not think you’re boring. They want to see what their favorite author does, likes, eats, places they visit, etc. when they aren’t typing away at the keyboard. But if you won’t believe me, create some personal posts and track the analytics and see for yourself. 😀

Share More Than Books on Social Media – A list of non-book ideas you can use to post on social media! (also make videos, create stories on Instagram or do a Live on IG/FB)

  • Share funny memes.
  • Have a pet? Share them with your audience.
  • Have a favorite place you like to visit? Share when you go there or if it’s far away share past photos (EG: Throwback Thursday post).
  • Read a book from someone else – tell your audience about it.
  • Saw a movie recently – talk about it. 
  • Have an all-time favorite movie – talk about it; create a poll on Instagram stories and ask who’s seen it, did they love it, etc. 
  • Have a favorite current or past TV show – share about it. 
  • Have an all-time favorite book – talk about it.
  • Something crazy happened to you – share about it.
  • Your morning routine.

This list is just a starting point for you. I bet as you read the suggestions in this list at least 5 to 10 other ideas popped into your head. Write those down now and if you’d like a PDF of this complete list (all 26 suggestions) just fill out the box below to get your copy. 

 

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Ten Reasons Why I love Canva!

Ten Reasons Why I love Canva!

by | Jul 7, 2021 | Canva, Scoop

Ten Reasons Why I Love Canva!

Let me first say I’m 100% completely self taught when it comes to creating graphics and videos. I started out in 2012 on my book blog The Book Enthusiast making horrible graphics. I had zero knowledge and had no idea what I was doing. 

When I transitioned into a promotional events company (Book Enthusiast Promotions) I had someone make my graphics. She was great and her help really allowed me to focus on growing my business and not worrying about learning a program so I could make graphics. 

If I’m completely honest I was intimidated by graphic design programs like Photoshop so I never thought I’d be able to learn. Then I discovered Canva and PicMonkey and loved that they had already made templates I could use. I practiced using their templates and slowly taught myself how to make graphics that were pretty. Really, that’s all I wanted —pretty graphics .  

I’m sure anyone who knows Photoshop (like my business partner Drue Hoffman) is cringing right now but honestly that’s all I wanted then and now. I don’t know many technical graphic design terms. I say things like, “I just want that thingy there to stand out more.”  

Side note: thingy is a word I use often with regards to graphic design. (insert more cringing, lol)

If you’re like me though, let me tell you why, after using/testing other graphic design sites, I always come back to Canva.

Here are my top 10 reasons:

  1. It’s FREE! You can try it out and not have to pay them a thing! I will say though the paid subscription is 1000% worth it and you can try the pro plan free for 30 days. Sign up HERE. 
  2. They have easy to use/editable templates!
  3. Upload your book covers and Canva will recognize their dominant colors – making branding your graphics super easy! (Grab our free templates HERE)
  4. With the click of a button you can resize your graphics to fit any social media platform. I will say you’ll have to adjust things a bit but it won’t take you long at all. 
  5. You can create anything you need for social media graphics —including flat lays and videos. 
  6. They have an app for your phone and you can create graphics (though I will say not as easily as when you do them from your laptop) on it. Or, do like I do, create the graphics on your computer and then just download them to your phone as needed to post on whatever social media outlet you use.
  7. For those with the paid subscription: they have a content planner built into their platform – you can post directly to Facebook (and groups), Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
  8. For those with the paid subscription: they have a brand kit tab so you can add the colors of your logo on it. Plus, add the colors to all your books and you can name each palette so you can easily make a graphic for that book or that series.
  9. For those with the paid subscription: you can, again with just one click of your mouse, remove the background of a photo. 
  10. They have folders that you can create to keep yourself organized. 

BONUS: You can add team members! 

If you don’t have a free Canva account yet you can open one HERE.

Try our FREE Canva Template pack below!

 

 

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I hope you loved my top ten reasons why I love Canva! 😀

Follow us on Instagram at @buoni_amici_press 
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Authors you can check out our full list of services HERE.
Bloggers you can sign up to be a blog host for our events HERE.

*this post may contain affiliate links.

Sign up for the latest events!

by | Jan 20, 2021 | Blog, Open Events

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[NEW EVENT] Along for the Ride by Casey Peeler Cover Reveal

[NEW EVENT] Along for the Ride by Casey Peeler Cover Reveal

by | May 19, 2020 | Blog

Date: June 18th
Genre: Clean Sweet Romance/Coming of Age/New Adult
Blurb:

Belle Montgomery is a small town Carolina girl who is destined for the country music stage. She leaves her simple life, family, and friends behind to open for the one and only country music megastar, Jake Bryant.
With a break in their tour, sparks are bound to fly when Jake visits the small Podunk town of Lattimore. That is until Belle’s long-time friend Chase McSwain makes his feelings known.

But after an adventurous weekend, it’s time to hit the road. Who will leave town with Belle? Will sparks fly between Belle and Jake, or will Chase find a way to extinguish them before they start?

**Along for the Ride is a full-length novel inspired by Our Song; A Country Music Novella by Casey Peeler**