Article Marketing Using Stories on Your Blog

At a recent conference, an agent suggested to a friend of mine that she place a handful of her short stories on the Internet to get her name out there. Since the stories are based on characters in her novel, this would also serve to introduce readers to the characters in hopes that they would want to reconnect when the novel is published.

My friend asked me, “Do I post the stories on my Web site and blog and drive the traffic to the stories, or do I post them on article directories with reference to my blog and site, or something else?”

To which I replied:

If your stories are about the characters of your book, post them on your own Web site/blog and drive traffic to them through social marketing such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
Let's say one of your characters has a relationship with someone who is physically abusive to her. I suggest writing a content-rich article about domestic violence and posting it on an article directory such as EzineArticles.com. Be sure to include a link in your resource box to invite readers to go to your site to read a story.

Once the reader is at your blog, they will find the story you promised, but at the end of the blog post, there’s also a small invitation to purchase your book. You might write something like this: “If you liked this story, you will enjoy reading BOOK TITLE—a love story about an abused woman who learns to stand up for herself.” Then, I would add a link to purchase the book.

This type of marketing is called a soft sell approach. You are making good information available, letting people know what you have to offer, establishing an online presence, and possibly selling a book!

Let me know how this approach works for you. Feel free to leave a comment on this blog.

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For even more information about marketing your book online, read Book Marketing in the Digital Age, Online Promotion Made Easy. Purchase Now!