How to Get Media Exposure for Your Book

Getting media exposure for your book through reviews, interviews, and bylined articles is an important part of marketing your book. A guest post on the right blog can lead to hundreds of sales. And it’s free!

However, getting that valued exposure can feel impossible. With a saturated market, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. That’s why we’ve created this basic guide to help you effectively pitch to media outlets.

Why get media exposure for your book?

There are so many reasons, but here four:

1. Create Awareness: As we’ve said before, you could have the best book in the world, but if no one knows it exists, no one will buy it. Media appearances are a great way to let more people know about your book. That could look like interviews, guest posts, or bylined articles.
2. Access to Another Audience: Whenever you appear on a platform, you are talking to an audience you wouldn’t necessarily have access to otherwise. And you can invite that audience to engage with you as well.
3. Credibility and Connection: Each time you receive a new review or interview or write a bylined article, you are building your credibility as an authority on your subject or genre. You also build connections with influencers who you can work with again and again.
4. Sales: Our end goal is sales. And, if done well, media coverage can be one of the most effective sales strategies.

Preparing to pitch your book for media exposure

Before you can write an effective pitch, you have to prepare. Preferably, this step should come before your book launches. The earlier the better. However, if your book has been out for a few months or even a few years, you can still get media exposure for it. This is especially true for fiction, which stays relevant longer than many nonfiction books.

(The exception to this are trade reviews, which want books up to 6 months before their publication date.)

1. First, write 250-500 words about your ideal reader. Read about how to find your ideal reader here.
2. Second, optimize your book description.
3. Then, write 150–250-word media bio.
4. Next, make a list of 50 things that you are passionate about and/or can speak to as an expert. They should be specific things, not vague or too broad. They also do not have to be related to your book, although at least some of them should be. I know of an author who sold a whole bunch of books because a gardening magazine featured his extremely diverse garden. The ideal reader for his book and people who love gardening happened to coincide.
5. Then, take those 50 things and think of 5-10 interview topics. These are not interview questions, but rather topics you could write about or discuss in an interview..
6. Write out producer sheets for each of the interview topics. These should be 1-2 sentences about each of your key points.

Deciding Where to Pitch Your Book

After your prep work is complete, look at your ideal reader. What websites, blogs, magazines, and podcasts might they enjoy? Make a list of sites, with contact information, that you want to pitch to. These can include:

• Blogs
• Podcasts
• Radio
• Local news stations and newspapers
• Magazines
• Trade review publications
• Websites
• Cafes, libraries, bookstores, Yoga studios (for events)

You don’t have to pitch to every type of outlet for every book. In fact, it’s important to think through which medium is best for your title. Are moms your ideal reader? Then mommy blogs and podcasts are a fantastic bet. Is your ideal reader in a certain geographical location? Then local news stations would be more effective.

Choose 2-3 from the list above, and start there.

When deciding which platforms to pitch to, choose ones that have a high concentration of the readers you are trying to reach and low level of competition.

Example: If your book is a poetry book about embracing transition, self-love, and seasonality with journaling prompts, you might pitch to wellness-minded platforms. For instance, you could pitch to yoga and meditation blogs, mental-health podcasts, etc. There is a high concentration of people who are most likely to like your book, and there isn’t nearly as much competition as there would be on a poetry blog.

How to Pitch Your Book

For each pitch, decide what your goal is. Are you trying to get consumer reviews on Amazon and Goodreads? Do you want people to sign up for your newsletter? Is your goal to drive pre-order sales? The answers to these questions will change how you pitch.

1.  Always find a specific person to pitch to (if possible): Find the name of the blogger, the local news reporter, or the podcast host.
2. Make a connection: Tell them why you would be a good fit for their platform. If you want them to review your book, have they reviewed other similar titles favorably? If you want to get a short media segment, do you have something relevant that you could speak to? If you want to write a bylined article on a blog or magazine, is it in line with other themes you see on their site? Is your book or your topics relevant to something happening in the wider world right now? Let them know.
3. Offer and ask: What are you offering them, and what are you asking from them? For instance, you could offer five copies of your book for them to give away to their blog followers. In exchange, you write a guest post on a topic related to your book. Or, you could offer a local news reporter a media-ready guest who can speak on a relevant topic, which will make their job easier. In exchange, you get to mention the free short story you’re offering to everyone who pre-orders your book. You get the picture.

Wrapping Up: Start Small, Think Big

Pitching to get media exposure for your book can be time-intensive, but it’s worth the effort. By crafting thoughtful, targeted pitches, you’ll increase your chances of getting valuable media exposure and growing your readership without a major advertising budget. Start small, refine your approach, and aim to establish relationships with media contacts. These connections can help you on this book’s journey—and the next one, too.

Next time, we’ll guide you through how to make the most of your hard-earned media exposure.