Have you ever wondered why those awesome quotes you’ve collected from your fans aren’t helping you get more book sales? The words your fans say are fantastic, but it’s frustrating that it’s not making a difference in your marketing and it’s frustrating, isn’t it?

 

There’s a reason for that and we discussed it in last night’s RT TV episode. Check out the full episode here:

And check out the short and sweet version here:

 

The reason your fan quotes aren’t selling more books for you is because the quotes you are using aren’t actionable.

 

Let’s face it, flowery words are pretty and they certainly make us feel good, but they aren’t promoting the read to do anything.

 

Which of these quotes are more motivating?

Quote 1.) “I loved it. It was one of my favorite books. It was magical.”

OR

Quote 2.) “The world building within the story was so immersive that I can never go back to the way these types of books used to make me feel because it will be far too boring. This book has ruined ‘good’ world building for me, because now I’ve experienced ‘incredible’ world building. I didn’t realize I was missing this in the books I was reading.”

 

Quote 1 is nice, isn’t it? Lovely words, lovely feeling…but it lacked anything to motivate me to read the book. Quote 2 told me specifically where the speaker was before they read the book and then where they were when the book had been read, and made me realize I could have that experience too if I read that book.

 

This is where you come in. You don’t have to take the first quote a fan gives you. You can sit down and talk it through with them. Ask questions, draw out important details, and get as specific as possible while creating a call to action.

 

Don’t worry if you aren’t sure what to say to get these words that will translate into more sales. I’ve got you covered! Once you’re on our weekly show notes newsletter, we’ll send the link directly to you. If you’re joining us after the shownotes email is sent, you’ll still have access to all of our previous downloadable freebie bonuses by joining the newsletter.

Showing viewers what other people are saying creates what we call social proof. We can harness the power of social proof and use it to build our fan base.

Think about it this way: when your friends raves about a new restaurant in town, doesn’t it make you want to try it? Doesn’t that make you want to try it more than if a commercial on television told you it was good? This is because we trust people like us more than we trust commercial advertising.

 

Showing that real people have good things to any about your book is going to get you a better response than if you told them that your book was good.

 

So how can we create and show off this social proof?

There are easy ways to get your hands on quotes from fans. The easiest way is to put a call out. Talk to the people in your street team. Talk to your social media fans. Ask them to send you a short quote about how they felt about your book. When they send it to you, they’re giving you permission to use their quite in your marketing.

 

Another way to get quotes is to jump on your Amazon and Goodreads pages. When you find a review you like, make a list of quotes you like. But before you just grab it and run, I would suggest that you reach out and ask permission first. After all, even though it is about your book, it’s still someone else’s words. Be kind and professional and ask first. Chances are that they will be flattered you reached out. You may even get an even better quote from them.

 

Now that you have the quote, you need to plan how you will show it off.

Create a quote graphic with the quote and person’s name. I would encourage you to stay within your branding colors for this quote.

Remember, only use legally obtained images in your quote graphic. If you have a light background, run with dark letters. If your background is dark, try a lighter font color.

I recommend using solid colors or light textured backgrounds over photos, but as long as it isn’t distracting, you can run with images in your graphic. In the episode I talked about the royalty free licensing site I recommend to my students (www.pixabay.com) but there are lots out there. Just be sure to read to terms on the site before using anything.

If you don’t have awesome editing software like I do, you can try free websites like www.picmonkey.com and www.canva.com

 

But don’t stop there. Words are great and a pretty graphic is fantastic, but you have an opportunity here to make even more of your marketing. When you reach out to these fans who have said kind words about your book, ask them for a picture (headshot.) Remember, we’re focusing on social proof here. The more real you can make the speaker, the more relatable and trustworthy they will be to your viewers. Connecting a face with a name and words instantly gives it more credibility.

 

The focus of your graphic should be the quote, but showing the picture near the person’s name lends it believability. This is a real person, with real feelings, and not some abstract quote someone made up. Furthermore, your fan is going to love that you are showing them, their opinions, and their review off to all of your fans. Win/win.

Fan quotes are one of the most powerful tools you have and your fans’ words can potentially make or break your book. Showing off nice words proves to the world that your book is worth reading, and more than just your friends and family hold this opinion, people you don’t know like it too. It gives you legitimacy, even if you are with one of the big publishers, because people who were not paid to do so have enjoyed and are recommending your book. The more you can show off and celebrate your fans’ words, the better off you all do. Word of mouth is so important in this industry. With this type of quote graphic you are just showing off that message to a larger group and helping create a community of people who can rely on each other for recommendations within the industry.

 

Challenge: This week try getting three to five good quotes from your fans. Get permission to use their quotes then work on your quote graphics. Once you’ve put them up, tag us. We want to see your work! Be sure to drop a link in the comments below too so everyone can see your progress!!

 

If you’re unsure of how to help your fans tweak their quotes OR if you want to run a graphic passed a trained eye OR if you want ideas for how to best use and position your quotes, jump into community.readingtransforms.com and I’ll be there helping you out along with all of the other authors who are just like you!

Check out the entire RT TV episode on Why Your Fan Quotes Aren’t Leading to More Book Sales right here.

But wait! We don’t want you to go this alone. We’ve got a BONUS for you. In your weekly email from us about this week’s lesson is a freebie download, 8 Questions to Ask Fans to Get the Perfect Fan Quotes. These questions will help you create incredible fan quotes every single time. Get the download here.

Happy quote gathering, tweaking, designing, and posting!

 

Stay inspired,

-K.M.