Planning Your Virtual Book Launch Event

by Cathy Fyock @CathyFyock

Your book is completed, and now it’s time to plan your launch. If you’re not considering a virtual launch event, you’ll be missing out on an easy and powerful strategy to ensure that more of your prospects learn about your book and your content. Additionally, planning a launch event will also help you in preparing content that you’ll use to share your book’s message when you speak for conferences and programs.

What is a virtual launch event? Typically, it’s a one-hour webinar with 45 minutes of you presenting the book’s content followed by a Q&A session. Less frequently, it is a Q&A format with a host asking you the questions you’ve prepared in advance, coupled with your key content, again followed by Q&A from participants.

The content of your presentation is not information about your book (in other words, it’s not “salesy”); but rather, it is the content that is in your book. You’ll want to share enough information to whet the appetite of your prospect without giving away all the secrets.

The PowerPoint presentation you’ll prepare will be a deck you’ll use again and again for presentations and programs, so invest in creating powerful slides. Go to Pixabay.com or other sources for license-free photography, or use you own. Be sure to include the cover of your book in your visuals.

Keep your presentation high energy, and engage your audience with polls, questions, and points of interaction. If you have a webcam, turn it on! Use a quality headset for optimal sound quality. You can purchase inexpensive headsets for less than $50, and the investment will serve you for future webinars.

Provide a downloadable handout with your contact information and how to purchase the book. Provide solid content so that participants will keep your material.

During the course of your presentation, use engaging stories and case studies that demonstrate the work you do for clients. Also, be sure to let attendees know how they can connect with you.

By recording the program, you’ll be able to share the content on social media and reach more than those who were available on the day of the program. You might also add the recording link on your website so that prospective clients can hear you present and understand the gist of your message.

An important question to answer is whether you want your launch to be evergreen or you just want to hype the launch. If this is just intended for use during the launch period, you can make your appeal more immediate.

Extend invitations to your colleagues and family who can’t celebrate with you in your hometown. Promote the event through social media, your email list, and through your blog content. 

Someone recently asked me if I thought a virtual launch event was critical to the success of your book, and I said no. But, I believe that writing a book is a big deal, and it’s important to celebrate this achievement with friends and colleagues who’d like to learn more. So celebrate!

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Cathy Fyock is The Business Book Strategist, and works with professionals and thought leaders who want to write as a business development strategy. She is the author of eight books, including On Your Mark: From First Word to First Draft in Six Weeks. She has helped over 130 professionals become published authors since her business was founded in 2014. She also serves as Acquisitions Editor for Silver Tree Publishing. To learn more, email her at Cathy@CathyFyock.com.