Before we continue with the "HOW TO PUMP UP YOUR BLOG TO SELL MORE BOOKS WORKSHOP," I have a little whoo-hoo news I'd like to share.
The book trailer for the paranormal novel that Heide Kaminski, Pam Lawniczak and I wrote, The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost, is the #1 book trailer at YouTube this morning! If you'd like to see it, go to http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=book+trailer. Out of over 2,000 book trailers up at YouTube, ours came in first. Incredible.
If you were paying attention to what we were talking about concerning using search words to create a powerful online presence, this has a lot to do with it, even with what I've learned by studying how YouTube's ranking system works.
Before I even explain what I've learned, let's first touch on what makes one book trailer more professional over the other. I make book trailers for authors and the number one thing I've learned is that you have to really, really, really know what the book is about. Self-explanatory, but if you don't zero in on the main conflict of the book in 2 or so minutes or less, the book trailer isn't going to do any good. Also, bloggers talk about trailers. I've heard some bloggers really condemn some, leading them to the page on YouTube where you can see it for yourself. Don't let that happen to you.
Your book trailer must be entertaining, of course, but it must be used as a "teaser" to get people to order the book. The music you choose must match the theme of your book, and the photos you use to include in your trailer, must help the potential buyer to get an idea of what the book is about. Self-explanatory, but I've seen trailers, while they looked pretty well done, didn't give me that conflict that I needed to entice me to buy the book. Trailers are promotional videos for your book. They are not used solely for entertaining...they are a vehicle that you can use to tap onto the visual aspects of your book. To get an idea of what a trailer is supposed to look like, look at the opening promotional commercials before movies. How many have you said after watching them, "Oh man, I've got to see this movie when it comes out!"?
That's what you want your book trailer to do.
So, let's get back to YouTube. YouTube has various criterias on what trailers land in the number one spot. Let's use my book trailer, for example. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOklaNgirZI and look directly underneath the trailer itself.
You will see how many people have rated my trailer, how many people have viewed it, how many people have commented, how many have put my trailer in their favorites, how many have given it honors and how many have linked to it.
As you can see, I've been rated five times. This is one of the criteria for getting top placement in YouTube. But, it's only part of the reason.
I've had over 400 views, but I really don't think this has to do with anything. I've seen way more views on other book trailers.
I have no comments, so I really don't think this makes any difference.
Now, I've been favorited three times. This is very good, but still, there are more book trailers up on YouTube that are favorited more.
I have no honors, so I really don't know how much importance this would have, although I'm sure it's a good thing. But, in my case, that's obviously not the reason my trailer came in at first place.
I have four people linking to my trailer, which is a really good thing, too, but still again, I had four people linking to me days ago and my trailer wasn't in the first position, and I don't even think I was on the first PAGE of top book trailers at the time.
So, what's this all mean?
All the things I've mentioned DO have importance in ranking, but if you want the #1 spot, the answer lies in your tags and this is what I've been talking about in the workshop. Those key search words that you put in when submitting your book trailer to YouTube makes a very BIG difference as you can see.
Although these search words have been up since I put the trailer up on January 4th, and it's just now getting in the #1 spot, I have learned that it takes a combination of things.
1.) Using key search words efficiently
2.) Getting people to rank you
3.) Getting people to "favorite" you
4.) Getting people to link to your trailer directly at YouTube
5.) Having a professional-looking book trailer so people will do all these things
If you do all these things, I'll guarantee your book trailer will hit #1, too, but I can't stress this more...what I have learned is that those tags are going to play a very important factor in this, so make sure you choose them wisely.
That's it for now...I'll be answering a few questions that people have asked about what we've covered so far, then we'll move on to the next step to PUMP UP YOUR BLOG TO SELL MORE BOOKS!
Tags: How to Pump UP Your Blog to Sell More Books, YouTube, free book promotion workshop, book trailer, online book promotion, The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost, paranormal novel, key search words
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