Blogging used to be a popular way to connect with readers and share information about our books. Over time—and with the increased popularity of various social media platforms—blogging has come to be seen as optional, and even outdated.
Nonetheless, I believe it’s still a viable option for book promotion. Unless you remove them, blog posts live on your website indefinitely, allowing new visitors to discover your posts organically, unlike social media, where each one is pushed down an ever-growing feed after a few hours.
The rise in popularity of Substack suggests readers have an interest in blog-type content, especially if it goes beyond a sales pitch. If readers are willing to follow writers on Substack, we should invite them to our own websites to engage with the thoughtful, entertaining content we create.
There are two points to keep in mind. First, focus on entertaining your readers, using content about books they’re familiar with or gently guiding them toward stories they may have missed. Second, if your readers are entertained and engaged, they’ll talk about your stories, which will ultimately lead to you selling more books and finding new readers.
Below, I’ve grouped 19 blog content ideas into sections. My hope is that you find at least a few that you can implement immediately.
Story-related content
Story-related content allows fans to spend more time in a world they’re already familiar with, reminding them why they love your work. Visitors unfamiliar with the story will read the comments, giving you free advertising without having to spend a dime.
1. Deleted scenes: This is an easy one because it doesn’t require additional work. Simply share a scene you cut from your novel due to pacing or word count.
2. Alternate POV scenes: This is perfect for those angsty or emotional scenes in the book where you can present the perspective of another character in the same scene.
3. Alternative endings: If you considered a different ending for one of your books, write it and share it with readers, explaining why you didn’t choose that particular route.
4. Flash fiction set in the same world: A thousand words or so featuring a side character, an event that was only mentioned as backstory, or even a glimpse into the future of the characters will work.
5. Serial stories: I love this option because it can help build your mailing list if you write the story with cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. Post on a consistent schedule, at least weekly, and watch the sign-ups increase and the engagement in your comments explode.
6. Correspondence-based extras: Write letters (great for historical fiction), emails, text messages, or diary entries in the voice of your characters. Use them to keep readers in the book world a little longer or add depth to scenes you would have liked to expand.
7. Prequels: This could be as simple as a single scene or chapter from a character’s life. Use it to lead readers into a series or provide additional information for those already well-versed in the series storyline.
8. Epilogue or post-epilogue scenes: Ensure this is truly an extra and not a necessary scene that should have been included in the book. Setting it a year or longer in the future works really well, and in romance, readers tend to love it if you include a child or two.
Character-focused content
You already know that interesting characters are at the heart of a great story. Leverage your memorable characters by giving readers additional access to the ones they care about and offering a tempting glimpse at the ones they haven’t met.
9. Character interviews: I used to be skeptical about this option, but having done it several times, I now see the value. Treat your characters like real people and ask questions that require thoughtful or humorous answers that not only reference the book but also offer more insight into their personality.
10. Character quizzes: Ask questions where, depending on the answers, the score reveals who resembles the reader the most. I did this using a free version of involve.me software, but there are probably dozens of other options available. In my case, I had readers take the quiz to determine if they were more like the hero or the heroine.
11. Playlists: Were you listening to music while writing the story? Share your playlist. Even if you weren’t, put together songs that represent the story or your main character’s arc.
12. Character advice columns: I did this with a character who was a relationship podcaster, but it could work with other professions. Have fun with it and show the character’s personality to remind readers why they loved them and to entice visitors to get to know them.
13. Secondary character spotlights: If one of your secondary characters has generated a lot of interest, spotlight them on the blog so readers can get to know them better.
Looking-back content
This type of content invites readers to revisit your backlist and gives newer readers a chance to engage with the stories, all without coming across as salesy.
14. Anniversary celebrations: For example, highlight a book that’s three, five, or 10 years old. Add commentary about why you loved writing the story or explain the difficulties you faced while writing it.
15. Roundups: Write a trope or theme roundup post, especially as it relates to a forthcoming book. For example, if you’re about to publish a book where the main character has a dog that plays a prominent role, do a roundup of all your books with dogs as main characters. If you have a single dad as the lead, share other single dad titles in your catalog. Roundups also work well on social media. I’ve used them in posts like “If you like X trope, you’ll love these books.”
16. Series entry guides: It can be overwhelming for new readers to know where to start if you have a big backlist. Make it easy for them by telling them which series to start with and how the series are connected.
Behind-the-scenes content
17. Author commentary: You know how DVDs have the director’s commentary as a bonus feature? This is the same concept. Choose an important or pivotal scene and offer insights, perhaps explaining why it mattered or what you struggled with while working on it. FYI, BookFunnel offers an audio commentary feature and filmed a detailed explanation of what it is and why you’d want to incorporate commentary into your marketing.
18. Cover art: If you have unique or interesting stories about the making of your book cover, share them with your readers. I once told readers about the difficulty I had purchasing an image I wanted for a cover after the photographer’s site was shut down. Another way to use cover art on your blog is to run a poll asking readers to select their favorite cover.
19. Tales of inspiration: I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been asked what inspires my writing. Since readers are interested in the topic, it makes for a perfect blog post. Tell them in detail which conversation, book, music, art, film, or magazine article—you get the idea—inspired your story.
Some of the options listed above may work better than others, depending on the type of novels you write, but most require very little time and can be easily incorporated into your existing marketing activities. Many of them can also be repurposed into newsletter content, social media posts, or reader group discussions.
One more thing to consider: blog content serves a dual purpose as a marketing tool. By itself, it’s informative and entertaining, but it also regularly brings readers to your website, where they can browse the pages and learn more about you and your books—quietly selling your backlist.
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Delaney Diamond is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 60 contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels, and dozens of romance short stories. When she’s not spinning tales of romantic fiction, she enjoys learning about time management and ways to increase productivity. She’s also the founder of Books by Black Authors, a discovery platform for Black authors who write fiction and the readers seeking their stories.