Julie Broad from Book Launchers breaks down how to use endorsements as social proof to boost a nonfiction book's credibility and sales. She covers where to place blurbs (cover, back matter, front matter), which ones matter most to your target reader, and how to repurpose them across your website, social media, and Amazon listings.
You finally got that big name in your industry or a celebrity to endorse your book. They say something amazing and you're over the moon. But now what? How do you take that golden endorsement and make it work for you? If you want to know exactly how to use a killer endorsement to boost your book's visibility, credibility and sales, good news. This video is for you.
Hey there. I'm Julie the book Broad, founder of Book Launchers, which is a self publishing company that helps nonfiction authors write, publish, and promote a nonfiction book that has impact and makes an income. Okay, let's say you're like our client Renee Cavallari, and you've got a couple of killer celebrity endorsements, like this one from Sarah Blakely. And she also got one from George Clooney, too. Now what do you do? Well, first, let's talk about why endorsements are such a big deal. They're more than just nice words. They're social proof. An endorsement from someone respected in your field or celebrity can can instantly increase your book's credibility and make potential readers take notice. Think of it like this. When someone influential vouches for your book, it's like a personal recommendation to thousands or millions of their fans. Now, as I say that, I feel like I need to make a clarification on that. They typically are not making a recommendation to their fans. They usually give you the quote and it's up to you to use it. For example, Sarah Blakely did not turn around and promote this quote on her Instagram. Had she, it probably would have sold a lot of copies for Reedy. We've had other clients get major endorsements from people like the CEO of Disney, the Dalai Lama and others. And they are super, super excited and they're great endorsements and they should be proud. But really, the endorsements don't do anything if you aren't using them. So where do you use them? Well, you can use your imagination, but here's the common places. Number one, the front cover. This is prime real estate. If your endorser is a household name or a leader in your field, slap that quote on the front cover. Short, powerful and impactful. I'll talk more in a second about how you figure out if a quote is cover worthy or not. Two, back cover. Now, do you have multiple endorsements on the back cover? You can showcase three to five blurbs. This is especially common if it's a hardcover with a dust jacket because you can put the book description and your bio on the flaps inside and have the endorsements on the Back, three interior pages. Do you have a ton of endorsements? Some people recommend you include them in the front matter of your book. Me personally, and this isn't what everybody in the industry agrees on, I don't recommend you put pages and pages and pages of endorsements at the start of the book. Some argue it sells the book for a reader to see pages and pages of endorsements. I think it's irritating for a reader to who's trying to understand what the book is about. It also impacts the look inside content that's shown to a potential buyer online. And when someone actually has bought the book, it's just that much further.
They have to flip before they can start reading. Now, putting them at the back, that's not going to do anything either. So I get that putting them at the front is a great way to show off without cluttering the COVID or filling up the back. I'm just not convinced the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Now again, that said, people do believe it's great strategy, so I just felt like I should share it, even if it's not something I would generally do. Number four, marketing materials. Use those endorsements everywhere. Your website, social media, newsletters, flyers, media kit, sell sheet, speaker sheet. Let that endorsement do some heavy lifting like you saw with Rini's image, which I took off of her website. You can see her endorsements are in action on her website and, and in her media kit here as well. Those are two really, really great ways to use fantastic endorsements. All right, number five, Amazon sales page. On your Amazon product page, there's a section called Editorial Reviews. That's where you can put your endorsements and you can have some lovely designed A plus content and put really notable endorsements in that design as well. Again, we'll use Rini as an example because she has some really great ones and we, we designed the A content for her. Now here's the fun fact for you. We did put those endorsements on her A content and, well, the Amazon bots were in full action and our A content got kicked back because they said the endorsements weren't from notable enough people. George Clooney, Sarah Blakely. Yeah, okay. Anyway, we pushed back and it did get approved, but it was kind of funny. The bots, they're not fans of theirs, I guess. Let's say you have a handful of more endorsements. How do you know what to put where? Well, the factors that I use to consider this are does this person's opinion matter to your target audience? Basically, you're looking to weigh a couple of factors, but it doesn't matter that the person who did the endorsement is really important to you. It matters whether it's going to sell the book. And there's two main factors that you should consider for that does the endorsement highlight what makes your book unique? And is the name recognizable for your reader? Those are the two factors that matter. If they're a celebrity or an industry leader, that's a big plus. For example, if your book is about leadership, an endorsement From a Fortune 100 CEO will carry more weight than one from, say, your English high school teacher. No matter how much they loved you and love your book. Your book isn't the only place, by the way, to showcase that endorsement. You can use it to build momentum across your marketing show, share it as a quote graphic on Instagram or social channels, or your newsletter header. You can even put a little snippet in your long form bio. Just a small snippet. Oh, and this isn't an issue for most authors, but it does happen. What if you've got too many endorsements to use? Well, first of all, lucky you. And also congrats because you've obviously been hustling. First is to prioritize quality over quantity. Choose the most impactful endorsements again from your reader's perspective to decide if they're going on your cover front or back. Then use Variety for Amazon and if you put them inside your book, showcase different perspectives, for example one from an industry expert and another from a satisfied client. Then repurpose. Use all those extra endorsements in blog posts, promotional videos, media outreach pieces. Don't let them go to waste. There's always a way to take advantage of an endorsement even when they aren't cover worthy. Alright, so here's your step by step. Number one, choose the most powerful endorsements for your coverage. 2. Place three to five solid ones in the back cover if you have them. Number three, showcase the rest in your book's front matter. Or my preferred method is to put them in marketing materials and leave that front matter to sell your book. 4. Use that endorsement everywhere. Website, social media, emails, press releases, you name it. Did you get an amazing endorsement? Tell me how you're using it in the comments below. I'd love to hear your ideas and then head on over here. This is the video YouTube thinks you must hear or see and this is the latest and greatest from the channel. Click on over. I'll see you there.
