Social media platforms such as Instagram help authors in promoting their books. 

The more people know about your book, the more readers you will have.  So, let’s see how to promote your book on Instagram, without having to spend much…

• Create an Instagram strategy

Instagram is a highly visual medium that rewards original content. Here, success comes from a carefully planned content strategy. Below are some ideas for creating original visual content if you're a book blogger…

• You can share a few options of your book cover and request your followers to vote for the best cover before the launch of your book.
• Publish pictures of your favourite quotes from your book.
• Notify author events so followers can attend and share photos and videos from the venue.
• Share pictures of yourself with your favourite books.
• Construct an Instagram story about your writing process or book launch.
• Share photos from your draft, places you went for inspiration, and so on.

• Post content around holidays

Stage your book related to an upcoming holiday in a festive setting to tie into the event and include relevant event hashtags in the caption to position these titles as holiday gifts so that the photo surfaces in Instagram members’ searches.

• Mobile photos first

Before posting on Instagram, take appealing photos on your phone to make them relevant and unique. You can also use a photo filter to make your profile look good.

• Reach new readers

What do you do if you are just starting and do not have enough followers to spread the word about your book?

Well, reach new readers, and here’s how to do it…

• Raise your rank on Instagram Search

Thousands of users tap the “Search” option on Instagram every day. To make your posts appear on top in such search results, include relevant keywords that others would normally use to search related books. The Instagram algorithm studies the data points while ranking posts on search.

Here is a guide to rank higher in the search function...

Make use of the right hashtags

• Hashtags are an integral part of Instagram. They add context to your posts and help readers find your profile.  Instagram allows users to follow new posts tagged with specific hashtags. Writers can use this opportunity to promote their books.
• To incorporate hashtags into your Instagram posts, think of ways to publish content related to your book with relevant hashtags. Check the Instagram accounts of popular writers in your genre and identify and use hashtags that may be used to promote their books. 
• Do not use hashtags that might be used by a writer to promote their posts.
• Try submitting your posts with the right location tags when your followers are most active. This can help maximize visibility among followers.

• Advertise your post

Instagram advertising is tied with Facebook ads and helps you maximize reach in a short period. These ads allow you to target viewers based on unique features such as the books they like or TV shows they watch. They increase engagement, and thus make your post most likely to appear on organic Instagram search results.

• Make use of influencer marketing

One of the most effective ways to promote your book is to target influencers who have a huge following and are popular among book lovers. It is an added advantage if the influencers enjoy your genre.

This is how you must go about it…

• Search the Instagram and identify popular posts related to your category.

• Check posts suggested by different users on related topics.
• Identify influencers with a huge number of followers who are either book lovers or read books related to your genre.
• Reach out to these influencers either via Instagram DM or email expressing interest in working with them.
• Some influencers may expect monetary compensation in exchange for their promotion of your book.

A recommendation for your book from influencers can be very effective in generating sales as long there are a number of followers who place a lot of trust in the influencers they follow and engage with them.

“Publishing a book is certainly a big deal, and so is its marketing”

The above tips and strategies will help writers spread the word about their launch to targeted book readers using Instagram.