Ep.55 How to Build Influence and Market Yourself | An Author’s Guide
With Louisa Guise
Episode Description:
In this episode, I catch up with Louisa Guise who was the first guest on the My Local Marketer podcast, launched in 2024. This is the one-year anniversary of Louisa’s book, which explores communication in the digital age, focusing on the benefits of using phones less and leaving unproductive group chats.
Learn about Louisa’s journey promoting her book, which included talks at bookshops and libraries, and unexpected opportunities like speaking at the Harrogate International Festival and appearing on Australian television. She shares insights on balancing book promotion with a full-time job, dedicating weekends and evenings to various activities such as scheduling posts, contacting libraries, and engaging with journalists.
Louisa also provides valuable tips for aspiring authors, advising them to start building their web presence early and to develop a comprehensive marketing plan. She recommends her free marketing blog, “All About Digital Marketing,” as a resource for authors. Finally, Louisa discusses the positive reception of her book and her future plans.
Louisa’s Blog: All About Digital Marketing
Louisa’s Socials:
Check out Louisa’s Book
Listen to the episode
Episode Time Codes
TIMECODES
00:00 Intro
00:51 Introduction to Louisa & her book
01:53 How Louisa has promoted her book over the last year
04:24 Find every opportunity to promote yourself
05:42 Louisa’s most surprising opportunity this year
07:38 How Louisa had promoted her book alongside her full-time job
09:23 Working with journalists
10:39 Tips for people publishing their books
15:04 What has reception to Louisa’s book been like
17:20 Louisa’s plans for the future
19:23 Final thoughts
Videos
How to Make Yourself Stand Out
How to Promote Your Book
Not all Waterstones are Created Equal
Key takeaways
Proactive Marketing Pays Off: Louisa emphasises starting early to build a web presence and establish your expertise. This highlights that consistent effort in building your brand and putting yourself out there can lead to valuable, unpredictable PR and business growth opportunities.
Showcase Your Personality: Louisa suggests that business owners can gain a following by showcasing unusual hobbies or interests, as these personal touches make you more memorable and add personality.
Strategic Planning and Persistence are Crucial: Despite a full-time job, Louisa dedicated significant time on weekends and evenings to promoting her book. This underscores the necessity for business owners to have a robust, well-thought-out marketing plan and the persistence to execute it to see long-term results.
Episode references
Louisa found her Australian PR opportunity on Sourcebottle, a global publicity platform:
Louisa mentions a local independent book shop ‘Book-ish’ in Abergavenny where she did a book signing:
Podcast episode with Alex Forbes mentioned in the episode with Louisa:
Ep.24 Lessons from Fourbears | Reading’s Independent Bookshop
With Alex Forbes
In this episode, Alex Forbes, the owner of Fourbears Bookshop shares the story of how he transformed a dream into reality, opening a bookstore during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We delve into…