Micro-influencers are the next big thing in marketing. If you're looking for book sales, micro-influencers can be just as effective (more, in most cases!) as large influencers if you do your research. And don't worry — it won't cost you an arm and a leg!
What is a micro-influencer?
A micro-influencer is someone who has a small number of followers (usually between 1,000 and 100,000). You can find them on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, or even through Google if they run a blog.
They have a niche audience and are often experts in their field or have personal experience that makes them relatable to their followers.
Micro-influencers are popular with their audience because they're authentic and transparent. They share content that interests them and that they know their audience would appreciate too. That's why micro-influencers also tend to have higher engagement rates than some bigger influencers. Plus, they're easier to get in touch with!
What do they do?
Simple: they create content. They create an online persona or brand that their posts revolve around, which attracts a specific niche audience.
You'll find micro-influencers that post about:
Healthy habits
Sleep training for infants
Children's nutrition
Toddler mom life
Elementary education
Homeschooling
Social emotional learning
Neurodivergence
...and so much more! If you can think it up, there's probably a micro-influencer for it.
How do I get in touch?
When you go to social media platforms, find the search bar and start typing in keywords that relate to your book. If you've written a story about being afraid of the dark, try phrases like: positive parenting, parenting, kids emotions, mom life, social emotional learning, big emotions, etc. See what accounts pop up!
Once you've found an account that looks like it might be a fit, see how many followers they have and check the average number of likes and comments on their most recent posts.
If they have 10,000 followers, but their posts only have 3-5 likes per post, it could be one of two things:
That person has a large following but no one actually sees their posts OR...
Their followers aren't real. (Yes, you can purchase bots to pose as followers. 😤)
Either way, you don't want to send your book to that account because you won't get visibility or sales with those engagement rates.
Instead, find accounts that have at least 20-30 comments or ~100 likes consistently on their recent posts. That's just a ballpark though - the more followers they have, the more engagement they should have too.
Once you've found one you like, send them a message. Sometimes, they'll have an email address listed somewhere, but that will vary from person to person.
Some quick tips for reaching out:
Make the message personal. If it feels like it's been copy/pasted, they are likely to ignore you.
Talk about why you wrote the book. You're asking this person to do you a huge favor so give them a reason to care. If they're a toddler mom and your book is for toddler moms then there will be a natural connection there!
Be yourself. No one likes spam messages and you don't want them to think you're a bot. The best way to prevent that is by letting your personality shine through!
Will I get more book sales with large influencers or micro-influencers?
The answer is that it depends on the type of book and your audience. In my experience, the biggest influencers almost never respond (understandably!) and even if they did, their rates can get expensive.
Micro-influencers are often free or inexpensive to work with and their audience is your audience. Plus, if you reach out like a friend, that micro-influencer could become a part of your network! This could open up other opportunities for you or you could work with that micro-influencer long term with future books.
Personally, I get the best return on investment (ROI) when working with micro-influencers, so I far prefer them to larger accounts.
How much do they charge?
The cost of working with micro-influencers varies, depending on their reach, engagement, and popularity. They don't work for anyone - they set their own rates. Some charge per post, others charge per post and time frame. Smaller ones or newer ones may not charge at all. At the very least, always offer a free physical book for them. After all, they're helping you out!
Whether you're gearing up for a new book launch or you're marketing an already published book, micro-influencers are a great way to make sales. The key is finding someone who fits your niche perfectly so that they can promote your book without being seen as spammy by their followers. Oh, and always be yourself!