Do you know what a movie TV spot is? It’s simply a TV-commercial version of a movie trailer. These run about 30 seconds or less, and are generally very targeted to a specific audience. Studios will run multiple ads targeted to different groups of people, and TV is a great place to do that because one type of person likes one show, while another person will watch something entirely different. But both people enjoy the same movie.

I know you’re wondering what this has to do with you. You’re probably thinking, “I write books, not make movies. And I can’t even afford a TV ad in the first place!” I hear you. What I want to do is draw your attention to the concept behind movie TV ads—the idea of customizing your marketing efforts to reach more than one group of people. It’s something I see a lot of self-published authors gloss over in their marketing. Most self-publishers will pick a single message and hammer that home everywhere. You’ll have one talking point about your book—essentially limiting yourself to one audience.

But the goal of a movie ad is to get both types of people who will enjoy the film to buy a ticket. How can we do the same? Continue reading What Authors Can Learn About Marketing From TV Ads →