It’s all about UGC: how and why it works wonders for authors, so you can use these amazing gems to help you sell books, build trust in your author brand, and more…

When a reader buys a book…

They’re scrolling through TikTok when they see a woman gripping a book, tears running down her cheeks, and she’s smiling. Rocking back and forth, cradling her copy of the book explaining, between hiccups, at the joy of what she’d just read.

And the reader watching instantly scrolls to buy her own copy.

All from one reader’s review.

And those reader’s reviews are something you, the author, should share as UGC.

What is UGC for authors?

User-generated content, or UGC, is the unpaid, unsponsored posts/images/tweets readers share on social media because they either love or hate something.

They’re passionate enough about your book to want to share their opinions with the world.

And some readers do this exceptionally well. Just look at what TikTokkers did for Colleen Hoover’s global book sales.

Why is UGC good for authors?

Studies have revealed 91% of consumers (readers) trust an online social review. Which means readers love the UGC.

They like the raw stuff.

Which are videos, photos, or words created by other readers about your books.

UGC for authors are those personal recommendations people make about your book. So drawing attention to that UGC should be an important part of your social media strategy as you build your author platform.

It can be as simple as you, the author, sharing a reader’s book review as part of your online campaigns. You can also add UGC to your author newsletter or show off your favourite review on your author website, it all helps.

It’s social proof.

What does social proof mean to an author?

In Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why, he explains the influence of others where personal recommendations are a big part of our culture.

But not just anyone’s judgement. Those we trust, like friends and family, or that influencer you love stalking on Twitter.

Simon effectively says: “The fact is, none of us is immune to the effect of someone we know or feel like we trust influencing our decisions.”

A trusted recommendation, a reader’s review, is powerful as other readers’ opinions matter.

UGC, for authors, is something you should re-share on your own social media platforms, as they are:

• unique
• authentic
• inspirational
• they give a reader’s insight
• they boost book sales
• plus you’ll turn them into superfans just because you dared to share their stuff!

There are 6 categories of social proof readers respond to:

Now we’re getting into the technical market-y-speak, but I’ll keep it brief with these 6 types of social proof readers respond to:

1. Experts: those in the non-fiction world find an expert, like some scientists, to back their book’s ingenious claims.

2. Celebrities: Influencers, paid or unpaid, famous authors of your genre that readers will know, including celebrity book clubs, like Reese Witherspoon’s or Oprah’s.

3. Crowds: The masses of people who all like your book and will leave thousands of reviews, you know it as the book everyone talks about.

4. Close Peers: When a reader’s best friend gushes over a book she just adored, it’ll usually convince a reader to buy her own copy.

5. Certification: if you have a bunch of certificates and shiny awards—put that badge on the front cover of your paperbacks.

6. Your readers: past and present are the fans whose reviews and comments can become amazing tools to promote your books.

Just like a teenager asking friends for their trusted opinions when buying a dress for the prom, readers seek approval as part of their decision-making process before they take action.

If they don’t know you, that’s a big risk to them in daring to try a new author. So by having some genuine UGC readily available, can make all the difference in their decision to buy your book or not.

Showing proof that others have bought and enjoyed your book will help to ease your buyer’s mind.

How to gather UGC for authors:

All you do is ask your readers for reviews and share their feedback publicly.

Ask your readers to send pictures or videos of them reading your book. Get them to explain why they loved it (without giving away too much of the plot). In turn, their UGC should give you something amazing to share across Your Author Socials.

Start collecting UGC. File it into some sort of a system to access it whenever you want, like this social media kit for authors.

Using those positive tweets, emails, and blog comments from real readers creates legitimate credibility that your books are great. More importantly, they show that your author brand is to be trusted, especially if you are an unknown author to them.

How many times did you buy something just because of a friend’s recommendation?

If you need help, check out:

1. Read the book: Your Author Socials>>

2. Try the Social Media Template Kit for authors>>

3. Build and ARC team to help you gain more reader reviews>>

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