27 Simple Ways to Use Facebook Ads to Reach More Readers

You know Facebook messes with your head, but did you realize how much it can mess with your platform? The social media giant subtly alters what you see and don’t see in your feed by tracking everything from what you like to where you live.

This kind of targeted marketing is a mixed blessing: while it’s an easy way to reach potential readers, it also makes it harder for them to find new writers they might like. While there’s nothing wrong with using Facebook ads in fact, it’s good practice to have a well-rounded marketing strategy please use them responsibly.

If none of these tips help make your ad strategy more effective, consider taking a break from social media entirely and just reading this list over again (and again).

How to Create Facebook Ads for Beginners (Step by Step)

Takeaways
1. Utilize precise audience targeting for higher ad relevance.
2. Craft attention-grabbing headlines to capture user interest.
3. Experiment with various ad formats to find what resonates.
4. Incorporate eye-catching visuals to enhance ad performance.
5. A/B test ad creatives and messaging to optimize campaigns.
6. Leverage retargeting to engage users who have shown interest.
7. Focus on mobile-friendly designs for wider audience reach.
8. Use compelling CTAs to guide users toward desired actions.
9. Monitor ad performance metrics to assess campaign success.
10. Set a clear budget and bidding strategy for cost control.

Table of Contents

Target People Who Have Indicated They’re Readers

You can target people who have liked other books by authors you know or books in your genre. This is especially helpful if you have an existing fan base, like if you’re already an author with readers.

In the “Target People” section of Facebook ads, select “Likes and Interests” under “Who to Target.” Then type in the name of an author whose books are similar to yours (or who writes within your genre). You’ll see a list of potential audiences that may be interested in yours as well!

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Target People Who Like The Same Books As You

You can also target people who have liked books in your genre, or even those who like books similar to yours.

Do you have a favorite author? Target the fans of that author’s work. You’ll be able to find out exactly what kinds of books they enjoy reading, and reach them with ads that appeal directly to their tastes.

If you’re really serious about reaching readers with your book launch campaign and want to ensure that it succeeds beyond just getting sales numbers up which is incredibly important! you should also consider targeting people who’ve liked other books published by the same publisher as yours (as long as this publisher has an extensive backlist).

This is because there’s already some level of trust built in between reader and publisher when it comes time for them to choose whether or not they’ll buy one more book from an author whose writing style they know well enough based on past experience alone;

So if everything else is equal between two competing choices (price point being one obvious example), then liking something else written by somebody else at the same company might tip the scales towards purchasing option A over B.

Target People Who Follow Authors In Your Genre

If you’re a mystery author, for example, why not target people who are following authors of similar genres? If they like those books, they might like yours.

Similarly, if someone follows an author who has a large number of followers and you have a small number of followers (but still more than zero), then it’s likely that person will also follow your page.

You can also target people based on the number of fans that other authors have. For example: If I am an author with 20k fans and another author has 30k fans then I might be able to reach this group better than someone with only 10k fans.

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Target People In Certain Places

You can also target people in certain places. This is a great way to reach your audience if you want to get the word out about an event or meet-up, like a concert or party. You can also target people in specific countries, cities and neighborhoods. For example, if you are planning on going on vacation to France and need help booking hotels, flights and tours for your trip, then Facebook ads might be perfect for this!

Targeting by zip code allows you to narrow down who sees your ad based on their location. It’s less precise than targeting by state or country but will still provide some great results if you’re looking for new customers in any given area of town that has high traffic flow (like near malls).

Target People Based On Their Interests And Hobbies

You can also target people based on their hobbies, interests, and job titles.

If you’re an author writing about hiking, for example, you can target people who like to hike as well as those who are interested in outdoor activities or the outdoors.

If you’re a travel writer, then you can target people with an interest in traveling or vacationing or even just love of travel photos. The same goes for cooking enthusiasts: they’ll be more likely to read your recipe stories than someone who doesn’t cook at all!

Create Ads That Match Your Genre’s Imagery

When you’re creating a Facebook ad, use the imagery that is associated with your genre. If you write romance novels, post an image of a happy couple embracing in front of a sunset. If you write science fiction books, show an image of futuristic spaceships and robots.

If there’s one thing we know about readers, it’s that they are attracted to certain types of books based on the cover art and iconography they see in front of them. Your readers want to know what type of story they’ll get when they pick up your book or click on your ad—and if those elements don’t match their expectations, then chances are high that person won’t buy from you at all (or will buy but won’t finish).

Host A Giveaway To Drum Up Buzz For A New Release

Have you ever wondered how authors drum up buzz for a new release? Sometimes they hold giveaways!

There are many ways to run a giveaway, but the most common is the “enter to win” type. To enter, people need to do something like subscribe to your mailing list or like your Facebook page. Then they’re entered into a drawing and can win any of the following prizes:

A copy of your book (or another bundle of books)
Swag related to your series/brand (stickers, posters, etc.)
Gift certificates for places that would appeal to fans of this genre (like Amazon gift cards or restaurant gift cards)
Trips relevant to the setting or characters in your series (e.g., if you have an urban fantasy set in New York City, you could offer trips there)

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Share News About Upcoming Releases

Another great way to reach your reader base with Facebook ads is to share news about upcoming releases. If you have a mailing list, email list or email subscriber list, this can be a great way to use it.

You can do this by creating a Facebook ad and then choosing the “People in your audience who like and/or engage with this page also like” option under the segmentation tab. Then you can choose the e-mail subscribers option as your target audience.

If you don’t have any of these types of lists yet, now would be a good time to create one! You will want to create an ad that is optimized for people who like and/or engage with specific pages on Facebook as well as those who are subscribed to certain emails on other platforms such as Mailchimp or Aweber.

Create Ads For New Releases (Or Pre-Releases) To Drive Traffic To Amazon (Or Other Retailers)

If you have a new release (or pre-release) coming out, use Facebook Ads to drive people back to Amazon or other retailers. While some people may be clicking on your ad just because they’re interested in whatever product is being advertised, others are likely to actually buy the book as well.

In order to make this happen, focus on page 1 of the product search results and put together an ad that tells readers what they will get out of reading your book: What will they learn? What will they enjoy? Why should they bother spending time with it?

Alternatively, if you have an existing book that’s still selling well but has been around for a while now and isn’t generating many organic sales anymore—like my first novel did recently—you can also use Facebook Ads as a way of reaching new readers who might not otherwise hear about it due to how long ago its release date was.

Advertise A Free Book

One of the best ways to use Facebook ads is to advertise a free book. You can use this strategy in a few different ways:

Promote your other books. This is a great way to get people interested in reading more of your work, and it can also help you build up your mailing list.
Promote an ebook bundle or collection of short stories that might be useful for readers who like the genre of one of your books, but not enough for them to want monthly installments at $9-$12 per month (or whatever price point you decide on).
Promote information products that go along with what you’ve written about (eBook guides, lecture notes/slideshows/transcripts/etc.).

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Use Ads To Promote A Review Blitz For An Upcoming Release

Ads can be used to promote a review blitz for an upcoming release. A “review blitz” is when you ask your readers and fans to review your book on Amazon at the same time, so that you get more reviews from them all at once.

You can use ads to promote this strategy in two ways:

Create a campaign targeting readers who have read books similar to yours, especially if those books have been reviewed well by other readers.
Create a campaign targeting people who have already reviewed other books like yours and ask them to review your book too!

Use Ads To Cross-Promote With Other Authors In Your Genre

Cross-promote with other authors in your genre.

You should think of this as a positive thing, even though it may seem like you’re intruding on someone else’s turf. It can be an opportunity for your fans to see new books and authors they might not have known about before, which might lead to more readers for everyone involved.

Share their posts with your fans by liking or commenting on them, sharing their ads with your fans (if they pay for ads), sharing their articles with your fans if it’s relevant and interesting information related to what you do (even if it isn’t directly related to writing), sharing reviews from other readers who enjoyed their book(s) or article(s).

Use ads to encourage fans to sign up for your mailing list so you can give them exclusive content, updates, and announcements before anyone else gets them.

Giving your fans and subscribers exclusive content is a great way to keep them engaged with your brand. Here are some ways you can use Facebook ads to encourage ad impressions that result in signups:

You can target people who have already liked or followed your page and encourage them to sign up for the mailing list.

You can target people who are likely or likely not to follow your page based on things like their interests and social demographics, then show them an ad that promises something exclusive if they sign up for the mailing list.

Once someone signs up for the mailing list, send them a series of email messages with news about upcoming products, sales events, etc., that aren’t available anywhere else. This will help build excitement around what you have to share while also building trust among new customers who might be hesitant before making an initial purchase (and maybe even encouraging repeat purchases).

Use ads to generate interest in a blog post or article featuring your book or characters from it (or both!).

One of the best ways to use Facebook ads is to promote a blog post or article featuring your book or characters from it (or both!).

It’s important to note, however, that you shouldn’t just advertise your novel ad nauseam. This can be irritating for readers who already know about your book and may even turn them off from buying it later. Instead of simply pushing “buy my book,” try advertising content related to what you’re promoting as an alternative:

If they’re reading a blog post about your character(s), try using ads to promote another piece of content that focuses on one or more of those characters. This way they’ll get an idea into how they might fit into the world and why they should care about them—without feeling like they’re being sold something over and over again.

If you have a free copy up for grabs somewhere online (like Wattpad), consider using Facebook ads as a way to promote this giveaway as well! It’s easy enough for anyone who wants access; all you need is their email address so make sure yours is visible somewhere nearby so people know how easy it will be for them once signed up with their own account

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Facebook Ads Can Help Get More Eyes On Your Book, If You Do It Right!

Facebook ads can help you reach more readers, and there are several ways to use them. You can target specific people based on their interests or location. You can also target people based on age, gender and more.

For example: If your book is about creative writing, then you would want to target potential readers who are interested in creative writing books and/or have liked other books with similar themes to yours.

The more specific you get, the better your results will be!

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! We hope you’ve found inspiration and ideas in our list of Facebook ad tips. If you have any other ideas, please share them with us! We’d love to hear your thoughts on Facebook ads and how they can help writers reach their audiences.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions related to effective Facebook advertising:

What are the key elements of a successful Facebook ad?

A successful Facebook ad typically includes compelling visuals, concise copy, a clear call-to-action, and audience targeting that matches the ad’s message.

How can I improve my ad’s click-through rate (CTR)?

To improve your ad’s CTR, focus on crafting engaging ad copy, using eye-catching visuals, and refining your target audience to ensure relevance.

What types of ad formats can I use on Facebook?

Facebook offers various ad formats, including image ads, video ads, carousel ads, slideshow ads, and more, allowing you to choose the format that suits your campaign goals.

How do I measure the effectiveness of my Facebook ad campaign?

You can measure the effectiveness of your Facebook ad campaign by tracking metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, engagement metrics, and return on ad spend (ROAS).

What are some common mistakes to avoid in Facebook advertising?

Common mistakes in Facebook advertising include not defining a clear objective, neglecting to target the right audience, using poor-quality visuals, and not optimizing ads based on performance data.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.