Dawn Josephson is a writing coach and book editor. She helps coaches, consultants, and professional speakers transform their ideas and expertise into impactful non-fiction books that enhance their credibility, boost their positioning, and ultimately increase their profits.
If you’re a coach, consultant, or speaker, writing a book goes far beyond simply sharing your knowledge with the world. Your book is also your greatest strategic marketing tool that can enhance your credibility, boost your positioning, and ultimately increase your profits. In fact, having a well-written book is one of the best ways to attract new clients, secure speaking engagements, and gain media attention. This article will explore five ways that you can leverage your book to maximize these opportunities, enabling you to grow your business to new levels.
1. Grow your authority and credibility
The mere fact that you published a book automatically positions you as a thought leader in your field. Not convinced? According to a survey conducted by the New York Times, nearly 81 percent of people say they want to write a book. Unfortunately, 97 percent of people who start writing their book never finish. In other words, lots of people want to write a book, but only a select few do. So if you’ve written a book, that’s a huge accomplishment and a definite credibility booster.
When you have a book that showcases your expertise, you can more effectively build trust with potential clients and partners. Of course, if no one knows you’ve written a book, you won’t reap this benefit. Therefore, make sure you’re highlighting both your book and your expertise at all times. Here are some tips to do so.
Highlight your expertise
To begin, prominently feature your book title in your email signature, on your business cards, and in your professional bio. Additionally, create a dedicated author/book page on your website so visitors can learn about your book and its key themes. Don’t think that merely mentioning your book on your coaching, consulting, or speaking services pages is enough. Your book is so vital that it deserves its own page on your site.
Build trust
To give potential clients a taste of the authority and credibility you bring to your topic, share excerpts or key insights from your book on social media and in your blogs. This not only demonstrates your expertise, but it also engages your audience with valuable content. Always re-use content from your book in your blogs and posts. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you have a wealth of information to pull from. By offering glimpses into your book’s content, people will be more willing to purchase it and ultimately work with you.
Real-life example
One of my clients, a leadership coach, saw a significant increase in client sign-ups after she published her book about leadership strategies. She promoted her book through her website and speaking engagements, and positioned herself as the go-to expert in leadership coaching, leading to a 30 percent increase in her business.
2. Attract new clients
Now that you’ve boosted your credibility and authority, you can use your book as a powerful lead generation tool, as well as a resource to educate potential clients about your services. At this point, it’s important to remember that the goal is not to make money from your book, but rather to make money because of your book. In other words, you’re not going for individual book sales where you’ll earn $10-$15 per sale (or less depending on printing and royalty structures); you’re aiming to convert prospects into clients where you’ll earn many thousands of dollars. When you view your book as a lead generation and client education tool, you’ll see the most results.
Lead generation
To make your book a lead generator, begin by creating a landing page that offers a free chapter or even a digital version of your book in exchange for the person’s email address. Yes, give information away! Then, you can utilize email marketing to nurture these leads by providing additional insights, updates, and marketing messages related to your book and your coaching focus.
Client education
In addition, use your book to focus on client education. For example, you can develop a webinar series based on your book’s chapters—one session per chapter. Promote these webinars to potential clients and those on your new mailing list as a deep dive into your methodologies so people can get a sense of how you can help them solve their problems. Once people get a taste of your coaching style and get a solid introduction to your material, they’ll be more inclined to sign up with you.
Real-life example
One of my business consultant clients offered a free chapter of his book to his website visitors in exchange for their email address. He then nurtured these leads through a series of educational emails, ultimately converting many of them into high-paying clients. This strategy led to a 25 percent increase in his client base in just six short months. That’s the power of using your book content as a marketing tool.
3. Secure speaking engagements
Even if you don’t consider yourself a professional speaker, securing speaking engagements is a great way to promote your services, showcase your expertise, and gain new clients. Realize that event organizers seek out (and prefer) published authors as speakers because they bring both credibility and a wealth of content to the event. To use your book to gain speaking engagements, consider the following ideas.
Highlight your speaker credentials
Create a speaker kit that includes a copy of your book, a summary of key topics you can speak on, and testimonials from readers and past speaking engagements (if you’ve done any). Make this kit easily accessible on your website. Also, have a print and digital packet ready to send to event organizers directly.
Pitch your book
Reach out to conference organizers with a personalized pitch. Explain how you’re not only an in-demand coach, but also a book author. Highlight how your book’s content and your coaching focus align with their event themes and audience needs. Give a glimpse of how your strategies or processes can help the event attendees in some way. And don’t be afraid to give the event organizer a copy of your book. Think of your book as a big business card that can put you in front of a room full of people eager for your message and ultimately to work with you.
Real-life example
One of my clients, a humor therapist and coach, landed a high-profile speaking engagement by leveraging her book. Her detailed speaker kit and personalized pitch helped her secure a coveted spot on a panel of people she considered her mentors and professional inspirations. That one speaking event raised her credibility and authority so much that she was able to raise her coaching fees while signing up more clients than ever before.
4. Gain media opportunities
Imagine how your business would grow if you were featured in local and national publications, on radio and podcast shows, and on other people’s social media accounts. Your book can be a compelling hook to get this kind of media coverage. You’ll also be positioned as an expert available for commentary on related topics. Here are some ways to use your book for this kind of media coverage.
Media outreach
Create a book media kit that includes a press release, book summary, high-resolution author photos, and potential interview questions. Make sure you tie your topic and information to something newsworthy happening now in the world, in your industry, or in your locale. If that’s not possible given your topic, then position yourself with an evergreen topic focus—something timeless. Send this kit to targeted media contacts and offer to provide expert commentary on current industry trends or to offer advice to their readers/listeners/viewers.
Expert commentary
Offer to write guest articles on topics related to your book for industry publications and blogs. The goal is not to get paid for your writing. The goal is to get your message and name out to potential clients. Don’t worry—you can create these articles by lifting material from your book. Recycling content is always allowed and expected. By sharing your wisdom via articles from your book, you increase your visibility to your target clients.
Real-life example
One of my life coaching clients gained substantial media coverage due to his book on mindfulness. He sent several well-crafted media kits to journalists and bloggers, which enabled him to secure features in several high-profile publications. Before long, prospects were contacting him for help. The number one thing they said to him was, “I see your name everywhere these days.” That top-of-mind awareness paid off.
5. Leverage strategic partnerships and collaborations
Because your book now positions you as an expert, you’ll be able to open the doors to strategic partnerships and collaborations that significantly expand your reach and influence. To begin, identify and research organizations, influencers, and businesses that align with the themes and goals of your book and your coaching. Look for partners who have a complementary audience or mission. Then, do the following.
Propose collaborations
Write a proposal that highlights the mutual benefits of collaboration and/or partnering with the person. This could include co-hosting events, cross-promotional opportunities, or joint ventures. For example, if you’re a life coach, you may find a holistic doctor to share booth space with at a wellness fair. One of you (the doctor) can provide information about holistic medical therapies that lead to wellness, while the other (you) can showcase your book and coaching about the power of mindset and how it affects wellness.
Create joint ventures
Finally, use your book as the foundation for joint ventures, such as co-branded workshops, seminars, or online courses. For example, if you’re a business productivity coach, you may find a Feng Shui coach to partner with and do workshops together. One of you (the Feng Shui expert) can talk about Feng Shui principles and how they lead to clarity, while the other (you) can talk about using this newfound clarity to implement and practice your productivity strategies. The key is to clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and benefits for each party. Using your book as a foundational piece for these collaborations increases your visibility and positions you as a key player in your industry.
Real-life example
A financial advisor client used his book on financial planning to establish partnerships with several large corporations. By offering to create custom financial wellness programs for their employees (all based on his book’s content and his core message when working one-on-one with people), he expanded his reach and secured many long-term financial planning clients.
Unleash the full potential of your book
As you can see, your book is so much more than just an expression of your coaching philosophy. It’s really a multi-faceted marketing tool that can significantly enhance your professional brand and business growth. Not sure where to begin? Connect with me and I can help you not only create your perfect book, but also use it strategically to build your business. By leveraging your book effectively, you can attract new clients, secure high-profile speaking engagements, and gain valuable media exposure, ultimately positioning yourself as a leading authority in your field.
Read more from Dawn Josephson
Dawn Josephson, Writing Coach and Book Editor
Dawn Josephson is a seasoned writing coach and book editor, specializing in assisting coaches, consultants, and professional speakers. She has ghostwritten over 5,000 articles and 30 books, edited approximately 200 non-fiction works, and coached hundreds of authors from idea to published book. With a background as Editor-in-Chief for a national magazine and various roles in publishing, Dawn brings a wealth of experience to her clients. She holds a BA in English from Rollins College and has been featured in prominent media outlets such as HuffPost, USA Today, and Investor’s Business Daily. Dawn's approachable style empowers her clients to share their expertise and create impactful, legacy-worthy books.
