A book doesn’t have to be a bestseller to be your best marketing tool—it just needs to exist.
July 25 marked two years since I published Uncomparable: The Financial Advisor’s Guide to Standing Out Through Niche Marketing. Hitting that milestone made me reflect on the biggest lessons I learned in the process.
A book is a valuable marketing tool, even if nobody ever cracks the cover. That’s because the book itself is just the beginning—it opens doors to marketing opportunities that might be harder to access otherwise.
Here are a few ways your book can work for you:
Guest Podcasts: A published book is a powerful credibility marker for podcast hosts looking for expert guests. Whether the show has an audience of hundreds or hundreds of thousands, your book gives you a reason to pitch yourself to be a guest on a show. Instead of simply saying you’re an expert, you can say, “I literally wrote the book on this.” That small shift in positioning can make all the difference in getting booked.
Speaking Engagements: Event organizers are looking for speakers with built-in authority. Your book can serve as both your calling card and your topic guide. You can pitch talks based on the themes of your book and offer free copies to attendees as part of the event. Being an author, even self-published, increases your chances of being booked to speak.
PR Opportunities: A book gives journalists and publications a reason to feature you. It provides a timely angle (“local financial advisor releases new book”) and positions you as a go-to resource in your niche. You can tie your pitches to current news stories, trends, and problems your niche faces, using your book as proof that you have the authority to comment.
The takeaway? Even if your book doesn’t become a bestseller, it can still be the key to unlocking podcasts, bookings, and press coverage that would be difficult to access otherwise. In many ways, publishing a book isn’t the end—it’s the door opener.
Kristen Luke
Founder of Kaleido Creative Studio and OnNiche®
We Want Your Take! Have you thought about how you could use a book to open doors to new marketing opportunities? Which of these would you pursue first—guest podcasts, speaking engagements, or PR? Or do you have other creative ways to leverage a book, even if no one reads it cover to cover? Join the conversation and share your approach at the OnNiche® Public Square!