How to Set up a Street Team
Street Team time!
What is a street team you might ask? Well, a street team is a group of readers who will help you spread the word about your book. You connect with other writers or readers, or maybe even some of your current connections and critique partners might sign up. This is an opportunity to share beyond your newsletter or your following on social media by taking advantage of other’s reach and interest in your book. There are usually incentives for street team members as well, but obviously don’t make promised you cannot keep.
Now, where to start:
Figure out what you can offer your street team members. It might be an e-book or physical copy of the book. Maybe some of those preorder incentives I described in a previous post. Perhaps you choose to do a little something more specific or smaller. Either way, keep it realistic for your budget. Personally, I offered the first ten people to sign up, a paperback copy of the book. Members will also receive the preorder incentives as well as a little something extra that I plan to send with their goodies. Will keep that a secret for now.
Create a form for sign up (see mine as an example at the link below). I used Google forms because it is easy to use and it’s quick for collecting information. Create a form that can be easy to read and understand. State the expectations you have for those who sign up and what you will give them for fulfilling those expectations. You will also need contact information (email, social media handles, and name). It is also important to be specific in what you are looking for. This is a chance to also ask if they are all right with you being added to your newsletter list. I do recommend taking from that pool of newsletter individuals too. So don’t limit yourself with just those you have a personal connection with. *Note* It is still important to check their social media handles to see if they read the genre and books you are interested in promoting. I did not look at follower count, though that may be something you choose to do. I thought it more important that they posted on a somewhat regular basis and about books in general.
You should have been promoting your book on social media (will be discussing marketing in the future) and have garnered some type of following for your book. This doesn’t need to be thousands of followers. You can be realistic for yourself. Connect with readers and writers alike from your social media avenues and offer the chance to them to sign up. I was surprised that I received more feedback on TikTok where I have less of a connection than I did on Instagram so don’t limit yourself.
Create a group and newsletter campaign just for those particular members of your street team. Welcome them to the team! I also included a copy of the form they signed up on so they could see the agreement you’ve made, links for the book, and an update on information. Be excited! Share sneak peeks! I even had my team vote on the options for the book’s cover. If they feel included and a part of the process, they will be even more excited to share the book for you too. You might even want to start a discord, message board, or the like depending on where your street members are located on social media. Since mine were between Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, it was best for me to just start an email campaign.
Don’t bombard with emails! I had a schedule in my newsletter of what was to come and with an update of information. But I made sure all of these correspondences had a meaning and purpose.
A few ideas for your street team:
I did a contest for social media posts for the book release. Offer something simple like a digital gift card to a bookstore. Or maybe a free copy of the book. It created a bit more hype and excitement. Send the newsletter with the book cover details and graphics a few days before you reveal it on social media! Give them the chance to be creative. It was fun to see what everyone shared too. Make sure they tag you and have details about the book since it’s doubtful many of them have read it yet. I gave a list of tropes and the blurb as well to work off of.
Let them be the first to know! Share the cover with them first. Give them the first sneak peeks to the preorder incentives. Make them feel as special as you want them to make your book.
Be thankful! With their street team package, I plan to make a little something personal for each of my members. I made it simple and sweet though and it will be delivered with their incentives and, in some cases, their free copy of the book.
If you do ARC’s, send them the link! A few of my first readers to sign up for ARC’s were from my street team.
Hope this was helpful! Have a great time connecting with your readers.
To see an example of my street team form, click HERE.
