{"id":16459,"date":"2023-05-03T07:00:08","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T12:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildbookbuzz.com\/?p=16459"},"modified":"2023-12-07T21:33:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T21:33:38","slug":"should-you-pay-an-influencer-to-recommend-your-book-heres-how-to-decide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandra.oddjar.com\/should-you-pay-an-influencer-to-recommend-your-book-heres-how-to-decide\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you pay an influencer to recommend your book? Here’s how to decide"},"content":{"rendered":"
Answer these questions before you pay an influencer to recommend your book. Both your budget and reputation might be at stake.<\/em><\/pre>\n
Affiliate Disclosure:<\/strong> This post contains Bookshop.org links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you) while you support independent bookstores. <\/em><\/pre>\n
My friend Jenny<\/a> recently asked what I thought about paying to have her new book recommended by influencers in her book\u2019s category, parenting.<\/p>\n
Jenny had two opportunities to pay an influencer to recommend her book. Each offered a variety of packages at different price points.<\/p>\n
At the core of each package was a collection of recommended books.<\/p>\n
Influencers create recommended reading lists<\/h2>\n
One of the influencers referred to their book recommendation list as a \u201cbook club.\u201d Club members aren\u2019t readers, though. They\u2019re authors paying to get their books included on that list.<\/p>\n
The other opportunity is a website its two owners refer to as an online magazine. They describe the site\u2019s book collection as \u201ca new platform on the site where we will be curating and showcasing the best books for parents and parents-to-be.\u201d<\/p>\n
In both cases, Jenny would pay an influencer to recommend her book. When influencers charge authors a fee to do this, it’s influencer marketing.<\/p>\n
What is influencer marketing?<\/h2>\n
You have probably seen influencer marketing in action on Instagram, TikTok, and other social networks. An individual with a large following mentions a product by name. The product might be apparel, cookware, or a recipe ingredient, for example.<\/p>\n
SproutSocial<\/a> defines influencer marketing as \u201ca type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers \u2013 individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n
The FTC requires<\/a> that influencers receiving anything of value to mention a product disclose that information when referencing the brand in a post, story, and so on. “Anything of value” includes products (“We’ll give you this jewelry to wear if you’ll photograph yourself wearing it and post the images”) and money.<\/p>\n
This applies to you, me, and Kim Kardashian. That’s the Kim Kardashian who had to pay investors $1.26 million<\/a> when she didn\u2019t disclose that she was paid to promote a specific crypto security on Instagram.<\/p>\n
The law requires transparency<\/h2>\n
Why is disclosure required? It\u2019s about transparency.<\/p>\n
If I\u2019m recommending a product to you, you need to know that I\u2019m being paid to recommend it. That information could influence how seriously you take my recommendation, right?<\/p>\n
These rules apply to affiliate marketing, too. The FTC not only mandates disclosure, it requires that affiliates must state that it\u2019s an affiliate link before the link, not after it.<\/p>\n
This means that influencers charging authors a fee to recommend their books must disclose that paid relationship.<\/strong> This applies to any:<\/p>\n
    \n
  • Collection (club, list, whatever) of recommended books<\/li>\n
  • Newsletter mention<\/li>\n
  • Online magazine article the author writes and pays for so they can include their book title in the writer bio<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    Neither of the influencers Jenny heard from include these disclosures in their sponsored content.<\/p>\n
    Both say they\u2019re selective about what they recommend \u2013 they wouldn\u2019t recommend just any book, for example \u2013 but is that enough?<\/p>\n
    [novashare_tweet tweet=”Influencers charging authors a fee to recommend their books must disclose that paid relationship.” hide_hashtags=”true”]<\/p>\n
    How important is transparency for you?<\/h2>\n
    I\u2019m a big fan of transparency. That means I wouldn\u2019t pay an influencer to recommend my book without disclosure.<\/p>\n
    It\u2019s about more than playing by the rules (and avoiding fines). I wouldn’t pay even if there were no FTC rules.<\/p>\n
    For me, it comes down to your connection with your reader.<\/strong><\/p>\n
    How would you feel if you paid Influencer A to be on their recommended books list, then received a message from a reader expressing disappointment when they learned you paid for, rather than earned, your way onto that list?<\/p>\n
    Or, would you feel OK about doing the humble brag on social media about what an honor it is to be selected for that influencer\u2019s \u201cbest books\u201d list?<\/p>\n