YouTube for Authors - Social Media Challenge - Day #12

by Sherrie Wilkolaski  

Get ready for your 15 minutes of fame…today we’re talking about YouTube.com.  YouTube is a website to publish and distribute video.  Video is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website, the search engines love it.  Publishing your video via YouTube will give you the opportunity to get exposure, just like having your book having distribution to bookstore catalogs and Amazon.  Using video as a marketing vehicle to promote your book and build your platform as an author will set you apart.  From book trailers to testimonials you can publish your own electronic content on YouTube and share it with the world.

What is YouTube?

Founded in February 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small.

How should an author use YouTube?

Once you've created your account, you will need to set-up your author channel.  If you don’t have a video yet, that is OK.  Get your account established.  Once you do have your video file, you’ll want to upload that to your account.  You should consider putting that video up on the homepage of your website.  Having a video on your homepage is a powerful tool to drive your organic online search for your site.  Many websites have a YouTube plug-in so that you can easily incorporate your video into your site via your YouTube channel.   

Use your YouTube account to promote your book trailer videos.  You can also capture video testimonials from your readers and upload those to your YouTube channel.  Don’t forget to include a short video of you reading an excerpt of your book. 

How to set-up your YouTube account?

YouTube provides detailed instructions on their site, so we’re going to direct you right to that page:  http://www.youtube.com/t/about_getting_started

What NOT to do with your YouTube channel.

Shooting video is not a skill that everyone may have, so be sure to leave it to the professionals.  Don’t publishing junk videos.  If you are doing it yourself, make sure it is simple, you have good lighting and sound.

Today’s social media challenge task of the day. 

1. Create an account at www.YouTube.com.

2. Set-up your profile in your YouTube account.  Be sure to add your author photo and a link back to your own personal website.

3. Post a link to your YouTube lens below in the comments section so you get added exposure. 

4. Email marketing@infinitypublishing.com with a zip folder of your book trailer video OR include a video testimonial about Infinity Publishing.

Infinity Publishing’s gift to you.  We will publish your video on the Infinity Publishing YouTube channel!   

Tomorrow is the last day of this challenge…we’re going international.  Talking about Pubmatch (Challenge #13).