Increasing Reach on your Facebook Page

Here’s a handy tip for increasing reach on your Facebook page. “Reach” is Facebook’s word for how many people have seen your posts in their timelines. And I’m talking “fan” pages here, not profiles.

Normally, if you’re promoting book buy links, blog posts, etc, you’d type your message and the link into the box, then hit “post.” It’ll then go out and a percentage of the people that like your page will see it. To increase that number, give this a try:

Instead of posting the link in the same box as your text, try writing your text, then saying you’ll include the link in the comments. Post it, then post your link as a comment on that particular post. See screengrab:


Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge


I’ve tried this myself, and in the statistics of my page, it’s roughly tripling the number of people that see my posts. So it may take a few seconds more, but it’s worth it for that many more users to see what you’re posting.

I’m not 100% sure why Facebook do this, but I suspect it’s a) because they don’t want people linking out of Facebook, taking traffic away and b) because they want you to pay to use that “boost post” button. Can’t blame them for wanting to make sure cash out of page users, I suppose, but it’s pretty annoying as that’s the only way users are supposed to promote things, as opposed to on their personal profiles.

Give it a try. I hope it helps!

Testimonial from Liia Ann White

I just received this fab testimonial from Liia Ann White – who booked a blog tour for her latest release through WMS.

I used Lucy’s Writer Marketing Services for a blog tour and was instantly left wondering why I hadn’t used her earlier. I’ve used other promotional companies to organise blog tours and appearances, but none of them compare to Lucy. Within hours of emailing her regarding the tour, she responded – not an easy feat with the time difference between the two of us – and she had great spots booked up within days. The entire process ran smoothly and I couldn’t have been happier.

The tour was a great success and Lucy promoted my guest spots on both her personal Twitter and Erotica For All accounts.

I plan on using Writer Marketing Services again and again and again.

What You Need To Know About Blog Tours

  • What is a blog tour?

A blog tour is a way to publicise you and your book. You write guest blog posts or answer interviews which are then posted on carefully chosen host blogs on a set date.

  • What are the advantages?

It’s great publicity which boosts sales! As you’ll be appearing on a different blog each day you have the chance to gain yourself new readers, let existing readers know about your new releases and get your work added to those all important to be read lists! You are given the opportunity to speak to readers and engage with them, increasing your chances of them checking out your books.

  • What is a guest blog post?

A guest blog post is where you write something that will be of interest to readers, whether it’s about your writing process, your characters, your inspiration, etc. These are then posted on a host blog along with your book cover and buy links to make readers aware of you and your work.

  • What should I write about?

See How To Write Guest Blog Posts for more information on this.

  • Should I write something new for each stop on the tour?

You don’t have to, though it’s highly recommended. Some tour hosts will insist that your content is unique  as sending the same thing out to more than one blog has several drawbacks: the search engines penalise for duplicate content, meaning your post is less likely to be ranked highly; it looks like you can’t be bothered to write new content; there may be people following you on each stop of your tour and they won’t be happy to see the same posts appearing and with each new discussion you have more chance of drawing in different readers as you’re giving them a new ‘hook’ and making them interested in you and your work.

  • What happens after the post is made live?

The post will be publicised on social networks as outlined in the Blog Tour Packages information, but you will also need to publicise this yourself. Send emails to your friends, post something on your own blog and send out links via your own social networks. The more visitors you have, the better. Also, you must check back periodically to see if there have been any comments on your piece and answer them and any questions where applicable.

  • How long does a blog tour last?

That’s up to you. Packages range from one week to four. For more information, visit the Blog Tour Packages page.

  • What do I need to supply for a blog tour?

See Blog Tour Requirements for a list.

  • Your prices are all in GBP – does that mean you only work for UK authors?

No, though I’m in the UK so you’ll need to pay me in GBP. Use a free currency converter to find out the rough cost in your currency. Then you can use PayPal to send funds to me in GBP.

  • I want in. How do I go about booking a blog tour?

Visit the Blog Tour Calendar & Sign Up Page to find out what dates are available and send me your information.

Brand New Website & Now Booking for February

Today I added another satisfied customer to my portfolio! Diane Alberts, a romance writer, asked me to create a new website for her and her fast growing collection of books, and today the project was completed. As is the case with these projects, there was lots of to-ing and fro-ing, but the site is now complete and Diane has let me know she’s very happy with the results. So much so, that she wrote me this glowing recommendation:

Lucy listened to what I wanted, and gave me all of it..but in a better version than what I’d pictured! I asked for beauty and simplicity, and she followed through. Her updates were frequent, and she never left me wondering if she was working hard on my site- I knew she was! I highly recommend Lucy if you want a friendly, knowledgeable, detail-conscientious web designer!

Check out the newly-updated DianeAlberts.com here!

In other news, I’ve scheduled several blog tours of late, and I’m now scheduling into February. So if you’re looking to run a blog tour for your new book, please contact me ASAP to make sure you get the dates you require! More info and pricing on blog tours here.

An Easy Way to Be Recognised Across the Internet

Do you have a blog? Do you visit other blogs regularly, and make comments? Good! You’re being social and making friends and contacts.

But have you ever wondered why some commenters have nice little photos of themselves by their comments, but you’ve just got a generic image? It’s because you need to set it up.

The “Web 2.0” term for these photos is “avatar”. Your photo is your avatar. You’ll see them on Twitter, WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr… the list goes on. Ideally, if you’re promoting yourself, this avatar should be the same across all your social networks. This helps people, particularly if they connect with you on more than one of the networks, to associate that photo with you. They’ll remember you more easily when they see you elsewhere.

On some networks, like Twitter for example, you just upload a photo of your choice. That becomes your avatar, and it’s as simple as that. However, when leaving comments across the web, it’s not that easy. That’s why you see so many generic images. But it’s very easy to set up so your image appears in these places.

Sign up for Gravatar. A “gravatar” is a globally recognized avatar, to quote their website. All you have to do is register an account – it’s free – upload your avatar and it’ll then follow you across the Internet to all compatible websites, which are many.

So what are you waiting for? Turn yourself from a generic image to you, in a few simple steps! Just go to http://en.gravatar.com/ and get signed up! Test it out here when you’re done, if you like!

9 Twitter Tips for Beginners


Twitter is a brilliant marketing tool for any writer. Not only can you use it to find and chat with likeminded people, it’s also a great place for exchanging information and, of course, promoting yourself. Lots of people just don’t “get” Twitter so they either don’t use it, or use it incorrectly.

I authored a guest post over at Piece of Tales called 9 Twitter Tips for Beginners. If you want to learn more about Twitter, you should definitely go and check it out.

You can follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cw1985

Another Satisfied Customer!

I just added a new project to my Portfolio – the complete overhaul and redesign of D. W. Marchwell’s website. You can see more information on the process here.

When I asked D. W. if he would mind doing a testimonial for my services, he happily obliged. When I received it, I was delighted. I knew he’d been happy with my work, but seeing it in black and white just makes it seem so much more real, somehow.

Here are D. W.’s comments:

I thought the task of redesigning my website would be long and complicated, but Ms. Felthouse made the entire process easy to understand and even easier to finish. Ms. Felthouse’s attention to achieving the look and feel I wanted on the site was exemplary. If you’re looking for someone who is easy to work with, easy to understand and who will get the job done right the first time, you won’t be disappointed with Ms. Felthouse’s work.

Pat on the back for me!

Latest News

Hi everyone. I just wanted to pop a quick post on here as I realise I’ve been rather quiet. However, it’s been for a good reason – because I’ve been so busy!

As well as doing little bits and pieces here and there for clients, I’ve also been working on big PR campaigns for two erotic writers. They’re both promoting new and upcoming releases, as well as themselves in general, so I’ve been busy juggling various appearances and interviews, and keeping their promotional calendars organised. If this is something you’re interested in having me do for you, please contact me to discuss.

I also have a couple of websites in different stages of completion. Again, if you’re looking for a professional, easy to use and update website that doesn’t cost the earth, please give me a shout.

A Good Week for Web Launches!

This week I’ve launched not one, but two websites!

One is for celebrity biographer, Nigel Goodall, who’s currently celebrating his 20th year as a published author – congratulations to Nigel! He wanted his site launched in honour of this milestone and based on his testimonial, he’s as happy with the result of this project as I am! Check out Nigel’s site at http://nigelgoodall.co.uk.

The second website belongs to erotic author, Justine Elyot. Her new site showcases the fabulous books and stories she’s produced for publishers including (now sadly defunct) Black Lace, Cleis Press, Noble Romance, Total-E-Bound and Xcite Books. It also incorporates her blog, meaning everything “Justine” is now in one place. Check out the new site at http://justineelyot.com.

I’m also starting work on another couple of websites soon, so dependent on timescales, there may be more appearing in my Portfolio early next month.

A New Venture

Hi everyone and thank you for visiting the site. I guess you’re visiting the blog section because you want to know more about me and the business I’m embarking on.

Although the business itself is a new venture, the work I’ll be doing within it certainly isn’t new to me. I’ve been running my own website for the best part of six years and it’s undergone several changes in that time. The reason for this being that I like to keep on top of technology and the changing world and have kept my website updated to reflect that. I enjoy web design and am quite the perfectionist, so if you’re looking for a new website then you’re in safe hands. Together we can create something that you’re happy with and markets you effectively.

As for the PR & Marketing side of things, I’ve been doing that since 2006 when I graduated from University and went into full-time work. My degree is in Creative Writing which, granted, doesn’t have a lot to do with Marketing, but everything I know I’ve learnt by doing it in my job, rather than reading about it in a book. I think that means something. I genuinely enjoy PR & Marketing and the reason I decided to move into doing it for myself is because, as a writer myself, I’ve seen the struggle some authors have with promoting themselves and their work.

I’m lucky because it comes naturally to me. I can write and promote, so I thought it would be a great idea to start up a business where I’d be promoting other writers. As someone who has experience of writing, publishing, PR & Marketing I have a broad knowledge of the market and how to get writers and their work in front of the people they need to be in front of – their readers.

So, I hope you’ll continue clicking around the site to see what I can do for you and also check out my Portfolio. Please don’t be put off if you’re not a writer – I’m happy to talk to people who aren’t and discuss working on projects, whether it be web design, social media, copywriting, PR etc… the list goes on. Just hit the Contact page and drop me a line.

I look forward to hearing from you.