Having an author Press page is an integral part of your short-term and long-term marketing strategy. An author Press page makes you more attractive to media outlets (even if you don’t have any past appearances). It showcases your media coverage and makes it easier for you to get more of it. Below we’ll go over the elements it needs to contain and why having a press page is important.
An Author Press Page Opens the Door for Opportunities
Similar to an author About page, a Press page is a one stop shop for visitors to find specific information. Journalists and others in the media will definitely visit your author Press page because they’ll want to know if you’re a good fit, see what topics you can speak to, and grab your media bio, author headshot, and book cover for their story.
If you don’t have much press coverage yet, that’s okay! You can add to it as you get more opportunities—your website designer knows this and will create your press page with this in mind. The important thing is that you have a press page. If a journalist, podcaster, publication, or other media outlet goes looking for it and it’s not there, then that’s a missed opportunity for you to get coverage. And media coverage is integral to growing your reach.
Plus, it Gives You Clout
Besides making it easier for journalists and other media sources to see why they want to cover you, an author press page is proof that others found you worthy of coverage. The general consensus is that if others find you interesting enough to cover, you’re probably worth covering. It tells your website visitors that you may already have an audience, and therefore you can bring them more listens, views, or clicks, bringing your audience to them.
Some Standard Additions to an Author Press Page
Below we cover the standard additions you should have on your author Press page. It doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be thorough and accessible. So make sure you have these in some capacity. Now, you may be thinking that you already have your bio and your headshot on other pages of your website so you don’t need them on your Press page too. But you do! Remember, your author press page is a one stop shop for those looking to cover you or interview you. They may not take the time to click through to those other pages. And you want to make it easier for them to find everything they will need right there.
Include Items Found on Other Pages
Your Media Bio
Your media bio is going to differ from your casual About page bio, and it should be available as a downloadable WORD document (this makes the journalist’s life easier too). A media bio should be written in the third person, be about 80 to 100 words in length, and include all the credibility that makes you stand out to the media. If you need help with your professional bio, you can find it here.
Your Headshot
You must include at least one professional headshot available as a high resolution, downloadable jpeg. High resolution means that the image is large enough to be printed. We recommend at least 300 dpi and at least four inches wide. Since you don’t know what format the medium will need, it’s best to include a horizontal and a vertical option. But there’s no reason to include more than four options. Make it easy-peasy.
Your Contact Information
You likely have your contact information on your About page, and may even have a contact form. But again, you don’t want to send anyone searching for that information. When a visitor comes to your author Press page and likes what they see, that means they’ll want to contact you! Don’t make them search for that information. You may have someone besides yourself that’s your point of contact, like your PR person or your publisher. So add that information there.
Assets and Statistics
All that vital but dull-seeming publishing information is important to add to your author Press page as well. Statistics like your book’s ISBN, page numbers, your publisher and where your book can be purchased should be made readily available too. And last but definitely not least, you need to add your book promo images. This means featuring high-resolution (300 dpi) downloadable images of your book cover as 1) a front facing flat image, 2) a 3D image, and 3) the entire cover (including the spine and back).
And the Stuff Exclusive to an Author Press Page
Links to Past Coverage
At Monkey C Media, we usually call this your IN THE NEWS. This is the place where you can show off how interesting and attention worthy you are by sharing your past media coverage: the stuff written about you, not by you. Once you have a lot to share, you’ll want to break out your coverage into sections such as Print, Podcasts, Video, etc.
Be sure to tell people why each piece is pertinent with a short description of the coverage along with its title, where it was originally published, and the date it was published, with a clickable link for easy access.
One note: If the outlet used their own photographer you need to get permission from them(or photographer in some cases) in order to use that photo on your website. Remember, copyright applies to photos too, so be careful that you don’t infringe.
Interview Topics
Yet another way to show potential journalists you may be a good fit for them is to add a list of interview topics. This gives them an idea of what they can expect when interviewing you as well. These are the topics you’re an expert in, and the same topics you may cover in speaking engagements. They’ll also relate to your book, which means it’s easy to refer back to and promote. So yes, add these to your author Press page!
Endorsements and Accolades
Another way to show off. This is not the place for modesty. Adding your endorsements, the accolades you’ve garnered from adoring fans, reviewers and critics is pretty standard. You’re not bragging. The whole purpose of these is to show them off. And your author Press page is the perfect place for them.
Your Author Press Page Also Needs Things that Make a Journalist’s Life Easier
Questions and Answers
We recommend that you include 10-15 questions (with answers) to help guide the interview. Interviewers appreciate having a starting point and understanding your goals for the interview. It makes their life easier. The less they have to research, the more likely they are to invite you as a guest, especially in situations like last minute cancellations that leave them scrambling for a new guest.
Quotables
Include three to four quotes that the interviewer can use in their story. Again folks, make it easy to make you look good!
Your Press Release
A press release contains information the press needs to cover you and your book. It also needs to be on your author Press page even though it likely contains information already included on the page itself. This should be a downloadable WORD or text file. If possible, we recommend adding an updated press release every three months.
You Can Definitely Make Your Author Press Page Your Own
Though there are standards for what your author Press page should contain, it doesn’t mean they’re one size fits all. You can make yours your own and your web designer will help with that. You’ll need to consider things like placement, sticking to your branding for consistency and how you want the information accessed. One note: There’s a lot of information crammed onto an author Press page, but you don’t want it to look cluttered, and your designer will help with that too. Because, once again, it’s about making all your essential information easy to access.
So when planning your website, or before adding an author Press page to your existing site, gather or create this material so you’ll be prepared when your web designer asks you for it. Before you know it you’ll have a professional and polished looking Press page and hopefully some interview requests!
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