Publish & Prosper

You only get one shot to make a first impression when inviting new guests into your brand–don’t scare them away before they even make it to the front door! In this episode, Lauren & Matt share essential tips for capturing attention quickly, maximizing your ‘curb appeal,’ and making your first look count. We talk through nailing your elevator pitch, sprucing up your social media real estate, designing an inviting website, and delivering a warm welcome email.  Dive Deeper💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp #25 | Author Branding 101: Building a Brand Beyond Your BooksEp #31 | Your 7-Step Guide to Building an Online BookstoreEp #34 | Hooking New Readers With a Compelling Book Description💡 Read These Blog PostsBasic Book Promotion on Social MediaMastering Email Marketing for Authors: A Comprehensive Guide6 Author Website Tips for Success💡 Watch These VideosPlaylist | Author BrandingHow to Use Social Media to Grow Your Author Brand Sound Bites From This Episode🎙️ [5:31] “We live in an attention economy. Everybody's vying for the same attention span that you are, and attention spans are short right now. It's uber important that your first impression hits.”🎙️ [18:43] “Those posts that you're posting on social media that you're hoping the algorithm puts it on their for you page or on their feed, or a friend of theirs shares it and it shows up or whatever… That is your elevator pitch to get people to come check out your profile. So if you're putting all your work into crafting those posts and you're ignoring the profile part of it, you're losing people.” 🎙️ [27:38] “Websites are often now thought of as either A. SEO fuel or B. a place to sell your books, right? So a lot of people don't necessarily think of them as their first impression, their front door to their brand. But you should. You should still build your homepage, build your front page, as if that's the first impression somebody's going to get of you, or your brand, or your books.”🎙️ [41:20] “There are three things you want from a fan, reader, follower, customer. You want their attention. You want their trust. You want their money. The first two are the ones you have to work the hardest for.”💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.

In this episode, Matt & Lauren share tips for making the most of your post-launch marketing and extending the sales cycle of your book. We talk through how to maintain the momentum of your brand growth, professional growth, and book sales by: Exploring new ways to approach earned promo opportunitiesReinforcing your relationship with your existing readers or new audiencesInvesting in yourself and your expertise as an author and as a brandUpdating your brand strategy with post-launch feedbackDive Deeper💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp #35 | Designing the Right Go-to-Market Strategy for Your BookEp #37 | How to Get Your Book Into Indie BookstoresEp #56 | The Indie Author's Guide to Going Wide With Your Book Distribution💡 Read These Blog PostsAmazon Isn’t the Only Option: Going Wide to Diversify Your Book SalesHow to Turn Casual Followers into Dedicated Super FansHow to Earn Media Attention: Essential PR Tips for Authors💡 Watch These VideosYou're Doing it Wrong: Marketing Mistakes to Avoid Why People Buy: Using Psychology to Sell More Books How to Build a Community of True Fans 💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.

Reader personas are a powerful tool for understanding your target audience! In this episode, Lauren & Matt explain the value of niching down into your target audience, how to create your ideal reader personas, and applying those to inform every step of your publishing journey. Whether you’re still drafting your first book or looking to inject new life into the end of a sales cycle, you have to understand who your readers are. Don’t miss Content Entrepreneur Expo, THE event for creators, authors, and entrepreneurs. Visit cex.events to learn more and use promo code LULU100 to save $100 on your ticket 🎉Dive Deeper💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp #35 | Designing the Right Go-to-Market Strategy for Your BookEp #51 | Finding Your Niche, Your Ideal Reader, and Your Target AudienceEp #78 | How to Use Generative AI to Sell More Books [How to Use AI for Reader Personas] 💡 Read This Blog PostBuilding Effective Reader Personas for Authors and Creators💡 Watch These VideosLulu U Playlist | Audience BuildingWhy People Buy: Using Psychology to Sell More BooksSound Bites From This Episode🎙️ [10:22] “A reader persona, for all intents and purposes, is nothing different or short of what we would call a customer persona or a buyer persona in marketing and sales, right? Understanding who your ideal candidate is, who's the person that you're talking to within what would be a broader target audience.”🎙️ [30:25] “I think that when you know who you're writing to and you know how to actually authentically connect with them, it does kind of subconsciously build that rapport already.”🎙️ [44:43] “I think that's the key with post-launch, and persona updates as well, is that you really have to be able to get that data and that information. You can't go back and update a persona if you're not getting that real time information. The only way you're getting that real time information is through selling those titles direct, or having some other direct way to come in contact with the buyers of your book.”💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.

In 2024, Lulu printed almost 57,000 calendars for creators and customers worldwide. In this episode, Matt & Lauren examine why wall calendars are so popular, the ROI on calendars, and different ways calendars can support your brand efforts. We also share calendar ideas for different types of creators, and our tips for making an awesome project. Don’t miss Content Entrepreneur Expo, THE event for creators, authors, and entrepreneurs. Visit cex.events to learn more and use promo code LULU100 to save $100 on your ticket 🎉Dive Deeper💡 Create Your Own Calendar Now! 💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp 58 | Creative Ways to Use Print-On-Demand to Support Your BusinessEp 67 | Turning Your Blog Into A Book💡 Read How to Make a Custom Calendar for Your Wall💡 Watch These VideosCreating a Custom Calendar with Lulu Creating a Calendar | Tutorial 💡 Check Out These CreatorsRobbie FitzwaterMike Melnotte / Reuben the BulldogSophie Gamand Sound Bites From This Episode🎙️ [6:17] “Of all the things that you could create on Lulu, or other sites that involve printed materials like books and pamphlets and calendars and things. Calendars are probably the easiest thing to create.”🎙️ [36:13] “I don't think there's any genre or area or vertical out there where we couldn't find helpful content that they could use for a calendar.”💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.

In this episode Lauren is joined by Laurie Shipley, Lulu’s Email Marketing Manager, to explore the value of email marketing…beyond just newsletters! Laurie shares insights into growing and segmenting your email lists, using automated emails to increase revenue, and creating personal connections with your subscribers. Don’t miss Content Entrepreneur Expo, THE event for creators, authors, and entrepreneurs. Visit cex.events to learn more and use promo code LULU100 to save $100 on your ticket 🎉Dive Deeper💡 Explore These ResourcesBookFunnelHow Creator Lindsay Dollinger Found Her Tilt 💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp #11 | Email Marketing for Authors & CreatorsEp #22 | Using Customer Data to Grow Your Business💡 Read These Blog PostsMastering Email Marketing for AuthorsHow to Build an Author Email List On Your Website💡 Watch These VideosCEX 2024 | 3 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Grow Your Business Through Email with Robbie Fitzwater Webinar | Maximize Your Marketing with Emails with Terezia BarnaSound Bites From This Episode🎙️ [5:08] “So one thing that you want to do…is really to figure out like what's the goal of your email marketing? Ideally, you've got something to sell because, you know, you can have a newsletter all day long that you share your thoughts or give some tips, but you're never gonna really maximize your email marketing resources if you leave it to that.” 🎙️ [20:48] “I think some people are a little bit hesitant to send these types of emails. But someone subscribed, they want to hear from you, they're interested in your product. I mean, email marketing works.”🎙️ [40:34] “That's part of the reason why I love email… It's very revenue driven for most companies, but it's also in my mind, extremely creative. And there's so many ways you can go about it. And it produces results, so it keeps you energized. And once you start doing it, you're like, I'm seeing the results of the work that I'm doing here.”💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.

In this episode, Matt & Lauren review the power of print-on-demand books for subscription-based creators. Whether your content is behind a paywall, time-boxed, frequently updated, or even just spread out over multiple channels, print books can be a great way to support your fans, reach new subscribers, and further establish your expertise and authority. Learn why we think POD print books are a great value add for your subscribers, different ways to monetize your printed content, and how to easily sell and distribute your new products. Don’t miss Content Entrepreneur Expo, THE event for creators, authors, and entrepreneurs. Visit cex.events to learn more and use promo code LULU100 to save $100 on your ticket 🎉Dive Deeper💡 Learn more about Lulu’s Order Import Tool💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp #58 | Creative Ways to Use Print-On-Demand to Support Your BusinessEp #67 | Turning Your Blog Into A BookEp #75 | 7 Steps to Publishing Your Book💡 Read These Blog PostsUsing Subscriptions to Create Recurring RevenueHow Lulu Makes Short-Run Printing Easy6 Steps to Create and Print a Book for Beginners💡 Watch These Videos8 Reasons Your Business Needs Print-On-DemandContent Monetization PlaylistSound Bites From This Episode🎙️ [10:36] “For people who create content that is educational in nature, something somebody might want to use for reference later on, giving them a source that is easily reviewable, something that they can have on their desk or a bookshelf where they can just turn around and grab it… It's just much easier to access.”🎙️ [24:47] “It's just a different way to show off your content. It's a different gateway to entry for people.”🎙️ [38:07] “But I think as a content creator, as anybody listening that considers themselves a content creator or does a subscription service, there's just so many ways that you could create some sort of printed content that you can offer your readers, listeners, subscribers, whatever you want to call them, that really adds value to the chain and brings in some passive revenue for you.”💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.

With print-on-demand, you can print just one copy of your book… But you can also print 100. Or 500. Or 1,000. Or 3,159. You do you.In this episode, Lauren & Matt talk bulk book orders; when you need them, how they work with print-on-demand, and all the logistics (and discounts!) you should know about.Don’t miss Content Entrepreneur Expo, THE event for creators, authors, and entrepreneurs. Visit cex.events to learn more and use promo code LULU100 to save $100 on your ticket 🎉Dive Deeper💡 Explore These ResourcesLearn more about Lulu’s Bulk PrintingCheck out Lulu’s Pricing Calculator 💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp #39 | 3 Steps to Prep for an Author Event (and What to Do When You’re There)Ep #55 | How to Hit Your Perfect Pitch for Speaking EngagementsEp #62 | Sustainability in Publishing: Reducing Waste One Print Book at a Time💡 Read about Simplify Selling Books with Lulu’s Order Import Tool💡 Watch The Life of a BookSound Bites From This Episode🎙️ [10:35] “If you are not selling your books through Lulu, but you want to use us to order 500 copies of your print book without having your book for sale in the bookstore or using our Lulu Direct plugin, you can do that. We have plenty of customers that use Lulu exclusively as their just book printer.”🎙️ [25:47] “The number one top priority is to make sure that you are planning ahead.”🎙️ [37:37] “That's the beauty of ecommerce technology and print-on-demand technology having caught up to where they're at right now at this intersection of time.”💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.

Discover how Justin Moore achieved over 1,000 book sales in just 90 days with innovative marketing strategies. Learn about the powerful role of engaging book design and social media buzz in launching 'Sponsor Magnet'. Explore his unique approach to securing sponsorships and the ambitious goal of distributing 100,000 copies within five years. Delve into the evolution of publishing and the shift from traditional to self-publishing, emphasizing direct audience engagement and the value of personalized coaching.

In this episode, Lauren & Matt explore different ways generative AI tools like ChatGPT can help you sell more books (without creating any public-facing copy or content). We share so many tips for using AI, including ways to: Help you brainstorm, refine, and execute marketing strategies.Facilitate your market research to better position and promote your book. Identify and target your ideal audience of readers or buyers based on your goals. Want to learn more about growing your business and expanding your audience with or without the help of AI? Don’t miss Content Entrepreneur Expo, THE event for creators, authors, and entrepreneurs. Visit cex.events to learn more and use promo code LULU100 to save $100 on your ticket 🎉Dive Deeper💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp #18 | How Writers Can Harness the Power of AIEp #51 | Finding Your Niche, Your Ideal Reader, and Your Target AudienceEp #68 | Maximizing Your Chances of Discoverability in Generative AI Search💡 Read These Blog PostsDiscoverability in the Age of AI SearchThink Outside the Bot: How AI Can Help Content CreatorsUsing Custom AIs to Grow Your Content Business💡 Watch This VideoHow Authors Can Use AI Sound Bites From This Episode🎙️ [3:59] “We're talking about how to use it as a brainstorming tool, as an admin tool, as a market research tool. Basically ways to help you automate your operational tasks or at least support your operational tasks so that you can focus more of your efforts and energy on the actual content creation or the creative elements of your job.”🎙️ [28:13] “One of the ways that we fight for attention is by being authentic and genuine. And I know that seems outrageous for me to say in an episode where we're talking about how to use AI. But that's my point. Use AI to help you…so then you can turn around and create authentic content.”🎙️ [45:02] “Having that extra person on your staff, i.e. ChatGPT, that can analyze your data and help you make smart business de💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.

In this episode, Lauren finally gets to explain the intricacies and impact of fanfiction to Matt. Listen now for a slightly chaotic dive into fanfiction origins, the evolution of fanfiction as we know it today, the legal gray area of  transformative works, and how fanfiction has impacted modern publishing. Don’t miss Content Entrepreneur Expo, THE event for creators, authors, and entrepreneurs. Visit cex.events to learn more and use promo code LULU100 to save $100 on your ticket 🎉Watch this episode on YouTube.Dive Deeper💡 About the OTW | Organization for Transformative Works 💡 Listen to These EpisodesEp #33 | Books You Can Create Using Your Existing ContentEp #65 | How to Copyright the Copy That You Wrote💡 Read This Blog PostWhat Is Fanfiction and Why Does It Matter?🎙️[The Only Sound Bite That Matters] 🎙️Lauren: It is absolutely an undeniable fact that fanfiction is having a direct influence and impact on modern publishing.Matt: I agree with that.Lauren: Whether that's trad pub or indie pub. Matt: Yeah, I mean now, you know, after talking through this, I agree with that. 💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more. 💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!💀 Email us at podcast@lulu.com💀 Sign up for our mailing list.