this book blew up

You join me on a very wet and windy Thursday in the British countryside.

It howling a gale outside. I’m sitting at my desk with a dog on my feet writing.

This past week, I immersed myself in the story of a chap I’ve followed for years: Noah Kagan.

I remember reading articles on OKdork.com when I was just starting in business.

Noah Kagan released his book last week, "Million Dollar Weekend".

Noah had a stellar marketing campaign to release his book last week, so let’s figure out what worked so well.

The launch was a masterclass in book marketing (and soared up the charts).

Why did it go viral?

A lot of reasons (which we’ll dive into in just a second). But for now, three main pillars:

• Friend marketing

• Podcast tour

• Special customer experience

Let’s go deeper…

Here’s my brain dump of every reason this worked. Pay close attention because you can steal these ideas.

1/ Customer experience

Noah focused on delighting people. He shipped them founder packages with a nice box, a signed book, and even a $1 bill to fund their next business. He also did a Twitter giveaway for people who took photos of MDW at bookstores — and offered $100 to 10 of the best pictures.

2/ Friend marketing

Noah planned ahead. He had a game plan with each of his friends to share the book in some capacity. It doesn’t look like he gave them a script either. Just genuine comments from a list of supporters he could count on.

3/ Leaving crumbs

Noah’s been sharing tidbits about the book for a while now, giving a sneak peek into what to expect. It made the launch seem like the book was already out, but now getting tons of fanfare (as opposed to hearing about the thing for the first time).

Write and publish in public. Don’t keep the fact you are writing a book secret. Overshare.

4/ Podcast tour

Noah went on podcasts big and small the week of his launch. He was free and open about giving away content from the book and diving into WHY those principles are important.

Sometimes people worry sharing too much might mean people don’t buy the book. The opposite is true.

5/ Reciprocity

Noah's built an audience on the back of helping others figure out how to become millionaires. People who have followed since the OK Dork days feel a level of loyalty and gratitude for the info shared over the years, and were happy to share and buy when the time came.

Bonus point

The colour.

This book is green, which stands out on bookshelves. This picture Jay Clouse shared shows how many blue and yellow business books there are.

Action Items:

✅ Build a friend CRM

Focus on building a list of all the people you know, from your closest friends and family to new acquaintances and social media pals. Update their records with tidbits about who they are, what you’ve talked about, how you’ve helped them, etc. When it’s time to cash in a favor, you have an organized list and can run a targeted “friend marketing” campaign.

✅ Prep a podcast tour

Some podcasts may be easier to get on than others. Going on 35 podcasts in a few weeks will drum up attention, especially if you share the content like crazy. Give yourself a chance to expand on the story you tell in your book (or product, or whatever you’re launching). Sharing about your book and your story long before the launch will help people learn what your book is all about.

✅ Send a golden ticket

Maybe its because I watched Wonka the other day I have golden tickets on the brain. Craft a beautiful package or gift that most other marketers wouldn’t be willing to assemble.

Find your list of top 50 influencers/friends you want to share this golden ticket with. If it’s beautiful, valuable, and unique…they’ll share it online. And it’ll be some of the best press you can get.

Pssst…if this all sounds like a lot of work then let us do it all for you.

We even write the book for you - PublishingPush.com

Patrick ✌️