How To Beat the Amazon Algorithm
Whether you publish with a big five, indie, or self-publish, authors are now expected to be involved in their book marketing. The most powerful platform for authors to sell their books is Amazon. When I think of Amazon, I picture myself as Ann Darrow in King Kong’s hand. Amazon is a force to be reckoned with, and I’m going to shed some light as to how to hit the hot new release spot and keep your book in the top 100 in your category.
As an author, your number one goal should be to get your book ranked on the Amazon algorithm. The trick is to start marketing before publication. One of your most tremendous assets will be your email list. Be sure your website collects emails from viewers. Send out email blasts as soon as you are ready to let your readers know that your book is available for pre-order. Your first email blast should include the link to your Amazon page.
The Amazon rankings are controlled by two variables. An hourly rank which compares your book sales to other books, and a thirty-day rolling average which compares your sales from the past thirty days and divides it by thirty as compared to other titles. This number determines where you will rank in visibility. Since Amazon has gotten smarter with things like bogus or paid for reviews and inexplicable sales spikes, there is a buffer in place. If your book does have a spike in sales, perhaps due to an ad or promotion, Amazon divides the burst in half and spreads it over the thirty-day algorithm. In other words, authors want a trickle of sales with small bursts to prove to Amazon that you are a dedicated merchant who is committed to bringing visibility to your book. The trickles of sales will come in through posting and marketing on your social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and my current favorite, Pinterest. Your first lesson here is that Amazon prefers a trickle over a burst.
The next important piece to the Amazon algorithm puzzle is categories and keywords – how your book is found on Amazon. The visibility of your book on Amazon is broken down into two groups, hourly rank and thirty days. The hourly visibility is controlled by sales ranks such as best seller list and hot new releases. Both have to be within the first thirty days of your release date. This is where preorders become extremely important because they are a great way to stay on this list longer. The thirty-day algorithm is based on popularity. The way to gain popularity is through the search engine which is done by choosing keywords that will match anyone who is searching for a book like yours. By picking strong keywords, you gain visibility in the “also bought” and “customers also viewed” rankings. So, to recap, a spike gives visibility on the sales rank areas of the store after which, you can ride the algorithm down or use well placed social media ads to hold onto those ranks a little longer.
Choose high traffic, low competition keywords. Think about what keywords your readers would use to find your book then type it in the search bar. Check the sales of the books that come up in your search. Place your book in one high ranking category, one medium, and one low. When looking at categories, check the sales ranks of the first ten books. If they are relatively high (20k or better) and the number of books is low (5k or less per keyword), then you found a winner. If the ranks are 5k for 2-3 books and 500k for the rest, the keyword likely has little traffic, and the first few books are getting traffic elsewhere. Categories determine what bestseller list you will land in so do your research. You need to know what sales number you need to hit to make it to the top of that category and how to stay there. The highest ranked categories get a lot of customer views but try to choose one with 5k in the 100 spot and another with 50k in the 100 position. Once you have your keywords are selected, you can run strategic ads on Amazon using your keywords. I suggest running short-term, low-cost ads while you test out keywords to see which ones get you the sales you want.
While you are working on pre-orders, send out ARC’s (advance review copies) to readers who are committed to writing you a review. Amazon does not allow paid reviews, and the algorithm prefers a trickle over a dump. One of the factors Amazon takes into consideration is when a book has a minimum of fifty reviews posted within the first 30 days. The review process is a numbers game. The more people you ask to write reviews, the better chance you will have some posted. I suggest you ask your readers to post a review inside your book, either in the beginning, or in the end. When you send out email blasts encourage readers to write a review.
An intriguing book cover is critical. The book description must grab the reader and pull them in. I suggest you take advantage of the free view option so that viewers can read the first few pages of your book to hook them in. The title needs to grab your audience, and if you use a subtitle, utilize your keywords in the subtitle to create more draw to the book. If you are an indie or self-published author, create a good price point during your launch then feel free to raise the price to an acceptable range depending on your genre.
When you promote your book through well-placed advertisements, think about creating a slow boil you can prop up with bursts. If you are doing a free promotion, push hard on the first day and prop up ranks for the remainder of the days through your social media and email blasts. The price of your book during your launch should be 99 cents to get the possible sales in a rolling average during that critical first month. In case your head is spinning right now, I’m going to recap what I’ve told you.
Your keywords must be high traffic, low competition. Be sure to choose one high, one medium, and one low category. Your book cover should be visually appealing and professional. The title of your book should grab the attention of your target audience. Write a description that hooks the readers. The first five pages should be intriguing. Set up your review strategy and be sure it builds over time. Set a competitive price point during your launch.
As an author, your number one goal should be to get your book ranked on the Amazon algorithm. The trick is to start marketing before publication. One of your most tremendous assets will be your email list. Be sure your website collects emails from viewers. Send out email blasts as soon as you are ready to let your readers know that your book is available for pre-order. Your first email blast should include the link to your Amazon page.
The Amazon rankings are controlled by two variables. An hourly rank which compares your book sales to other books, and a thirty-day rolling average which compares your sales from the past thirty days and divides it by thirty as compared to other titles. This number determines where you will rank in visibility. Since Amazon has gotten smarter with things like bogus or paid for reviews and inexplicable sales spikes, there is a buffer in place. If your book does have a spike in sales, perhaps due to an ad or promotion, Amazon divides the burst in half and spreads it over the thirty-day algorithm. In other words, authors want a trickle of sales with small bursts to prove to Amazon that you are a dedicated merchant who is committed to bringing visibility to your book. The trickles of sales will come in through posting and marketing on your social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and my current favorite, Pinterest. Your first lesson here is that Amazon prefers a trickle over a burst.
The next important piece to the Amazon algorithm puzzle is categories and keywords – how your book is found on Amazon. The visibility of your book on Amazon is broken down into two groups, hourly rank and thirty days. The hourly visibility is controlled by sales ranks such as best seller list and hot new releases. Both have to be within the first thirty days of your release date. This is where preorders become extremely important because they are a great way to stay on this list longer. The thirty-day algorithm is based on popularity. The way to gain popularity is through the search engine which is done by choosing keywords that will match anyone who is searching for a book like yours. By picking strong keywords, you gain visibility in the “also bought” and “customers also viewed” rankings. So, to recap, a spike gives visibility on the sales rank areas of the store after which, you can ride the algorithm down or use well placed social media ads to hold onto those ranks a little longer.
Choose high traffic, low competition keywords. Think about what keywords your readers would use to find your book then type it in the search bar. Check the sales of the books that come up in your search. Place your book in one high ranking category, one medium, and one low. When looking at categories, check the sales ranks of the first ten books. If they are relatively high (20k or better) and the number of books is low (5k or less per keyword), then you found a winner. If the ranks are 5k for 2-3 books and 500k for the rest, the keyword likely has little traffic, and the first few books are getting traffic elsewhere. Categories determine what bestseller list you will land in so do your research. You need to know what sales number you need to hit to make it to the top of that category and how to stay there. The highest ranked categories get a lot of customer views but try to choose one with 5k in the 100 spot and another with 50k in the 100 position. Once you have your keywords are selected, you can run strategic ads on Amazon using your keywords. I suggest running short-term, low-cost ads while you test out keywords to see which ones get you the sales you want.
While you are working on pre-orders, send out ARC’s (advance review copies) to readers who are committed to writing you a review. Amazon does not allow paid reviews, and the algorithm prefers a trickle over a dump. One of the factors Amazon takes into consideration is when a book has a minimum of fifty reviews posted within the first 30 days. The review process is a numbers game. The more people you ask to write reviews, the better chance you will have some posted. I suggest you ask your readers to post a review inside your book, either in the beginning, or in the end. When you send out email blasts encourage readers to write a review.
An intriguing book cover is critical. The book description must grab the reader and pull them in. I suggest you take advantage of the free view option so that viewers can read the first few pages of your book to hook them in. The title needs to grab your audience, and if you use a subtitle, utilize your keywords in the subtitle to create more draw to the book. If you are an indie or self-published author, create a good price point during your launch then feel free to raise the price to an acceptable range depending on your genre.
When you promote your book through well-placed advertisements, think about creating a slow boil you can prop up with bursts. If you are doing a free promotion, push hard on the first day and prop up ranks for the remainder of the days through your social media and email blasts. The price of your book during your launch should be 99 cents to get the possible sales in a rolling average during that critical first month. In case your head is spinning right now, I’m going to recap what I’ve told you.
Your keywords must be high traffic, low competition. Be sure to choose one high, one medium, and one low category. Your book cover should be visually appealing and professional. The title of your book should grab the attention of your target audience. Write a description that hooks the readers. The first five pages should be intriguing. Set up your review strategy and be sure it builds over time. Set a competitive price point during your launch.
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