If you’ve ever taken the Clifton Strengths Test, you know that one strength that many people have is that of Maximizer. Basically put, you want to get the most bang for your buck. You want to always knock down two birds with one stone. If something can work for you in multiple ways, you want to work that to the fullest!
And that’s what pull quotes do for you.
(Not heard that term before? No worries! A pull quote is all in the name – it’s a quote that is pulled out from your book in order to be used as a standalone quip, idea, or excerpt!)
Listen: you’ve already done the hard part of writing a book. And when you use pull quotes, you let the work you’ve already done do a lot of the heavy lifting for you in finding an audience and convincing your audience to read it.
Here’s my top 7 ways to use pull quotes. Can you think of any more?
- Social media graphics & videos. Pictured alone or with a book cover, short and mid-sized quotes can be produced in bulk and sprinkled out over social media to drive reader engagement.
- Teaser trailers. Although the days of Youtube style teaser trailers might have waned, creating teaser trailers with images/video while using the quote as as a voiceover could work well for formats like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube shorts.
- Blog posts/longer social posts. During prelaunch and launch periods especially, pull quotes can provide a springboard for talking about your favorite aspects of a character, plot, or concept.
- Book Descriptions. Pull quotes can be used as part of your blurb, or in graphics/text in the extended “From the Publisher” section on your Amazon page.
- Bookmarks and Merch. Short quotes can provide ready merchandising opportunities by themselves, but this can also act as a reader engagement hub – for instance, creating a collectible bookmark with each launch, and allowing readers to vote on their favorite quote.
- Newsletters. Longer pull quotes can provide intrigue by giving you newsletter content in the run up to launch.
- Interactive social media challenges/contests. Ask readers to share their own interpretations, artwork, or personal stories inspired by the quotes. Offer prizes to boost engagement.
Not sure how to even get started with selecting your pull quotes? No problem – check out my services page and let me do the heavy lifting for you!