Choosing the Right Campaign Type

SocialBoost campaigns help you create reader engagement beyond ordinary social posts. The right campaign type depends on what you want readers to do: enter a giveaway, submit content, vote, share, leave feedback or visit a link page.

Common campaign goals

• Grow awareness for a new release.
• Encourage readers to share a promotion.
• Collect reader preferences.
• Gather testimonials or feedback.
• Promote a reader magnet.
• Drive traffic to book links, store pages or signup forms.

Choosing by goal

• Sweepstakes: best for giveaways and referral sharing.
• Photo contest: best for reader-submitted images or themed challenges.
• Video contest: best for reactions, creative entries or BookTok-style content.
• Testimonial campaign: best for collecting reader feedback or quotes.
• Poll campaign: best for quick votes and preference gathering.
• Link-in-bio page: best for organizing multiple campaign or book links.
• Custom form: best for collecting structured information.

Things to consider

• What action do you want readers to take?
• How much effort does the reader need to make?
• Is there a prize or reward?
• Does the campaign need terms, rules or eligibility details?
• How will you use the data or entries after the campaign?

Creating a Viral Sweepstakes

A viral sweepstakes is a giveaway campaign that encourages readers to enter and share. Referral options can help the campaign reach more readers by rewarding participants for inviting others.

When to use a sweepstakes

• New release promotion.
• Reader magnet promotion.
• Newsletter growth campaign.
• Special edition giveaway.
• Series relaunch.
• Reader appreciation campaign.

What to prepare

• Prize details.
• Campaign start and end dates.
• Eligibility rules.
• Entry method.
• Referral reward or bonus entry rules, if used.
• Campaign image or graphic.
• Link to terms or rules where needed.

How creation usually works

1. Open the campaign area in SocialBoost.
2. Choose sweepstakes or giveaway as the campaign type.
3. Add campaign title, description, dates and prize information.
4. Choose the entry requirements.
5. Add referral rewards or bonus entries if supported.
6. Customize the campaign page and sharing text.
7. Test the campaign before publishing.
8. Share the campaign link through SocialBoost, email or your website.

Things to know

• Giveaways may be subject to laws and platform rules.
• Be clear about who is eligible to enter.
• Do not promise prizes you cannot fulfill.
• Explain how and when winners are selected.
• Keep prize details accurate and easy to understand.

Creating a Photo Contest

A photo contest invites readers to submit images as part of a themed campaign. This can be useful for reader engagement, community building or visual social content.

Author photo contest ideas

• Show your reading setup.
• Share your book shelf.
• Post your favorite reading snack.
• Share your pet with your current read.
• Create a themed image inspired by the book.
• Share a cosplay or character-inspired look where appropriate.

What to prepare

• Theme or prompt.
• Entry rules.
• Image requirements.
• Prize details.
• Start and end date.
• How entries will be judged or selected.
• Permission wording if you plan to share entries publicly.

Things to know

• Be clear about whether submitted photos may be shared.
• Avoid asking for sensitive or inappropriate images.
• Check rules around minors, privacy and permissions.
• Moderate entries before sharing publicly.

Creating a Video Contest

A video contest invites readers to submit video entries, reactions or creative content. This can work especially well for BookTok-style campaigns, but it usually requires more effort from readers than a poll or simple giveaway.

Video contest ideas

• Reader reaction videos.
• Book recommendation clips.
• Favorite trope reactions.
• Creative fan videos.
• Reading challenge entries.
• Short reviews or testimonials.

What to prepare

• Clear video prompt.
• Maximum video length.
• Submission rules.
• Prize or reward details.
• Permission wording for sharing entries.
• Campaign deadline.
• Moderation process.

Things to know

• Video contests require more reader effort.
• Entries may need moderation before publication.
• Be clear about how videos may be used.
• Avoid prompts that encourage unsafe, copyrighted or inappropriate content.
• Check platform rules if entries are also posted publicly on social media.

Creating a Testimonial Campaign

A testimonial campaign collects reader quotes, feedback, reviews or comments. This can help you understand reader response and gather material that may support future marketing, where appropriate permissions are in place.

What testimonials can be used for

• Reader feedback.
• Launch response.
• ARC team comments.
• Book quote graphics.
• Social proof.
• Future campaign planning.

What to ask

• What did you enjoy most?
• Which character stood out?
• What trope made you pick up the book?
• Would you recommend this book to other readers?
• Can we quote your comment in future marketing?

Things to know

• Do not publish reader comments without appropriate permission.
• Be clear if testimonials may be used publicly.
• Do not edit quotes in a misleading way.
• Keep private feedback separate from public promotional quotes.

Creating a Poll Campaign

A poll campaign lets readers vote on a question. Polls are quick, low-effort and useful for engagement, preferences and reader research.

Author poll ideas

• Which cover do you prefer?
• Which trope should appear in the next bonus scene?
• Which character should get a short story?
• Which format do you prefer: ebook, paperback or audio?
• Which series should be discounted next?

Why polls work well

• They are quick for readers.
• They encourage interaction.
• They provide useful preference data.
• They can be shared on social media.
• They help readers feel involved.

Things to know

• Keep the question simple.
• Do not offer too many options.
• Explain how results may be used.
• Avoid promising that the winning option will definitely happen unless that is true.

Creating a Link-in-Bio Page

A link-in-bio page gives readers one simple place to find your most important links. This is useful for platforms where you can only share one main profile link.

What to include

• Latest release.
• Preorder link.
• Newsletter signup.
• Reader magnet.
• Direct store link.
• Series reading order.
• Social links.
• Current campaign or giveaway.

How to use it

1. Create your link-in-bio page.
2. Add your most important links.
3. Use clear button labels.
4. Keep the page updated.
5. Add the page link to your social profiles.
6. Check links before major launches.

Things to know

• Do not overload the page with too many links.
• Put the most important current campaign near the top.
• Remove expired offers and outdated preorder links.
• Use wording readers understand quickly.

Creating Custom Campaign Forms

Custom campaign forms collect reader information, preferences or submissions. They are useful when a standard campaign type does not collect exactly what you need.

Custom form ideas

• ARC team application.
• Reader survey.
• Beta reader interest form.
• Street team signup.
• Event interest form.
• Reader preference form.
• Giveaway entry form.

What to include

• Clear form title.
• Short explanation.
• Only the fields you actually need.
• Permission wording where relevant.
• Privacy or data-use notes where needed.
• Confirmation message after submission.

Things to know

• Do not collect more data than necessary.
• Make required fields clear.
• Keep forms short to improve completion rates.
• Review submissions securely.
• If you plan to email respondents later, make that clear.

Adding Referral Rewards

Referral rewards encourage participants to share your campaign with others. They may offer bonus entries, unlockable rewards or other incentives when readers refer friends.

When referral rewards help

• Giveaways.
• Reader magnet campaigns.
• Launch promotions.
• Newsletter growth campaigns.
• Special edition campaigns.

Reward ideas

• Bonus giveaway entries.
• Exclusive bonus scene.
• Downloadable wallpaper.
• Entry into a higher-tier prize draw.
• Early access to a teaser or excerpt.

Things to know

• Make referral rules clear.
• Do not overcomplicate rewards.
• Only promise rewards you can deliver.
• Check campaign and platform rules before using referral incentives.
• Monitor suspicious or duplicate entries.

Testing Your Campaign

Testing helps you catch mistakes before readers see the campaign. Always test links, forms, entries and sharing options before publishing publicly.

What to test

• Campaign link.
• Entry form.
• Required fields.
• Referral links.
• Confirmation message.
• Prize or campaign details.
• Social sharing text.
• Mobile display.
• Start and end dates.

Testing steps

1. Open the campaign preview.
2. Complete a test entry.
3. Check the confirmation message.
4. Try the referral or sharing options.
5. Review the participant data.
6. Check the campaign on mobile.
7. Fix issues before publishing.

Things to know

• Test before sharing the campaign link publicly.
• Ask another person to test if possible.
• Remove test entries if they should not count.
• Check that campaign dates match your promotion plan.

Copying a Campaign

Copying a campaign lets you reuse the structure of a previous campaign. This is useful if you run similar giveaways, forms, polls or launch promotions more than once.

When to copy a campaign

• You want to repeat a similar giveaway.
• You are running the same campaign for a new book.
• You want to keep the same form structure.
• You want to reuse a link-in-bio layout.
• You are creating a recurring launch process.

What to update after copying

• Campaign title.
• Dates.
• Prize details.
• Book title and links.
• Images.
• Terms or eligibility details.
• Confirmation message.
• Sharing text.

Things to know

• Copied campaigns may keep old wording.
• Review every section before publishing.
• Check that old links and dates have been replaced.
• Test the copied campaign like a new one.

Pausing a Campaign

Pausing a campaign temporarily stops campaign activity without necessarily deleting the campaign. This is useful if something needs to be corrected or delayed.

When to pause

• A link is wrong.
• Prize details need to change.
• The campaign launched too early.
• You need to review entries.
• A platform or legal issue needs checking.
• The campaign is no longer appropriate to promote right now.

Before pausing

• Check whether participants can still access the campaign.
• Decide whether to notify entrants if needed.
• Review scheduled posts that point to the campaign.
• Fix the issue before reactivating.

Things to know

• Pausing a campaign may not automatically pause scheduled social posts that promote it.
• Check your calendar and queue after pausing.
• Make sure the campaign is fully tested before turning it back on.

Deleting a Campaign

Deleting a campaign removes it from your account. This should be done carefully, especially if the campaign has collected entries, participants or useful reporting data.

Before deleting

• Export participant data if you need it.
• Check whether the campaign link is still being shared.
• Review scheduled posts that point to the campaign.
• Save any important reports or results.
• Confirm that the campaign is no longer needed.

When deleting may make sense

• The campaign was created by mistake.
• It was only a test campaign.
• You copied it and no longer need the draft version.
• It contains outdated or incorrect information and no participant data is needed.

Things to know

• Deleting may not be reversible.
• Deleted campaign links may stop working.
• Participant data may no longer be accessible after deletion.
• Pausing or archiving may be safer than deleting in some cases.

Exporting Campaign Participants

Exporting participants lets you download campaign entries, form submissions or signup data for review, winner selection or follow-up where permitted.

When to export participants

• Choosing a giveaway winner.
• Reviewing contest submissions.
• Checking referral activity.
• Downloading poll or form responses.
• Saving campaign records.
• Importing approved contacts into another workflow.

Before exporting

• Confirm what data you need.
• Check whether entrants gave permission for follow-up marketing.
• Store exported files securely.
• Delete old exports when no longer needed.
• Do not add participants to email marketing unless you have appropriate permission.

How exporting usually works

1. Open the campaign.
2. Go to participants, entries or submissions.
3. Select the export option.
4. Choose the file format if prompted.
5. Download and save the file securely.
6. Review the data before using it.

Things to know

• Campaign participation is not always the same as newsletter consent.
• Respect privacy and data protection requirements.
• Do not share participant data casually.
• Keep records only as long as you need them.