The 5 in 4 Rule of Marketing: How to Avoid Being a Pest

Image by John Tann

You wrote a book and you know you need to market it. You need to tell your audience about it. But how often should you do that? This week at Beyond Paper, author Sarah Tun shares a tip for staying in touch with your audience, without being a pest.






by Sarah Tun

Marketing is tricky. You have a good lead and you want to seal a deal.

How frequently is it prudent to contact an agent, publisher, customer, or client when in pursuit of a contract?

A proven effective rule-of-thumb is five times in four weeks.* If the individual or company you are targeting is interested, that frequency will bring them to an agreement or purchase. Or, if what you offer is not suitable to them, in that timeframe they will have collected enough information to know to decline, leaving you free to pursue the next lead.

Each time you contact the lead have a viable reason, some new and useful information to offer. This frequency is enough to ensure your lead remembers you but not too often as to label you a pest.

Ultimately, you want an answer from the person you are pursuing. You need to know in order to move on to the next stage in the deal or, if the answer is a “no,”to move on to the next target.

Person-to-person marketing is still a piece to the puzzle in this internet world of social networking. Be wise, be sensitive and you will be fruitful.


*Peter Skebo & Associates Inc


Sarah Tun is the founder of Larus Press: Christian-based books, blogs and literature to inspire, equip and empower. You can also find her at  at Google +.










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Book Marketing, with Pat Flynn and Jeff Goins (podcast)
How to Keep Your Fiction Marketing Lean and Focused, by Jason Kong
The 9 Best Email Subject Line Styles to Increase Your Open Rate, by Megan Marrs