Do you get tired of feeling sold to all the time?
Today, we're going to talk something that's fundamentally reshaping how authors approach promotion: connection-first marketing.
Audiences are increasingly resistant to traditional selling approaches, authors who prioritize genuine relationships are finding remarkable success. This shift isn't just about being nicer—it's about building a sustainable marketing foundation that serves both you and your readers for the long term.
Why Traditional Marketing Is Falling Flat for Authors
Traditional marketing operates on interruption—grabbing attention to deliver sales messages. But today's readers are overwhelmed by marketing noise, with research suggesting they encounter thousands of promotional messages daily. This has created unprecedented levels of marketing fatigue and skepticism. You feel it too, right?
For you as an author, the challenge is even greater. Books aren't always an impulse purchase… they're investments of time and emotional energy. (Unless you are impulse buying a book for those gorgeous sprayed edges we are seeing everywhere right now.)
Readers want assurance that this investment will be worthwhile, and that assurance can come through relationships—with you the author, with the author's existing readers, or with the author's established value.
Jane Austen understood this principle intuitively. She didn't just sell stories; she offered unique social insights, wit, and perspective. Her books weren't products to be pushed—they were natural extensions of the commentary she provided through her distinct worldview. Today's most successful authors are following this same principle, just with a modern twist.
In this workshop, we are going to discuss the 3 pillars of connection first marketing. I’ll give you 5 practical strategies for implementation, and leave you with a few exercises for more practice.
Let’s start creating awesome content!
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