Home » Author Marketing » Why Authors Don’t Need to Chase Social Media Trends to Sell Their Book

 

So I’m guessing you’ve either seen the Grammy’s or the Super Bowl half time show and have seen all of the memes about Bad Bunny. Not going to lie the ones with Lord of the Rings references and the bush people were the best (obviously)!

But I bet you’re feeling the pressure to jump on the trend and use it to market your book? It’s ok you can admit it, when it comes to marketing everyone feels the pressure to jump on trends. Myself included! But if you as an author asked me ‘should I jump on that trend?’ my answer would be that unless you can execute it within literally a few minutes, and I do truly mean under 10 minutes, don’t stress about it. You don’t need to chase social media trends to market your book.

Many authors subconsciously believe:

  • If I don’t jump on this trend, I’ll miss readers.
  • If I’m not posting trending content, I’m invisible.
  • If I don’t go viral, my book won’t sell.

And it get it, the more eyes on your book the more conversions you make right? But this isn’t always the case. How many times have you seen a book based meme or trend, maybe given it a like and then scrolled away? A lot. Social media trends are designed to maximise reach. They are engineered for distribution and speed. But books don’t sell because of random reach.

A viral video might generate views. But views from the wrong audience don’t convert into loyal readers. And like I say you might get that instant gratification of wow I got so many views/likes but your ideal reader never actually got your name, or what your book is even about!

That’s why authors don’t need to chase social media trends — because trends optimise for visibility, not relevance.

Another reason to not chase a trend is purely about the lifespan of a trend. Trends last a few days, weeks at best. I do believe you want your books to sell for more than a week right? A good book will sell for years to come.

Once a trend reaches the end of it’s life cycle you loss any visibility that that trend bought you. Unless you’ve managed to keep your position and messaging consistent throughout the trend, then that little boost of visibility won’t actually bring you anything of worth.

Marketing your book works differently.

It’s about:

  • Sustained discoverability
  • Clear genre signals
  • Emotional positioning
  • Reader trust

Books are slow-burn products. They build momentum through clarity and repetition. This isn’t to say that you can never chase a trend. Like I said earlier if you think you can get it created and posted in under 10 minutes, and it gives you a little boost of joy, go for it. If it’s going to bog you down and you’re going to waste hours of time on it, then do not do it. The burnout is not worth it.

I could go on and on about all the reasons why authors don’t need to chase social media trends, but instead I’m going to cover what you can do instead of trend chasing.

Clear Positioning

Positioning is the foundation of sustainable book sales.

Ask yourself:

  • Who is this book specifically for?
  • What emotional transformation does it offer?
  • What genre conversation does it belong in?

When readers instantly think, “This is for me,” sales become easier.

Consistent Thematic Messaging

Instead of chasing trends, reinforce your book’s core themes.

Talk about:

  • Your protagonist’s central struggle
  • The emotional stakes
  • The tropes readers love
  • The identity your audience aligns with

Repetition builds recognition. Recognition builds trust. Trust builds sales.

Owned Audience Over Algorithm Dependency

Another reason why authors don’t need to chase social media trends is control.

Social platforms are rented land. Algorithms change. Reach fluctuates. Trends evolve daily.

An email list, however, is an owned asset.

When you build your email audience:

  • You reduce algorithm dependency.
  • You create repeat launch potential.
  • You build long-term reader relationships.

Viral moments are unpredictable. Infrastructure is sustainable.

Discoverability Infrastructure

Instead of spending hours recreating trending content, authors often see better returns from:

  • Improving their book description
  • Refining retailer categories
  • Researching keywords
  • Optimising their website
  • Creating evergreen blog content

These assets continue working long after a trend fades.

A well-optimised product page will outlive any trending Reel or TikTok.

Let’s bring this back to the core question, and let’s have a little bit of a summary!

Why don’t authors need to chase social media trends to sell their book?

Don’t chase trends just to get eyes on your content. It won’t convert to sales no matter how hard you hope. Chase a trend if you think it’s a quick easy job, that will bring you joy.

Use the following tactics to sell your book:

  1. Clear positioning
  2. Consistent messaging
  3. Reader alignment
  4. Long-term discoverability

And remember you do not need to be the loudest author online. You don’t need to be the funniest.

You need to speak to the right reader.

Algorithms reward noise.
Readers reward resonance.

Build for readers — not trends.

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