Especially if you’ve penned nonfiction, a great way to use your book to generate additional income is a teleseminar. This involves using a teleconference line or a live audio link via the Internet; it also is known as a teleclass.
There are plenty of good reasons to offer a teleseminar. First, it helps build your credibility as an expert in the field you wrote about. You didn’t just a book, after all, but now are sharing your expertise directly with individuals who are willing to pay to listen to you. Secondly, it helps build trust in you and your expertise. There’s no better way to develop trust than making a personal connection, and a teleseminar is a way to interact with your fans or those considering your services. Third, a teleseminar can help expand your client list. Promoting your teleseminar opens a new door for people to discover your books and services, and after participating in your event, at least a few likely are to join your mailing list if not purchase your services. Finally, a teleseminar can boost book sales. Some participants will purchase your book in advance of the teleseminar, but the real boost comes afterward when those you’ve impressed during the presentation decide your titles are worth the money.
Putting on a teleseminar largely involves five steps: selecting a topic; preparing your presentation; setting up the technicalities; promoting the presentation; and delivering the presentation.
Selecting a topic
Draw from your book but don’t just replicate what you’ve already written, at least not fully. Instead, springboard from it so that you provide new and interesting information. The topic should be one that your readers ask a lot about. You can come up with a topic by participating in discussion groups on your various social media platforms. What you write on the topic for your teleconference can become the kernel for your next book!
Outlining the presentation
Once you have a topic, outline how you will cover it during the call. Most teleseminars last about 45-60 minutes. During that time, be sure to include a welcome and a brief introduction of yourself at the beginning. Also include time for questions at the end. Just in case there are none, include some additional, supplementary material. At the end of the presentation, always thank everyone for joining you. Don’t forget to practice your presentation a couple of times before it’s show time!
Setting up the technicalities
You’ll need a conference line for making the call. Believe it or not, you can get free ones online. You even can find services that allow listeners to access the teleconference online via a webcast. Always test the line before going live. You’ll also want to ensure you have a way on your website for participants to sign up for, know how to access, and to pay for the teleseminar.
Promoting the presentation
Promote the event just as if it were a book release – blog about it, post about it at each of your social media sites, send emails about it to everyone on your mailing list (Always use an attention-getting subject line in your invitations so it isn’t overlooked!), target media and bloggers with press releases about it.
Delivering the presentation
Be sure to speak clearly. Stay on track and avoid speaking off the cuff about tangents. Don’t go over the allotted time, as that’s disrespectful of your participants. At the end of the presentation, dangle more: When the teleseminar is over, offer for sale a special coaching program or other product that is exclusive to those who’ve participated.
Once the teleseminar is completed, take some time to assess what went well and what didn’t. Be honest with yourself and make adjustments for the next teleseminar so it’s even better!
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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.