Audiobook Marketing: 20 Effective Strategies for Audiobook Promotion

Writing a book is a huge accomplishment, and so is creating an audiobook. Now that you have both of those under your belt, you want to make sure that you maximize your book’s potential by creating an audiobook marketing strategy that will boost sales, increase exposure, and generate buzz. These 20 strategies for how to promote audiobooks include tried and true tactics, along with new and innovative ideas for getting the word out about your audiobook.

1. Leverage social media: No one can argue with the power of social media, and for audiobook marketing in particular there are a plethora of platforms that can help boost your book’s sales and fanbase, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and SoundCloud, among others. It’s best to focus your efforts on a few core sites, and then create author profiles, build a following, and engage with your audience regularly. You can share audiobook news, giveaways, promo codes, reviews, and even audiobook samples (aka audiograms) so your fans can hear sneak peeks of your work.

2. Use paid advertising: When it comes to how to market an audiobook, there are plenty of free ways to get the word out, but you shouldn’t discount running paid advertising campaigns on platforms such as Amazon, Facebook, BookBub, and Google Ads. This can help you reach a wider audience and generate more sales. Be sure to define your target audience, set your budget, and monitor and optimize your campaigns to get the most bang for your buck.

3. Collaborate with influencers: Reach out to bloggers, podcasters, and other influencers in your niche, ask them to review or feature your audiobook, and give them promo codes to share with their listeners. This can help you gain exposure to their audiences and drive more sales. The more specific you can be in your outreach, the better. For example, there are several audiobook blogs and magazines that you can reach out to, including The Audiobook Blog, The AudioBookReviewer, and AudioFile Magazine.

4. Hop on the BookTok bandwagon: BookTokers are a breed of social media influencer all their own. This sub-community of TikTok regularly attracts millions of views and is a goldmine for audiobook marketing. By posting mini audiobook teasers, offering free audiobook copies to BookTok influencers, and participating in BookTok trends, you can enhance your audiobook promotion, especially among younger audiences.

5. Offer promotional deals: When you work with Author’s Republic, you get access to our partner site, Chirp and their Chirp Audiobook Deals program, which offers discounted books to readers. We can help you submit your title to the program and reach new audiences; find out how here.

6. Offer promo codes: Promo codes are a key tool for audiobook marketing. They empower you to connect with your readers and grow your audience. You can request audiobook promo codes directly from your Author’s Republic account and then use them to request book reviews to generate buzz on social media, to use as giveaway incentives, and more.

7. Apply for promotional opportunities: Using your Author’s Republic account, you can submit your audiobook for promotional opportunities, which are events organized by retailers and libraries that showcase selected book titles on their websites. This is a great (free!) way to reach a broader audience and increase your audiobook’s overall visibility. Check out our tips for increasing your chances of being selected for promotional opportunities.

8. Utilize email marketing: Email can be a powerful tool for audiobook promotion. Connect with your audience directly in their inbox and share book announcements (including pre-orders and launches), book reviews, audiobook discounts, and even audiobook samples. To create and grow your email list, you can create a sign-up form on your author website, your blog, and on social media, plus you can collect email addresses at promotional book events.

9. Promote pre-orders and release dates: One of the most exciting things you have to talk about as an author is your book launch. When coming up with your audiobook marketing strategy, be sure to highlight key dates, including when pre-orders are available and when your audiobook goes on sale to the public. Hype these dates on your website, in email marketing, on your social channels – anywhere and everywhere! If you’d like to set up pre-orders or a specific release date for your audiobook, just get in touch with us at [email protected].

10. Attend book fairs and conferences: Wondering how to promote audiobooks live and in person? Book fairs and conferences are great for marketing your audiobook to potential readers, other authors, and industry professionals. One of the largest industry conferences, Author Nation, is an ideal place to grow your business by meeting with distributors, designers, vendors, and more.

11. Create an Author Website: An author website is an indispensable tool for audiobook promotion and marketing. It provides a central hub for readers to discover your work, learn about your background, connect with you personally, and stay updated on your latest releases, events, and news. To make the most out of your audiobook marketing efforts, be sure your author website includes links to bookstores and other retailers and streaming services where people can purchase your audiobook. Don’t forget to share your author website anywhere and everywhere, including in your email signature, your social media bios, your blog, and anywhere else you have a digital presence.

12. Set up an Amazon Author Page: There’s no denying that Amazon has a huge share of the audiobook market. As of 2021, Audible had more than 36 million reported subscribers, so it just makes sense to create an Amazon Author Page (via Amazon Author Central) to showcase your work, get reviews, share information about yourself and your work, and more. All of this helps you connect with a ton of potential new listeners!

13. Create audiobook samples: When it comes to audiobook promotion, you can’t effectively showcase your book without good audio clips. There are many user-friendly platforms for creating audiobook samples, including Canva, Wavve, Headliner, Auphonic, Anchor, Adobe Audition, and Descript. Once you’ve created these audio snippets, you can post them on SoundCloud, embed them on your author website, and share them everywhere you have a digital presence!

14. Request to be a guest on a relevant podcast: Podcasts are a natural fit for audiobook promotion. They give you a chance to share sample audio clips and connect with potential new fans in an auditory environment. Identify podcasts that cater to your target audience or focus on a topic related to your book and pitch yourself as a guest. Once the podcast is recorded, be sure to share on your social media channels, your author website, and your email list.

15. Unlock the power of QR Codes: If you want new ideas for how to market an audiobook, QR codes are a simple but effective tool. Once you generate your audiobook QR code, you can include it on your business cards, on handouts for book events, and more. Link the QR code to your author website and showcase an audio sample of the book to entice purchases.

16. Get in with Goodreads: As one of the primary sites for book recommendations, Goodreads can be an important piece of your audiobook promotion plan. Create a ‘Goodreads Author’ profile and then leave a review of your audiobook as the author (without leaving a star rating). Include with your review links to purchase (or pre-order) your audiobook. You can also host a Goodreads Giveaway contest to introduce new audiences to your audiobooks.

17. Enter awards: If you want to promote your audiobook, especially among those who know and love audiobooks, enter your work into audiobook-specific awards. The Audie Awards, recognizing the best spoken-word entertainment in the U.S., is a great example. Whether or not you win, use the awards scene as an opportunity for audiobook promotion and networking. And if you win, be sure to spread the word far and wide!

18. Utilize YouTube: It may seem counterintuitive to use a visual medium for your audiobook marketing strategy, but many people use YouTube to search for audiobook trailers. Uploading a sample chapter or an author interview is a great way to drum up excitement and generate sales for your audiobook.

19. Utilize author marketing tools: So many authors want to understand how to promote audiobooks that there are now marketing tools specifically designed to help writers promote their work. Adding services like Story Origin and Written Word Media to your audiobook marketing strategy is something to consider if you’re looking for help boosting sales and increasing your readership.

20. Distribute to the widest network: As an author, you understand the importance of reaching a wide audience and connecting with readers on a global scale. Reach the widest audience possible by distributing your audiobook to our extensive network of 50+ worldwide partners. The more platforms you’re on, the bigger your fanbase will become!

Remember, audiobook marketing takes time and effort, so don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results. Keep promoting your audiobook and engaging with your audience, and over time you'll build a loyal following of listeners.

You can also stay up-to-date with new ideas for your audiobook marketing strategy when you sign up for our newsletter.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally written on May 13, 2022. It has been substantially revised as of March 25, 2025.