The Introvert's Guide to a Successful Book Launch with Ryan Paugh
Does the word "networking for your book launch" make you want to curl up in a small ball and rock back and forth?
This week's guest will assuage your anxieties...or at least get you to uncurl.
Ryan Paugh isn't just a thought leader, but also a community-building, relationship-forging, entrepreneur-enabling force to be reckoned with. And he's a self-proclaimed introvert!
The co-author of the book Superconnector: Stop Networking and Start Building Business Relationships That Matter, Ryan shares in this episode how any author, introvert or extrovert, can use basic skills for connection in order to have a successful book launch.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Anna: Welcome to the show, Ryan. Thanks for being here.
Ryan: Yeah, thank you.
Anna: So, let's talk about super connecting your way to a successful book launch. First of all, what is a super connector?
Ryan: Superconnector in my mind, as well as my co-author Scott's, is a phrase that's meant to describe someone who knows how to navigate very fluidly the new world of relationship building, not networking. People that have probably most likely grown up in this digital age of communication, know how to leverage that in a world full of uncertainty and a lot of hucksters and folks just selling air. They're individuals that put others first and have learned that by connecting the dots between individuals and resources, you can really build a long term, successful and profitable network around yourself by of course, first and foremost, giving back and supporting others.
Anna: So how does that play into a book launch? How did it play into a book launch for you?
Ryan: Yeah, for me, and for Scott. I mean, really, we had been building up a lot of social currency for a while to bring some really great folks into the fold. Keith Ferrazzi wrote our foreword, which we were super grateful with him for doing. Adam Grant was one of the main individuals we interviewed for the book. Other folks like Steve Sims, Barbara Corcoran, gave us an amazing soundbite and an amazing promotion for the book.
Anna: Endorsement.
Ryan: An endorsement, thank you. Yeah, to really help us get that out there and show the social proof and show the connectivity we had with others in the space that would help us build some credibility. And really, that didn't come out of thin air, it was in cold calling and cold emailing. It was a lot of calculated connections and relationships that we had been fostering for many years, giving back and just leading with generosity that led to, you know, a lot of really exciting yeses when we asked for help for our own book launch.
Anna: So, what does that look like? Did you say, we really, I really want to know, Barbara Corcoran? I really want to know, Adam Grant. And then what did you do next?
Ryan: You know, really, it's a combination of things. And it's not always about that person. One of the things that we talk about in the book Superconnector, is that oftentimes getting in touch with individuals, at corporations or individuals within major brands. It's not about just reaching out to them, it's about identifying and finding the people around them, who help them make the decisions that help them, basically run their lives and run their empire. So for some of these folks, it wasn't so much just, you know, reaching out to them directly, but getting to know the people around them, supporting them, and helping them out that eventually led to enough generosity being built up where we could make that connection and have enough credibility and trust that those folks were more interested in us and helping us kind of get connected to those people that they support. So that more times than not, is how it was done, not just reaching out directly, but reaching out through someone else that we had built trust with.
Anna: So how do you find those people?
Ryan: You know, it's not always easy. Some of it just comes through serendipity and natural collision, putting yourself out there and making time in your life to build those connections. Some of its more scientific than that. Knowing how to research and find the people around the people, whether that's through LinkedIn or reading about them. You know, there's no one size fits all approach. But if you know how to navigate the digital world and find information over time, you'll be able to follow some threads back to how people are connected.
Anna: Well, and it reminds me, I'm making a note of this. In the episode on Tim Ferriss, I talked about how he went to South by Southwest. It's like a legendary anecdote about how he made his first book so successful is he looked at the biggest people in the room and he said, who's standing next to them? That's the person I want to know. So this is like the digital version of that.
Ryan: For sure. And sometimes it happens in person too. I don't want to kind of mislead people into thinking super connections all about navigating, the social media era. In person connections, in real life connections matter now, more than ever, we just went through a couple of years of being in solitude. People want to get back out there, but they want to get back out there in different ways, and we're seeing a lot of individuals kind of shy away from the conference and look for more intimate ways to connect with people. I mean, for years at South by I've been going to South by and not going to the convention center, go to you find those little like oases around the conference center where people are going to disconnect and recharge in between panels and conferences. That's where you meet those people. Not kind of shuffling your way through a crowded happy hour or a crowded conference space.
Anna: Yeah, I went last year and never stepped foot into anything official. But, and which reminds me Fast Company is doing something there, which you and I know each other through Fast Company. So when I stop recording, I'm going to ask you about that.
Ryan: Yeah, for sure.
Anna: But, so you are a self-proclaimed introvert. Correct?
Ryan: Yep, I am.
Anna: So I know that a lot of people who listen say, well, I'm a writer, I'm an introvert, I can't really do this. What do you say to them?
Ryan: I think that introverts are more set up for success at building real genuine relationships in some ways, compared to extroverts. And the reason why is introverts don't have the built in needs to sort of like, run the conversation and run the show, are more natural listeners. And part of connecting the dots and being a superconnector really requires you to like kind of take a step back and listen to other people and listen to what they're saying. And to not just listen, but to read in between the lines, to understand what their needs are. So, for me, being an introvert has always been a superpower. It helps me understand people better, it helps me listen and really understand what they're saying and helps me start to play that game of connect the dots to determine how I can help them with either a connection to a person or a connection to a resource that I think will help them level up and achieve their goals.
Anna: That's fascinating. And I'm sure music to people's ears, although don't ever use a cliche like that in your writing people, please, please, please. It's okay sometimes when you're talking. Never okay, in your writing. So thinking of writing, tell me about the process of working with your co-author. How did that work?
Ryan: Yeah. Well, what's really challenging, having a co-author, I imagine just at a baseline, is tough. Having, you know, a co-author who is sort of like, polar opposite, is even more challenging. I'm your textbook, introvert, Scott Gerber, my business partner as well, is like textbook extrovert. In business that really suits us well, because we've spent years, knowing our strengths, knowing our weaknesses, and being able to divide and conquer in our business. When you're working on something, so creative, and so close to yourself, like a book, a lot of times you kind of end up in a room, in this think tank. And you realize you have totally different ways of thinking around how you build relationships, how you how you connect with others. And it made it very difficult to kind of figure out how to balance all of those ideas. And I think one of the things we say early on in the book, which I think is important is, like there is no one size fits all approach to doing this, like there is no blueprint, unfortunately, our book is meant to not be prescriptive, but to just inspire you to find your own way of building relationships and building community around yourself both personally and professionally. So, once I came to terms with that, it became easier to work with one another and to find that balance between, this is Scott talking, and this is Ryan talking. And I hope in the book that comes through. I've talked to a few friends and asked them that question. And they say, oh, yeah, I can tell, this chapter is totally Scott, this chapter is totally Ryan. And we had some great editors working with us to help us do that. I would say on our own, it would have been really challenging. So, I'm grateful to have the editors that we did, who are able to basically take this puzzle of ideas and insights and package it in a way that makes sense. Without them, it would have been really difficult.
Anna: Did you write together, or you wrote individually?
Ryan: We did a lot of writing individually. We did a lot of meetings where we came together with our editors to figure out how to piece that all together and give it like a common voice while also being respectful of our individual ideas and our individual tone as people. So, it was like some sort of locking myself in a room being creative doing my introvert thing. Because I'm not great at kind of just spouting out ideas on the fly, Scott could just kind of talk and I would write for him. And for me, it's like, I really like to have my space to get ideas generated, and then meet and talk about how we blend all of those things together. So there were a lot of moving parts, a lot of meeting a lot of together time, a lot of private time, about six months’ worth of all of that kind of coming together to form the first draft, which we edited, and then edited it again, and slowly got to a place where we were ready to say, alright, publisher, do your part, let's get this ready and put it out there.
Anna: And so, what was your goal with the book?
Ryan: Our goal was really to take the last 10 years of what we had been doing with our business, Community.co, and sharing those lessons with our followers, people around our sphere. Community building has always been something that's like, near and dear to me. It's been the center of everything I've done in my career, since the beginning. Beyond just wanting to share all of that information with our world, I think being able to create Superconnector was a great way for us to take our brand and kind of centralize it around this idea of community and relationship building. We started 10 years ago as one community, YEC, stands for Young Entrepreneur Council. It was kind of like, our baby, and we realized, through that process of building that community that everything we had built both products, technology, and philosophy around bringing people together could be applied to other executive and senior leadership groups. And that's how we started working with brands like Forbes and brands, like Fast Company and Rolling Stone to build their own communities. So as we kind of expanded, we needed that umbrella to have like some cash and have some recognition. Superconnector was kind of, in some ways, a marketing strategy to help us build that Community.co brand and build some kind of recognition in the marketplace.
Anna: What were the tangible results from doing that? Did it accomplish that?
Ryan: Yeah, yeah. It was a great way for us to put ourselves out there to thought leaders. We did a lot of podcasts, we did a lot of more traditional press, and earned media and got a lot of good attention, not just for the book but for Community.co, and our process and our story and what we believe in our values as a company. So yeah, we sold a lot of books, which was great. We put something together that we had been dreaming about putting together for a long time and we also were able to kind of centralize like what we were doing around this new brand that has helped us ever since kind of create some notoriety in the market, so when we go out and look for new partners and opportunities, they know who we are.
Anna: And I think it's really interesting, when you talked about doing podcasts. Podcasts don't really tend to want to have people on to talk about their businesses, but if you've got a book, that is a wonderful way to also talk about your business.
Ryan: Yeah, for sure. And podcasts, I mean, at least when we launched the book, far more effective way of building some book sales than traditional press. I mean getting featured by a mainstream media outlet for your book is a good way to build some social proof. Not a great way to sell books. People who have influence and have followings, such as yourself, are more inclined to have influence over what other people want to buy and where they want to invest time and money. So, we spent a lot of time doing that. Email newsletters, things like that have a lot more just tangible results than the traditional earned media publicity angle.
Anna: Were there specific podcasts that really moved the needle in terms of book sales?
Ryan: I found that there wasn't just one big one, but a lot of little ones right. Micro-influencers that you can find and easily connect with within whatever your niche might be, that will help drive success. I hate to put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak, I think that you can do a lot with a larger group of micro-influencers than perhaps trying to invest all your time into getting the attention of one, like massive influencer, who may or may not end up following through.
Anna: How would you recommend people find those in their field, in their genre?
Ryan: Oh, gosh. Spend time on social platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, looking for them. Join podcasting groups and communities. I mean, there's probably like, just dozens of free groups on Facebook or LinkedIn, where podcasters are chatting every day. And people are always generous and happy to give recommendations. Use your existing networks. I think one of the things that worked to our advantage is that Scott, and I build associations and put a lot of our personal time into supporting those associations. And we're also a part of associations outside of the ones that we run. So just calling on your people to support you in these moments is always important. I mean, we asked all of our groups hey, like, who do you know, who would be interested in having us on for an interview? And we got so many great connections, and so many doors opened. Because, again, we had spent so much time building up the generosity within those communities that when it was time for us to make an ask, I mean, people were ready and willing to help, and we really appreciated that.
Anna: And so when it comes to how your book is your calling card today, you said a lot of people that you want to work with and started working with know who you are, is that something where you literally are sending copies of your book? What are the practical steps people can take with their book?
Ryan: Yeah, I mean, look, sending copies is always a great way to start. Making sure that you build that into your budget. I mean, I always, whenever someone sends me a copy of a book, I always try to at least post about it on my social platforms. Show everyone me holding that physical book, I think it creates a sense of like, tangibility that hey, this is something real that Ryan's holding versus, kind of digital copies that I can read and come up with some anecdotes about to share. I like that sort of physical presence. I've seen some authors do some really cool stuff recently with their books. A friend of mine, Brittany Hodak just wrote a book and sent me like an entire care package along with the book. There was like a video inside the front cover.
Anna: Oh yeah, I love those.
Ryan: And it blew my mind. Like, it's just how do you not want to help someone celebrate something like that? By the way, Brittany just sent me a Valentine's Day card, like the other day thanking me for all the help I gave her on promotions. That personal touch matters so much these days. It's hard to scale some of this stuff, but try to find a good balance between automation and systems with like, maintaining that that personal touch that really helps you build relationships. Yeah, there's a lot of really cool stuff, and really cool packaging opportunities out there now to help you stand out.
Anna: Yeah, it's ironic, it was sort of direct mail really fell by the wayside, as we became the email generation. And now it feels like it's really back. And anybody who I just connected, somebody just connected me with somebody on Alibaba, who does those exact videos that you can put in an—
Ryan: Yeah, they’re really cool.
Anna: They're so cool. You don't know what I'm talking about? I'll try to put a picture of it in the show notes.
Ryan: I mean, they're not expensive, either. I mean in the grand scheme of things, like it seemed pretty cheap to put that together. I think a lot of people get scared away from some of these marketing tactics, because they think, oh my god, it's going to cost me an arm and a leg like, no, there are cheap things you can do, that aren't going to cost you that much more than sending a physical copy of your book, that really, like create that wow factor for people.
Anna: I think it's true. And I really would say the theme of what we're talking about is that the most effective marketing things you can do are actually free. It's giving of yourself for a long time. And then so you're not sort of busting out with oh, my book is here, will you do this for me? But you actually have people who want to help you. Because it sort of is that Robert Cialdini, that's the whole concept of you give and people want to give back.
Ryan: Yeah, no. It's important that you don't keep that part to the last minute. I mean, you should be building up trust and support and generosity with your community for years leading up to a big launch, whether it's a company launch, a book launch, whatever. It's not something that you can just rush out the door overnight. Like, the people that do this right, are doing it for a long period of time. And it's just something that's part of their daily ritual, habitual generosity. How do you kind of like sprinkle that into your day to day, so that over time, you're building up these dividends to support yourself by making time to support others?
Anna: Yeah, and I mean it literally, you could even put in your calendar, 20 minutes a day, what can I do? Maybe that's doing an iTunes review, maybe that's sharing posts, maybe that's sending an email to someone you don't know, telling them how much such and such has helped.
Ryan: Simple gestures like that mean the world to the people on the other side.
Anna: Yeah.
Ryan: It's such little time away from our daily schedule, that they're worth it, just to find that that small win that you can give to someone else.
Anna: And it makes you feel good.
Ryan: That too.
Anna: It really does.
Ryan: Yeah.
Anna: So, what else? Any parting wisdom for somebody kind of gearing up for their launch? Maybe their first launch, maybe a second launch, if the first didn’t go well?
Ryan: Yeah, I would say, just in any launch, book, products, whatever, like, share your ideas on the upfront with as many people as possible. I give this advice a lot. But it still holds true. Like, most people won't share enough about what they're working on because they're scared that someone else is going to steal that idea or whatever. No one can execute on like, that precise idea and the way that you can. The worst thing that's going to happen is nothing. Best thing that's going to happen is you're going to find people that want to collaborate, work with you, partner with you, or just kind of like, be your your cheer squad along the way. I think that is the most important part. Everyone has good ideas, whether they know it or not, it's whether or not they decide to put them out there. And right now, like in the world that we live in, with the amount of free tools and abilities to connect with others that are available to us at the tip of our fingers, there's so much opportunity to get that stuff out there and to connect with people in just a genuine way. Show some vulnerability and share, and you'll be amazed at just what kind of domino effect that can create.
Anna: Yeah, there's this great quote, I can't remember who it's from, but you don't have to worry about people stealing your ideas. If they're any good, you're going to have to ram them down people's throats.
Ryan: It's true. It's true.
Anna: Most of us have more ideas than we know what to do with and we're not out to steal yours, I promise. Well, Ryan, thank you so much. If people want to find you, find the book, where's the best place for them to go?
Ryan: Oh, I'm super easy to find. You just google Ryan Paugh or find me on Twitter or find me on LinkedIn. I am always happy to connect and geek out with people around community and building relationships. It's what I love to do, especially geeking out on other people's community building strategies and things like that. It's fun to kind of step away from your own stuff for a minute and look at what someone else is doing. So yeah, I’m easy to find. Pick up a copy of the book if you're interested, www.superconnectorbook.com. Check out Community.co, if you're interested in learning about some of our professional associations and the work we do. I'd say that's about it, and I appreciate you having me on and thanks to everyone for listening.
Anna: Thank you, Ryan, and thank you all for listening. I'll see you next week, talk to you next week. You know what I mean.
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