Sarah Weise is living proof you can write and publish a successful business book in just a few weeks.
Of course, years of research and thinking led to the point where the CEO of the marketing research agency BIXA was ready to write. But the resulting bestselling book, InstaBrain: The New Rules for Marketing to Generation Z, just flowed onto the page.
“It actually was not a lot of work for me,” says Sarah, who lectures at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business on marketing strategy for the next generation and speaks at conferences and corporate events worldwide.
“Granted it was a ton of research that went into this. But because I’d done the research already, when I actually sat down, I only wrote for two weeks,” she tells Published Author Podcast host Josh Steimle.
You Can Write Your Books In Two Weeks
Sara has been doing market research for leading companies for more than 15 years. An important way to solicit business, she figured, was to write a book. “It was absolutely a business decision.”
The idea for the book arose from research Sarah’s firm did for Google on the digital trends of Generation Z and how to market to those young people. This research led to similar work for other companies, helping build an expertise that could be shared in a book.
“I had this wealth of data and trends I was able to translate into this book,” she says. “A lot of the organization in my head was done because I was already presenting on this material at conferences. I already had a lot of the format in place in a PowerPoint. All I had to do was build on that structure and tell lots of stories. So, it was a lot of writing in two weeks, but it didn’t feel like a huge lift for me. And then on the third week, it was published.”
InstaBrain leans heavily on stories, many of them based on video recordings with Generation Z participants. “Following teenagers as they shopped and searched online for things helped prove my points and made them stick a little better,” Sarah says. “It’s interesting how people really cling to the stories.”
Book Boosts Business
Sarah’s book, InstaBrain: The New Rules for Marketing to Generation Z, has opened doors to a wide range of business opportunities. Many were unexpected.
“There are constantly new opportunities coming my way because somebody is reading the book or talking about it. It’s a lot of exposure for my business,” she says. “I get a ton of interviews for podcasts now that I wouldn’t have gotten before.”
For example, executives at the American Chemical Society read the book and heard Sarah speak. That resulted in a big contract with the society, which is trying to attract Generation Z undergraduate and graduate students.
To promote the book, Sarah sent signed copies to 50 potential clients, landing work with Ogilvy. It helped that she sent physical books, “which are so much rarer than an email these days.”
The book also allowed her to develop courses for LinkedIn Learning. “I was able to say I’m a published author, a thought leader. I’d like to do a course on X. I don’t think my pitch would have gone anywhere without the book. I am now building a lot of business from the course.”
“I’m definitely getting more paid, better quality speaking invitations now that I have the book. For example, Facebook reached out to me last week to keynote an event. I don’t think that would have happened if I didn’t have the book.”
Using Amazon Ads On Similar Books
Sarah has been promoting the book by placing Amazon ads on other, related titles. “Quite a few people who are looking at (related) titles click through to my book and end up buying it,” she says. “I’m only spending a couple of $100 a month on Amazon ads, but it’s enough to attract a constant stream of people.”
She’s also steadily increasing her profile on Instagram and YouTube. “I can take clips of a talk and post them on those sites, reusing the content that I’m already creating.”
Free Chapter Of InstaBrain
To get a free chapter of InstaBrain: The New Rules for Marketing to Generation Z, go to bixaresearch.com/freechapter or text the word hi to 66866.
Links:
TikTok
Youtube
InstaBrain at Amazon.com
Link to a free chapter of her book InstaBrain: The New Rules to Marketing for Generation Z:
www.bixaresearch.com/freechapter
Links to Sarah's three courses on LinkedIn Learning:
- Market research fundamentals: https://linkedin-learning.pxf.io/KM0xA
- Generational design: https://linkedin-learning.pxf.io/ZMZd1
- Storytelling: https://linkedin-learning.pxf.io/97knQ