Street Teams: A Beginner’s Guide

I’ve seen more and more street teams pop up lately! I’ve also seen more people wanting to participate and more authors wanting to create them, but not quite know what they are. I thought I’d put together a post sharing what little knowledge I have about street teams, both for authors and for people who want to participate!

Street teams are a group of readers who are really looking forward to a certain upcoming book, working together to promote and build excitement for it! It’s like selling it on the, mostly, virtual streets!

For participants

Most authors will take applications for the street team through Google Docs or a form on their website. From what I’ve seen, they don’t really take follower account into consideration. They just want people who are really pumped for the book! So, if you have a smaller follower count, STILL APPLY!

I would recommend only signing up for street teams for books that you’re dying for. Street teams don’t have to be a ton of work, but it could get overwhelming if you’re in quite a few of them. This is just a suggestion though!

What will you be doing? Talking about the book! It really is that easy. Street teams usually have a chat going somewhere, either on Facebook, Twitter DMs, or somewhere else, where you can share links to your posts about the book. That way, people can boost it and it can reach more people! Authors will sometimes provide exclusive content for their street team to share, like graphics, to create buzz. These links will also be shared in the group, for everyone to boost!

Some authors will provide ARCs or excerpts to their street team to get a better feel for their book. Sometimes swag will be provided to take pictures, to leave at local libraries, or just to say thank you for helping! Members can also get a look at reveals and news before the public knows so they can prepare posts!

In the end, street teams are a place to connect with other readers, authors, and to promote a book you’re excited about! It’s usually a really laid back and low stress setting, where you can do as much as you feel comfortable with!

For authors

If any authors happen to read my blog or stumble across this post, I thought I would provide a few tips in case you’re think of starting a street team!

First off, it’s a great way to connect with readers. Everyone who signs up is excited for your book and is thrilled to be there! They want to help!

Most street teams, like I mentioned above, have a chat going either in Facebook, Twitter DMs, or somewhere else that is convenient for everybody! Here, you can share exclusive content, links you would like people to share, or even have a chat about the book, behind the scenes information, or anything you think would be interesting!

Your team can help you reveals, such as a pre-order campaign, cover reveal (if you put together the team early!), giveaways, or review from professional sites! The chat can also be a place to drop links for boosting. Your team can put together posts about the book and people can boost it so it can reach more people!

Some authors provide exclusive content (ARCs, excerpts, swag) just for their street team as an incentive to sign up and as a thank you for helping! Personally, I don’t think this is necessary, since I’m just happy to there in general and I know things like that can get costly.

In the end, street teams are meant to create buzz about your book in a fun way! You get to connect with readers and promotion can feel less daunting with help!

I personally love street teams. Even if I don’t make them, it’s amazing to see what they come up with and it’s great to see people so passionate about a book! Hopefully this was somewhat helpful and coherant enough. If you have any other questions, I’d be happy to try and answer them!

Thank you for reading!