How to do a Facebook Takeover.

UPDATED: June 18, 2020

Welcome! It’s been over two years since I wrote this post and not much has changed how to do a takeover, but a few links (or groups) I shared have changed, so I thought I’d update this post a little bit. Also, takeovers are still around and very active, although some might say they have lost there effectiveness. I, myself, haven’t been doing as many, but life has also been getting in the way as well. It’s all about prioritizing your time, and while they can be quick and easy, they still require time. Do I think they’re effective? Yes, I do. It’s getting you in front of potential new readers. Are they going to buy your book right then and there? Probably not. But they might follow you, get to know you, get more intrigued by one of your books, and then buy. The point is, a takeover gets you in front of new readers (or people who’ve seen you a few times before and finally decide to grab a copy of your book) and that is not a bad thing.

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Eek! Have you ever wondered how to do a Facebook Takeover? *chuckles* Do you even know what I’m talking about? Well, sit back and let me explain.

When I first started out with this author business, I had no clue about anything. Nothing! I’ve been learning as I go. I’m still learning. I try new things all the time. Sometimes it works great. And sometimes, not so great. That’s how you learn. (Seriously, it’s hard to teach this to my kids! lol) Then I found out about this thing called a Takeover. A what? How do I do that? So I did what I always do. I Googled it! haha And guess what? Not much popped up. I had to wing it and go based off of what others told me word of mouth. I was terrified! Now, I’ve been doing takeovers for a while, but it occurred to me, other people might be wondering the same thing. So I’m going to tell you what it is, how to do one, and even show you how I run mine.

Keep in mind, I’m a romance author. So the groups and places I do takeovers in are romance groups. But I’m pretty positive other genres have takeovers as well. You just gotta find the groups you want. Also, I’m no expert. I’m not going to say this will gain you sales and you’ll become famous in a day. But I will tell you, you will meet lots of great people. And those wonderful people could turn into readers, which is what you’d like to see. This is just another way to market and network and get your name out there. It never hurts to try something new. Keep that in mind.

What’s a Facebook Takeover?

Pretty simple. You are “taking over” a group, or a page, or an event and sharing all about you. You’re giving teasers of your books, perhaps of a new release. You’re sharing excerpts or blurbs. You’re playing games (connected with your books sometimes). You’re getting to know other people and they are getting to know you. You’re marketing yourself.

How do I find where to sign up for a Takeover?

Now, you might think this is hard, but it’s actually kind of easy. Most groups, when you join, have a pinned post at the top of their group with group rules and whatnot. (Please, always read group rules. It’s simple manners because admins get sick of reminding people what the rules are, especially when they are clearly posted.) Usually, but not all, will also mention about takeover sign ups. Sometimes it as simple as ‘click on this form’ or ‘PM so and so’ or ‘comment below to sign up’.

Here’s an example of what my pinned post looks like in my group:

So, I have three pictures in my pinned post, and if you click on the picture, it gives more details. (Not here on my website, only in my group.) Under my GROUP RULES picture, this is what I have listed:

ღˇ◡ˇ) ʚ♡⃛ɞ 〜♡ Fan/reader group of Amanda Siegrist who also love 💞 love and happy endings!

ღ Please be respectful. Number one rule and grounds for removal if you’re not. Also be mindful of the things you post. If it’s not FB friendly (and they’ve been changing their rules lately so please brush up with what’s acceptable and what’s not), do NOT post it.

ღ All posts are subject to approval first. Feel free to share anything book related, but if it’s not appropriate it will not be approved.

ღ I’ll share teasers & excerpts on my upcoming books!

ღ Takeovers on occasion. Authors, please be mindful of what you post. If it’ll get you banned or thrown in FB jail, then don’t post it. I don’t want to see anything get flagged in this group. Thank you so much!

ღ I also love baseball, wine, crafts, and baking…expect to see that!

ღ If you’d like to be a part of my ARC team, you can sign up here: https://forms.gle/YaRoRewoGi2tSBBU6

ღ Let’s have fun!

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You’ll see I highlighted my takeover area in Bold letters. I used to have takeovers every Saturday for authors, but it’s a lot of work to manage, and I don’t have the time for that right now. But this is what you look for in a group. Honestly, I always think it’s important to look for a pinned post when you join a group. It’s good to know the rules because every group has them.

Sometimes, on the side where it describes what the groups about, they’ll also mention information about takeovers. If there is a special event going on, like a new release, you’ll also see posts floating around Facebook to sign up for a slot. But, be watchful, these slots fill up fast. When in doubt, you can always ask how to sign up for a takeover. There are so many great author groups with this kind of information.

Like I said above, I’m a romance author. So here’s a small list of groups that I’m a part of that I know host takeovers all the time. Of course, this isn’t a full list that I’m in, but a handful that I adore. (Note: This information is subject to change. Just because a group offers takeovers now doesn’t mean they will in the future.)

♥ 1-Click Addict Support Group (This is a group for authors using Give Me Books as a promotion company and utilizing their party room for their release. You will see posts around Facebook from authors to sign up to help celebrate their release in here.)

♥ Late Night Support Group

♥  BestSellers & BestStellars PARTY ROOM!

♥  Dirty Reds Boom Boom Room

♥  Book Addicts Get Down And Dirty

Check these groups out! They host fabulous takeovers all the time, plus super sweet people that admin the groups!

What does a Facebook Takeover look like?

Great question! It totally varies. *looks confused* I know, right!? That’s not very helpful, but each author/blogger (yeah, I’ve seen bloggers do takeovers, too) have their own unique way of doing a takeover. There is no wrong or right way. It’s just your way. Do what you want. Let people get to know you and your writing/books.

But, if you want/need an example, I’ll post below what my takeovers typically look like. I have quite a few books published already, so I can offer more giveaways rather than a person who only has one published. So keep that in mind. You can always just play games without offering a giveaway. It’s totally up to you.

Now, for the sake of the example, I’m going to say this takeover is a 30 minute takeover that starts at 9 PM EST. (It’s important you take note of the timezone when you sign up. Not all are scheduled in EST. You also sometimes have the option of doing one for 30 minutes or an hour. There is even a new trend of only 15 minute takeovers, so make note of the time when you sign up. If you’re new to this, just try 30 minutes to start out and see how it goes. When you get comfortable, then try out an hour. Takeovers go fast, and before you know it, it’s over. Enjoy the entire time!) I also keep my takeover information in a Word doc all ready to go, so all I have to do is copy and paste. This way I’m not rushing and freaking out what to write. You can also have all your graphics in one folder so they are easy to find.

(Note: While I do keep my takeover information in my Notes on my phone now, I usually schedule my takeover in advance. This is a very normal practice these days. Most groups will give you ‘mod’ status in their group so you can schedule in advance. I highly recommend you do this. It makes the takeover run so much smoother. I will say one of my pet peeves is someone scheduling a takeover, but not showing up for it. So they’re not interacting. They are nowhere to be seen. To me, it’s all about interacting, so I would be there. If someone comments, respond right away. I get things pop up in life, so you might have scheduled a takeover, but now it doesn’t work for you. Either reschedule, or let the host of the group/party know you won’t be around, but your posts are scheduled. It’s just being respectful.)

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9:00 PM – Welcome post:

(ღˇ◡ˇ) ʚ♡⃛ɞ ～♡ Eek! Thank you so much to Love & Happy Endings for letting me takeover tonight! I’m so excited to be here and celebrate with all of you, lovelies! If you don’t know me, I’m USA Today bestselling author Amanda Siegrist and I write contemporary and romantic suspense, although I am partial to romantic suspense. I tend to write a bit of insta-love because I love love! Say hi with a GIF of your fave man candy!

( Note: Love & Happy Endings is my group. It’s always good to thank your host in the beginning. Tell us who you are, what you write. Have a pic/GIF to go with it. I make all of my teasers/games/pics.)

9:05 PM – Blurb/Teaser:

I am so excited for my next release coming up! It’s a fun #romcom with a sassy heroine and a hero who can’t resist her! Coming to you this August 11, 2020! Mark you calendars! Cover reveal coming July 8, 2020!

💋 Preorder your copy here:

Amazon ➸ mybook.to/TheWrongBrother

Apple ➸ https://apple.co/2Xvw9ol

Google Play ➸ https://bit.ly/375tt3X

Kobo ➸ https://bit.ly/2ACNu5p

Nook ➸ https://bit.ly/2BrQKBf

💋 Add it to your TBR list ➸ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53750989-the-wrong-brother

Objective: Get hired as a temporary secretary and find out if Champ Holloway is a dirty, cheating scumbag.

Time Frame: One week.

Gabby would do anything for her best friend, Mia. Anything. That’s what besties are for, right? But going undercover at her boyfriend’s work to find out if he’s cheating seems a bit extreme. Except she can’t say no. Never to Mia. The moment she walks in and sees her boyfriend, she knows she made a mistake. He’s sex on a stick, and she wants to take a delicious bite. He’s also a bit too arrogant, needs to work on his pleases and thank yous, and he never smiles. Everyone should smile at least once a day. It’s one long week of a battle of wills, sinful glances, and keeping her hands to herself. All she can do is repeat Mia. Mia. Mia. This is all for Mia. Until she realizes…there are two Mr. Holloways. And she got hired by the wrong one.

(I usually start out with something about one of my books, usually a new release coming out. Or if I’m working on a new project, I share my latest release. People love to see teasers!)

9:10 PM – My First Giveaway:

(ღˇ◡ˇ) ʚ♡⃛ɞ ～♡ G♡veaway #1

#AmandaSiegristTO

This is always a fun game to play. My Lucky Town series usually has a scene in the woods, so this game is appropriate…and fun!

To win a direct to kindle copy of Stolen Memories (A Lucky Town Novel – book 3):

♡ Play the game!

AND

♡Add Stolen Memories to your TBR ➸ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51062909-stolen-memories

(ONE PERSON WILL BE PICKED BY MR. RANDOM WITHIN 24 HOURS.) NOTE: FACEBOOK IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING IN THIS POST! ONLY ME. MUST CLAIM THE PRIZE WITHIN ONE WEEK OF ME CONTACTING YOU.

(Note: You should always mention Facebook has nothing to do with the giveaway, that you are solely responsible for it. Like I said, I make all my own games. It’s fun to come up with them. Be creative. Be unique. Or you can always search Pinterest or the Internet for some fun games! It’s all up to you! I would also suggest if you make your own games to mark it as such. You’ll see I have my author logo in the bottom right hand corner. People use other people’s games, which is fine, but give that person credit that you’re using what they created. Don’t cut it off. It’s rude and it’s stealing. You should even ask permission before using it.)

9:15 PM – My Free Books Post

(ღˇ◡ˇ) ʚ♡⃛ɞ 〜♡ I currently have three books for permafree on all retailers! The first one is a Christmas story filled with the holiday spirit! The second one is a fun romantic suspense in one of my favorite series I’ve written so far! The third one is a sweet contemporary romance…it also might make you cry. Grab your copies today! All three can be read as a standalone and they are the first book in each series.

♡ Merry Me (A Holiday Romance Novel – Book 1)

https://books2read.com/MerryMe

♡ One Taste of You (A One Taste Novel – Book 1) https://books2read.com/OneTasteofYou

♡ Protecting You (A McCord Family Novel – Book 1) https://books2read.com/ProtectingYou

(I do have three permafree books available on all retailers, so I usually have one post sharing these. I just share one teaser from each book and a link to grab a copy. These are all first in a different series. Sort of a way for a reader to see if my work is something they’d enjoy. Not all authors do this, nor do you have to do this, but I’ve found it works for me. I have more regular sales from doing this method rather than when I didn’t have any permafree books. So you can share another teaser here, or do another game with a giveaway attached, or just another game for fun!)

9:20 PM- Another Blurb/Teaser:

Do you love romantic suspense? Because it’s one of my fave things to write. My latest release was in May, Stolen Memories, the third book in my Lucky Town series! It’s full of crazy suspense, lots of love, and some twists and turns even I didn’t see coming.

♡ Stolen Memories (A Lucky Town Novel-Book 3)

Amazon ➸ http://mybook.to/StolenMemories

Apple ➸ https://apple.co/32dxGQn

Google Play ➸ http://bit.ly/37JND1Q

Kobo ➸ http://bit.ly/2SGXoJU

Nook ➸ http://bit.ly/2vJM9rc

♡ Add it to your TBR ➸ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51062909-stolen-memories

You can run, but you can’t hide…from your problems.

As the baby of the family, Seth’s got the Youngest Child Syndrome down pat. Except, he doesn’t want to act like a spoiled brat and cause problems everywhere he goes. He needs to start by talking out his issues with his best friend, Evan—until he can’t. Evan’s gone missing, his boss murdered. Evan might be a liar—something Seth hasn’t forgiven him for—but he’s not a murderer. Life’s about to get messier when his brother asks him to find Evan with help from the new deputy. Pepper’s got a feisty attitude, a don’t-mess-with-me persona, and the beauty of a goddess. If he’s not careful, he might fall in love. But Seth suspects Pepper’s lying about something, too. And lying is an unforgivable offense.

The entire Lucky Town Novel series: (Each book can be read as a standalone.)

♡ Escaping Memories (Book 1): Logan & Aubrey https://Books2read.com/EscapingMemories

♡ Dangerous Memories (Book 2): Danny & Kat https://books2read.com/Dangerous-Memories

♡ Stolen Memories (Book 3): Seth & Pepper https://books2read.com/StolenMemories

(I like to break the games up some, throw in teasers here and there. If you’re doing a 30 min or one hour takeover, I typically post about every five minutes, and have about 3-5 giveaways. But again, it’s your choice what you want to share and do!)

(ღˇ◡ˇ) ʚ♡⃛ɞ ～♡ G♡veaway #2

#AmandaSiegristTO

Eek! Do you love a sexy undercover agent? Because Dax will make you swoon in this fun, intense romantic suspense. And Sarafina? She is a sweet, yet sassy at times heroine. The meet at a wedding, the mobs involved, some hot sex, and I could keep going. Let’s have some fun.

To win a direct to kindle copy of The Danger with Love:

♡ Type “I went undercover to find out…” then hit the middle button until it makes a complete sentence.

AND

♡ Add it to your TBR ➸ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53114614-the-danger-with-love

(ONE PERSON WILL BE PICKED BY MR. RANDOM WITHIN 24 HOURS.) NOTE: FACEBOOK IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING IN THIS POST! ONLY ME. MUST CLAIM THE PRIZE WITHIN ONE WEEK OF ME CONTACTING YOU.

(To enter my giveaways, I usually have a game to play and something else to do, like join my group, like my facebook page, follow me on Amazon, and so on and so forth. Lately, I’ve been doing more of “Add my book to your TBR list” rather than follow me somewhere. It’s up to you. You want your readers to connect with you in some way. Also, you can find lots of great pics to use for your games on Pixabay, just make sure the photo is free for commercial use. I know people also use Canva to make graphics. I’ve been using Shutterstock the past year or so. You don’t always have to offer a giveaway for one of your books, you can giveaway whatever you’d like. Usually when I giveaway one of my books, it’s direct to kindle. So they need a kindle address, and remind them to add your email to their approved senders list so they receive the book. I’ve also given away Amazon gift cards, or sometimes I change it up and offer any ebook of the reader’s choice up to $3.99. You can also offer swag, if you have some. It’s whatever you want to giveaway.)

9:29 PM- Goodbye Post:

Eek! Time went by fast! I had so much fun with you lovelies! I want to thank Love & Happy Endings again for letting me takeover!

Oh, and when you sign up for my newsletter you get a free copy of Mona & Mason: The Paranormal Chronicles! It’s not available anywhere else! Sign up today and get your copy! #happyhalloween #paranormal #romance #boo

https://www.subscribepage.com/AmandaSiegrist

(ღˇ◡ˇ) ʚ♡⃛ɞ 〜♡  Stalk me!

♡  Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Siegrist/e/B00WP3G3YC

♡  ARC Team – join here: https://forms.gle/5fff55ZkcYDg8sGz5

♡  Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amanda-siegrist

♡  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoramandasiegrist/ 

♡  Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/AmandaSiegrist

♡  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanda.siegrist/

♡  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AmandaSiegristAuthor/

♡  Reader group, Love & Happy Endings: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LoveandHappyEndings/

♡  Subscribe to Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/AmandaSiegrist

♡  Twitter: https://twitter.com/amanda_siegrist

♡  Website: https://www.amandasiegrist.com/

ℒℴѵℯ ♡ Amanda Siegrist

(At the very end, I always like to thank my host one more time. Because it’s so nice and wonderful that these groups let us do something so fun! Be kind and show your appreciation. It’s also good to leave all of your social media links here. Readers love to stalk their favorite authors! Make YOU one of their favorites!)

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And there you have it! An example of what one of my takeovers look like. I always have fun with a takeover, even when not many people show up. Don’t worry if this happens, because it will, sometimes people are just too busy to be on Facebook. *gasp* Say what?! haha Even though it might be slow during an actual takeover, people still comment afterwards, through the night and day and up until you close out the giveaway. And that’s a good thing. You’re still meeting new people.

A good tip to know. You can save your posts, especially the ones offering the giveaways, so you don’t have to go back and search through all the posts to find them. Just go to the top right hand corner of the post and click on those three little dots ⋅⋅⋅ A drop down box will appear and you should see SAVE POST at the very top. Just click that. Sometimes it says, saved link (if you added a link in the post), don’t worry. It’ll still save the post itself. To find your saved posts, go to your HOME on Facebook, and on the left side of your newsfeed (this is directions if on the computer), you’ll see under EXPLORE the word SAVED at the top, click that. You will see all of your saved posts. If it only saved a link, look to the bottom of that post and you’ll see Saved From Your Post. Click on YOUR POST and it’ll bring you to the original post. Easy peasy. You can also add a hashtag of some sort to ‘search’ in the group for your posts. You might’ve noticed I had those for my giveaways. #AmandaSiegristTO That also makes it easier to find. You might’ve also noticed I had giveaway written like this G♡veaway. Facebook loves to hide posts with certain words, so it’s good to not fully spell the word out. Honestly, I get confused by all of Facebooks changing rules and algorithms and everything, but it can never hurt to be safe.

That’s how you do a Facebook Takeover. They are fun and a great way to meet new readers. I hope this helps you, especially if you are worried or had lots of questions on what to do. If you still have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to ask me! I love helping others out.

Thanks for sticking with me to the end!

♥ Have a beautiful day!

ℒℴѵℯ ♡ Amanda Siegrist