I write contemporary romance as Melissa Dymond and dark romance as Lexi Davis, and across both pen names, I’ve built a street team of more than 600 readers. Alongside my newsletter, which has more than 25,000 subscribers, that community has become one of the most valuable marketing levers of my author career.
Here’s how I build my team, and how I keep them genuinely excited to show up when it’s time to run a promotion (like a BookBub deal) or launch a new book.
My Street Team Philosophy: Community First, Promotion Second
My street team is one of my favorite parts of being an author.
Don’t get me wrong, I love writing. I love disappearing into a fictional world, falling hard for my own characters, and sending morally gray men through an emotional blender. But publishing can be lonely. You spend months, sometimes years, creating a story in private, hoping it will eventually find the readers it was meant for.
My street team is made up of exactly those readers.
A street team is a community of readers who support an author by sharing excitement about their books, participating in launch events, and helping amplify content on social media. In return, they receive behind-the-scenes access, early looks at covers and character art, opportunities for advance copies, special giveaways, and a direct connection with the author.
I don’t think of my street team as a marketing machine. They are readers, creators, sounding boards, cheerleaders, and, in many cases, friends. My team works because I treat members like people first and supporters second.
That means:
- Participation is always optional.
- ARCs are never payment for a review.
- Members should feel appreciated even during quiet periods between launches.
- I make every promotional ask as easy and low-pressure as possible.
- I celebrate their creativity and goals, not only the ways they help me.
Readers can tell when they’re being treated like a number on a spreadsheet. They can also tell when an author is genuinely excited to know them, hear their opinions, and include them in the fun parts of publishing. My goal has always been to build a community that wants to celebrate with me, not just work for me.
Recruit readers who already love talking about books
I have a newsletter with more than 25,000 subscribers, but I don’t automatically invite every subscriber to join my street team.
That may sound counterintuitive, but not every subscriber will be a good fit for a street team. It works best when it includes readers who particularly enjoy interacting with authors, talking about books online, making content, and participating in a community.
That doesn’t mean every member needs a huge BookTok or Bookstagram account. Some of my favorite team members have smaller followings but are incredibly engaged, creative, and enthusiastic. I’m looking for people who already love being part of the online bookish world.
For that reason, I recruit primarily through social media.
1. Create a simple sign-up form
Before announcing your street team, create an easy way for readers to join. I use a Google Form linked through my Linktree, which is located in my social media bio. The form automatically creates a spreadsheet, which is helpful as the team grows.
My form includes:
- Name and email address (so I can deliver ebook ARCs)
- Instagram and TikTok handles (so I can interact with team members on social media)
- Goodreads profile (it’s a good idea to ask members to add the book you’re promoting to their Want to Read shelf)
- Option to join my newsletter (many readers are happy to join both, which lets you build your reader community in two valuable ways at once)
- Option to join my permanent ARC team
- Confirmation they’ve read relevant content or trigger warnings
That final question is especially important for my dark romance pen name. My books can include difficult themes, and I want readers to know what they’re signing up for before receiving an ARC or participating in a launch. It’s important to be transparent, respectful, and clear from the start.
2. Explain the benefits and expectations upfront
When I announce to my social media followers that my street team is open, I’m clear about what members will receive:
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Character art and cover reveals
- Snippets and teasers
- Giveaways
- ARC opportunities
- A private reader community
- Direct interaction with me
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I also explain what support may look like during launches or promotions. That could include sharing a post, creating a Reel or TikTok, participating in a cover reveal, or helping spread the word about a BookBub deal.
I make it clear that no one is required to do anything.
Some members love making TikToks or Reels. Some prefer to share a graphic to their Stories. Some are quiet readers who love voting in cover polls and receiving early book news. All of those people belong in my community.
3. Onboard them in a way that feels personal
Once readers join, I send a welcome email and add them to my communication spaces.
I primarily use:
- Instagram chats for quick announcements, daily conversation, polls, and building launch excitement.
- Discord, where readers can download book covers, premade graphics, character art, and organized campaign materials like blurbs, trope lists, and trigger warnings.
I divide my street team into smaller Instagram chat groups of roughly 100 people each. That makes the conversations less overwhelming and helps prevent members from feeling lost or invisible.
How I Keep My Team Engaged Between Launches
The biggest mistake authors can make is only interacting when they need something. Between releases, I keep in touch with my street team in Instagram chats, where I interact with them three to five times a week, and almost daily when we approach a big event like a BookBub promotion or a new release.
I engage by:
Keeping members feeling special
Book people love seeing the inner workings of an author’s world. Between releases, I share character art in different stages, early book news, first looks at covers, and behind-the-scenes writing and publishing processes. My team is also the first to hear when I hit a milestone or have a career update, like reaching 26 million pages read or selling my audiobook rights.
Many street team members are Bookstagram or BookTok creators who are trying to grow their own accounts, so I make a point of supporting them, too. I regularly feature a member’s page, share their content to my Stories, and encourage the team to show them support. I rotate those features so different people get attention over time.
Running exclusive giveaways
I often run street team–exclusive giveaways where members who participate during a certain time frame are entered to win prizes.
My favorite giveaway prizes are signed copies of the book we’re celebrating. I love including extra goodies like stickers and bookplates, because the winner often shares an unboxing video when it arrives. That creates another fun moment for the book, but more importantly, it gives someone on the team a genuine reason to feel appreciated.
How I Activate My Street Team Around a Promotion
I activate my team around book launches, cover reveals, major announcements, and price promotions. I use BookBub’s Featured Deals or New Releases for Less to boost price promotions, which have been incredible opportunities to reach readers who may not have discovered my books yet.
Here’s the basic system I use to engage my team.
1. Start the conversation before promotion day
I let my team know a promotion is coming, and why it’s a big deal, a few days in advance. This gives members time to decide how or whether they would like to participate.
It also allows time to build anticipation. When Pretty Vicious was selected for a BookBub Featured Deal, I wanted the promotion to feel exciting not only for potential new readers, but for the readers who had already supported the book and wanted to help it reach more people. The key for me is not to treat a BookBub promotion as a moment where I simply drop a sale link in a chat and hope for the best. I treat it like a celebration.
2. Give members a ready-to-use launch kit
My personal assistant or I will create a shared Google Drive folder with everything members need.
A typical launch kit includes:
- Book cover files
- Character art
- Caption ideas
- Teaser quotes
- Tropes and keywords
- Retailer links
- Goodreads links
- BookBub links, when relevant
- Story-sized graphics
- A short reminder of the campaign timeline
I’ve found that the easier you make participation, the more likely people are to actually participate.
I try to make sure members don’t have to hunt for links or files or come up with their own talking points. Everything they need is there, whether they’d prefer to create their own content or simply share a graphic that’s already made. I want both types of participation to feel equally useful and appreciated.
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3. Ask for engagement on the posts that matter most
I may ask my street team to engage with my content as well as post themselves. This includes a like, save, share, or adding their own thoughts in the comments.
When the team rallies around a post, I’ve seen my content receive two to five times more views than similar posts I publish without that extra support.
However, I don’t want to exhaust my team, so I save those asks only for important moments: things like release days, BookBub deal days, and cover reveals.
Here’s an example where I engaged my team to boost a cover reveal, versus the type of ongoing promotion I post without engaging my team.
4. Help new readers stay connected after the promotion
For BookBub promotions, I also think about what happens after a new reader finds my book, so I can keep the momentum going. I want to give them easy ways to stay in my world.
That means making sure my book back matter, website, newsletter, and social links are current. I also encourage interested readers to follow me on BookBub, where they can hear about future new releases and price promotions.
What My Street Team Does Beyond Promotion
A street team can support an author in other ways beyond sharing social media posts.
They help me find alpha and beta readers
Early in my career, I invited a group of street team members to read early drafts and provide feedback. I intentionally started with more readers than I would ultimately need, around ten, so I could learn who gave thoughtful, timely, and helpful notes.
Over time, I found readers with different strengths. For example, one was especially good at pacing and plot, while another was better at catching character-development issues or highlighting their favorite lines (great for social media).
You don’t have to build the perfect early-reading team all at once. Let people show you where they shine. Now, I have two alpha readers and two to four beta readers whom I rely on for feedback.
They form the heart of my ARC team
My street team receives priority ARC approval and is among the first group of readers I invite to receive advance copies. I make one thing clear: An ARC is never payment for a review. I want reviews to be voluntary and honest.
They help me make smarter decisions
For example, more than once, I’ve been torn between two book covers or between different wordings of an important quote. I ask my street team for feedback, and often receive an immediate, overwhelming preference for one option.
I’ve learned to trust their instincts in those situations. It means I’m not making decisions in a vacuum. I have hundreds of romance readers helping me understand what they’re looking for in a book and what they’re excited to share.
The Part Nobody Tells You: Street Teams Change
I’d love to tell you that every team member will be there forever, equally enthusiastic for your fifteenth launch as they were for your first.
That’s not realistic. People get busy. Priorities change. Some members step back, some return later, and some will stay with you from the very beginning. It’s all normal.
Recruiting and onboarding are ongoing parts of running a street team. It takes work, but on the other hand, new readers bring excitement, fresh ideas, and new energy into your community. Think of your team not as a static group, but as a welcoming space readers are happy to join and happy to return to.
Key Takeaways for Authors Building a Street Team
If you’re starting from zero, begin small. Even a group of 5–10 readers can make a difference.
Focus on these things first:
- Recruit readers who are excited to interact.
- Make your expectations clear from the beginning.
- Keep participation optional and pressure-free.
- Give members easy-to-use launch materials.
- Keep recruiting as your career and community grow.
My team has helped me promote books, test creative ideas, and make smarter business decisions, but the most valuable thing they’ve given me is connection. That’s the real magic of a street team. Build one with kindness and let them know they’re appreciated.
And every now and then, send them a sticker. Everyone loves a sticker.
The views and opinions expressed in this guest post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of BookBub.
