I recently attended the MURDER AND MAYHEM CHICAGO 2020 conference, virtually. It was recorded and is available HERE until the end of March. You should definitely listen to the recording as you will learn much about the crime fiction community that I am happy to be a part of.

In the Promoting Crime session, street teams were mentioned and being a member of several teams, one of the guests attending, Lois Reibach, wanted to know more about street teams and below is my response.

What is a street team?
FYI, street teams were originally used by record companies to promote new artists.

A street team is a group of readers who help promote an author and their book by being on the ground floor of an author’s work. You may get a sneak peek at what the author is working on; you may be asked to read their book before it goes out to the editor (aka Beta reader), you may be asked to provide feedback on questions the author may have about their work; you are the cheering squad when the author’s needs it and the most important mission is “word-of-mouth.” Members of a street team are usually passionate about the author’s work and will do anything to help them succeed which includes a bit of marketing, promotion, and writing/posting reviews.

How do you become involved in a street team?
Most authors will contact their fan base via email or on a social media platform. Once you join, the author will let you know what is expected and because you are a member, most will send you a goody bag. I’ve received tote bags, copy of first book in a series, sports bags, bookmarks, coasters, writing utensils, t-shirts, key chains, umbrellas, mugs, deck of cards, flash drives, pins, and sewing kits, all branded with the author’s work.

What is expected?
Each street team is set up by the author and their needs will be different. Most will want you to read an advance reader copy of their book and post a review on a variety of platforms. There’s also placing bookmarks in libraries or anyplace books can be read. Even attending a reader/fan convention is a place to boost your author’s work. I’ve placed some in Barnes and Nobles, independent bookstores, hospitals, senior residences, office library, grocery store racks, etc.

Does it demand much of a commitment?
The only commitment is helping in whatever is comfortable for you. Because I do a lot of reading, I may not have time to read an author’s work, so what I sometimes offer is a guest post on my blog. If you can’t review, then maybe you can hand out bookmarks, do a shout-out on social media platform, especially on the book’s release date. There’s so much you can do, just ask.

Social Media
I find street teams that are on social media more interactive than the ones via email. In the social media street team, not only do we talk about the books, but also about what’s going on in each other’s world. There is a sense of camaraderie, especially when there are group chats. And one of the big perks is meeting other street team members at reader/fan conventions along with the author.

It is easier to do shout-outs via social media when a book is released. Share reviews that you see of an author’s book. Talk about a book to people you know. Post a review. Be the best cheerleader you can.

I know I’ve probably left out a lot, so if you belong to a street team, what else should we know?

Again, thanks for the asking Lois.