Review Strategy Planner.

# Review Strategy — Untitled launch



## Phase 1 — Pre-launch (Week −4 to launch)
_Build the ARC list and warm the audience. Target: 50 more verified ARC readers._

**1. ARC recruitment from email list (target 50 ARCs)**
Why: An ARC reader who reads + reviews is worth 20 cold buyers. The pre-launch ask is the cheapest moment to recruit them.
Compliance: Amazon TOS: never reward a review with anything, including a free book given conditionally. The ARC is free; the review is voluntary. State this in every recruitment message.

**2. PDF sample chapter offer (gate via email)**
Why: Nonfiction readers want a tactical chapter, not the intro. Lead with the chapter that solves the most concrete problem — that earns the review-list opt-in.

**3. Reviewer outreach to 20 named contacts**
Why: Direct outreach to people you know read your genre converts at 30-50% vs. 1-3% for cold reviewer lists. Warm pipeline beats volume here.
Compliance: Disclose review copy provenance ("I received an advance copy") if reviewers post on retail platforms. Most reviewers know this; remind anyway.

## Phase 2 — Launch week (Day 1 to Day 7)
_Convert ARCs to verified reviews + open the funnel to organic readers. Goal: 25-40 reviews live by end of week._

**1. Day 1: ARC reminder email + verified-purchase ask**
Why: Verified-purchase reviews carry more weight on Amazon. ARC readers who already finished the book can be nudged to buy the Kindle edition (often $0.99 launch price) to get the verified badge.

**2. Day 3: Organic reader review push (no incentive language)**
Why: Day 3 is when launch-day buyers have read enough to review (~40-60% of the book). Email cadence: 1 ask, no follow-ups in week 1.
Compliance: Never include incentive language ("review and get..."). The ask is bare: "If you found this useful, a review on Amazon helps me reach more readers."

**3. Day 5: Podcast guest reviewer asks**
Why: Day 5 you have early review data + the launch energy is still warm. 3-5 named podcast asks here outperform 15 cold pitches in week 2 by 2-3x.

## Phase 3 — Post-launch (Week +1 to +12)
_Compound the review base — every new review widens the funnel for the next reader._

**1. Weekly review check-in email (to verified ARCs only)**
Why: ARC readers who said yes but did not post: a single weekly touch through week +4 recovers ~15-20% of laggards. Beyond week 4, the conversion floor drops below 5% — stop emailing them.
Compliance: Segment to verified ARC sign-ups only. Cold-list weekly review asks are a Beehiiv unsubscribe trigger.

**2. Month +2: second-wave email-list ask**
Why: New subscribers who joined post-launch have not been asked. Same template as the launch ask, but anchored to "I just hit X reviews — would love your read" social proof.

**3. Quarterly retention-loop review request**
Why: Readers who finished a book 3-6 months ago retain ~30% review-intent if asked once. After 6 months the recall is gone. Set the quarterly cadence in the auto-sequence.