20+ Marketing Moves Every Creative Entrepreneur Should Try
- Julie and Mika Get Obsessed Podcast
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
By Conner Tighe
Are you struggling to get your book, product, service, or business in front of the right people?
You are not alone — and according to publisher and entrepreneur Dominick Domasky, you also do not have to wait around for someone else to magically make it happen.
In this power-packed solo episode of The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast, Dominick steps in while Julie Lokun is out on assignment to deliver a marketing masterclass for authors, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and creators who are ready to grow their reach.
The message is clear: your marketing cannot begin three days before launch. It starts long before that — with conversations, relationships, visibility, consistency, and the courage to put yourself in the room.
Marketing Starts With Showing Up
One of Dominick’s biggest reminders is that networking is not about walking into a room and trying to close a sale immediately.
It is about connection.
Too many entrepreneurs treat networking events like transactional hunting grounds. They enter the room thinking, “Who can buy from me today?” But real marketing starts when you shift the goal from selling to building relationships.
That means attending chamber of commerce events, local business gatherings, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis meetings, community groups, and professional mixers with the intention of listening first. Ask questions. Learn what people need. Share what you do in a way that feels natural, not rehearsed.
The room may not contain your next customer. But it may contain someone who knows your next customer.
Become Your Own Hype Person
Dominick also delivers a truth many creators need to hear: no marketing firm can fully replace your own voice.
A publicist, publisher, agency, or social media manager can help amplify your message, but nobody can care about your work the way you do. Nobody knows your story, your mission, your “why,” or your audience quite like you.
That means you have to be willing to talk about your book, business, product, or service before it feels comfortable.
You have to share the behind-the-scenes process. You have to tell people what you are building. You have to invite others into the journey before launch day arrives.
Because if you are not talking about your work, why should anyone else?
Think Beyond the Obvious Sales Channels
One of the most valuable parts of the episode is Dominick’s encouragement to look beyond traditional marketing paths.
For authors, that might mean getting your book into consignment shops, boutique hotels, gift shops, local bookstores, salons, coffee shops, or specialty stores that align with your topic. A children’s book might fit perfectly in a local toy store. A leadership book might belong in a business conference swag bag. A memoir might resonate with a nonprofit, support group, or community organization.
For entrepreneurs and small business owners, the same idea applies: stop assuming your audience only exists online.
Your next opportunity may be sitting inside a local partnership, speaker series, networking breakfast, book club, retreat, school, or community event.
Great marketing often happens in unexpected places.
Podcast Tours Are Still Underrated
Dominick also highlights one of the most underused visibility tools available today: podcast guesting.
A podcast tour allows authors, entrepreneurs, and creators to reach new audiences by showing up where people are already listening. Instead of only trying to build your own platform from scratch, you can borrow trust from established hosts and communities.
The key is to pitch thoughtfully. Do not send a generic message that only says, “I wrote a book” or “I have a business.” Instead, explain what value you can bring to that audience.
Can you teach something? Tell a compelling story? Offer a fresh perspective? Help listeners solve a real problem?
That is what gets you booked.
Social Media Is Not Just a Billboard
Dominick also calls out a trap many entrepreneurs fall into: posting without actually engaging.
Social media is not just a place to announce things. It is a place to build relationships.
That means commenting on other people’s posts, replying to messages, celebrating others’ wins, sharing useful insights, and creating content that invites conversation. Reels, vlogs, short videos, lives, and social audio can all become ways to create your own stage.
You do not need permission to start building a platform.
You can begin with your phone, your story, and a willingness to be consistent.
Reviews, Launch Parties, and Press Releases Still Matter
The episode also gets practical about book marketing, specifically.
Dominick explains why Amazon reviews can make a major difference in discoverability, especially around key milestones like 50 and 100 reviews. For authors, reviews are not just compliments. They are signals that help your book gain traction.
Launch parties can also create momentum when done well. They are not just celebrations; they are community-building events. A launch party gives people a reason to gather, share, post, buy, and feel part of something bigger than a transaction.
Press releases still have a place, too — especially when there is a strong local angle, timely hook, or compelling human-interest story. Local media, regional publications, business journals, and niche outlets often seek stories with community relevance.
The lesson? Do not overlook the traditional tools just because digital marketing gets all the attention.
Build Partnerships That Actually Make Sense
One of the most memorable takeaways from the episode is the power of unique partnerships.
Dominick shares the story of an author who sold 400,000 books through college students — a reminder that the best marketing strategies are not always the most obvious ones.
Partnerships work when there is alignment. Who already has access to the people you want to reach? What communities, organizations, influencers, speakers, clubs, schools, or businesses naturally connect to your message?
Think creatively. A book club may help spread your novel. A mommy influencer may be perfect for a parenting product. A university may be the right stage for your expertise. A TED-style talk may help you refine and share your message with a global audience.
The point is not to chase every opportunity. It is to find the right rooms, the right partners, and the right message for each audience.
Dom’s Rules for Better Marketing
In place of “Jules Rules,” Dominick offers his own practical reminders for creative entrepreneurs:
First, do not wait until three days before launch to start talking about your product. Marketing is not a last-minute emergency. It is a long game.
Second, do not make it all about you. Vanity is not a strategy. Your audience wants to know how your work helps, inspires, entertains, teaches, or serves them.
Third, stop giving the same canned speech in every room. Tailor your message. A business group, a book club, a university audience, and a podcast audience all need something different from you.
The best marketers are not necessarily the loudest people in the room. They are the ones who understand the room they are in.
The Big Takeaway
This episode of The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast is a reminder that marketing is not magic.
It is movement.
It is the email you send, the event you attend, the podcast you pitch, the post you publish, the review you ask for, the partnership you explore, and the room you are brave enough to walk into.
Whether you are launching a book, growing a business, promoting a product, or building a creative platform, the work starts with visibility. You do not have to do everything at once, but you do have to start somewhere.
So start talking about your work.
Start building relationships.
Start creating your own stage.
And most importantly, stop waiting to be discovered.
Listen to the full episode of The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast for Dominick Domasky’s full list of marketing strategies and real-world examples for getting your work in front of the people who need it most.