282. How I Put My Book on a Times Square Billboard (What Did It Cost, & Did It Work?)

<p>I recently advertised my book on a billboard in Times Square. It was cheaper than you think, and was up for less time than you might expect. But it’s still paying dividends.</p> <h3>Times Square is a big deal (duh)</h3> <p>Times Square is the epitome of mainstream success. The biggest brands have locations there, and any big brand you can name advertises there. 350,000 people walk through Times Square on a typical day.</p> <p>It’s also one of the most-photographed places on Earth, with many of those photos and videos being shared on television shows such as <em>Good Morning America</em>, and on TikTok or Instagram.</p> <h3>A lowly self-published book advertised next to the biggest brands</h3> <p>When my friend, <a href= "https://kadavy.net/blog/posts/robbie-abed/">Robbie Abed</a>, told me you can advertise in Times Square for cheap, I knew I had to run an ad for <a href= "https://kadavy.net/mind-management-not-time-management/"><em>Mind Management, Not Time Management</em></a>. A book about a new approach to time management, in a city obsessed with time management, in a place with “time” right in the name? It was a match made in heaven!</p> <p>The very thought of my lowly self-published book advertised on the front of Forever 21, above a Sunglass Hut, across from the Disney store, next to McDonald’s, <em>in Times Square</em> made me laugh the maniacal laughter of an evil villain plotting to take over the world – in some Disney movie, of course.</p> <h3>Will a billboard sell books?</h3> <p>Before I explain <em>how</em> I advertised in Times Square for cheap, I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Will advertising on a billboard sell books?”</p> <p>You’re right to think that since people are walking or driving through Times Square, even if they noticed my billboard in this place that is nearly <em>all billboards</em>, they’re not going to stop what they’re doing, take out their phones, and order my book on Amazon.</p> <h4>The making of a pseudo-event</h4> <p>But that’s not the point. By advertising my book in Times