Let's Share The Joy!

Your Guide to Sharing Longing for Joy During Launch Week

Oct 28, 2024

Friends, we’re approaching a meaningful milestone: the official launch of Longing for Joy on Tuesday, October 29th—tomorrow! I’m feeling a mixture of excitement, gratitude, and yes—vulnerability. But mostly, I’m filled with anticipation for this book to find its way into more hands and hearts.

Many of you have joined The Joy Refuge (thank you!), and others are part of our wider Ordinary Matters community. Today, I want to invite all of you into the first step of the book launch: sharing the joy.

The World of Social Media

I’ll be honest—asking for help with social media feels a bit like standing on a chair in a crowded room and asking everyone to look at me. But here’s the thing: I believe in the message of my book and I've learned that sometimes the most meaningful things require us to step beyond our comfort zones.

You might wonder if your post matters.

It does.

Each share creates a ripple, reaching someone who might need this message about joy as an ever-present possibility. Your voice, your perspective, your way of sharing—it all matters.

Even if you haven’t read the book yet, you can still post about it! Because the goal is to raise awareness.

Three Ways to Share the Journey

I’d love for you to share in whatever way feels natural to you. Here’s what would be most helpful to me:

Launch Day: Tomorrow (Tuesday, October 29th), share your excitement using the photos provided below (or take a photo of your copy of the book if you have it already)
Unbox: When your physical copy arrives, share that moment of joy
Deep Dive: As you read, consider sharing a passage or thought that particularly moves you

Share these moments on the platforms you use—Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or all three! Each platform reaches different people.

If you need tips for sharing

Take a photo of the book in a place that brings you joy
Record a quick story about why you’re looking forward to reading the book, or what you’ve enjoyed about reading it
Create an “unboxing” when your physical copy arrives
Is there a poll or question you can share to get people engaged?
Post about why you’re excited to read the book
Write about a moment when joy surprised you

The Practical Details

When posting, please tag me (@alastairsterne on Instagram, @asterne on Facebook) and use our launch hashtag #LongingForJoy. If you're comfortable, include this link that will direct people to places to buy the book.

To help spark creativity, here is a folder of images you can use. But please don't feel constrained by these—your voice and connection to the message of joy are what matter most.

Photos Folder

As always, thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you share once or multiple times, whether you write a lengthy post or simply repost something that resonates—your support means the world to me.

Let’s create some ripples of joy together.

With gratitude,

Alastair

P.S. If you haven’t yet, you can still pre-order the book today which will help it launch well tomorrow!

P.P.S. There will be a few more posts from Ordinary Matters than usual this week. Thanks for bearing with me—this won’t be the new norm!

P.P.S. Joy Refuge friends: Remember those gift baskets? When you post on social media, it counts as an entry into the drawing for one of three joy-filled gift baskets.