Using Sneak Peeks, Character Reveals, and Excerpted Scenes to Fill Your Romance ARC

You've launched your ARC campaign. Now what? Waiting for readers to find you isn't a strategy. The romance community responds to content - give them something to fall in love with before they even request your book.

Here's exactly how to do it.

Sneak Peeks

A sneak peek is the first page, a chapter opener, or a pivotal moment, but nothing that spoils the plot, everything that hooks a reader.

What works:

• Post the first 3-5 sentences of chapter one. If your opening line is strong, let it do the work.
• Screenshot it from your formatted manuscript so it looks like a real book, not a copy-paste block of text.
• Post your books heat level.

What doesn't work:

• Posting a middle-of-the-book scene with no context. Readers are lost before they start.
• Walls of text with no formatting. Nobody reads it.
• Posting once and never again.

Post your sneak peek on the same day your ARC goes live. First impressions matter.

Character Reveals

Readers fall for characters before they fall for plots. Give them someone to root for before they even request your ARC.

What works:

• Write a 3-4 line character intro in first person. "I have two goals for senior year: win a state title and make sure nobody finds out I'm gay." That's a wonder character reveal.
• Pair it with a mood image: a aesthetic flat lay, a color palette, a Pinterest-style graphic that captures the character's vibe. Canva makes this easy.
• Reveal one character per week during your ARC campaign. Drip them out, don't dump them all at once.
• End every character reveal post with "Want to read their story before it publishes? ARC link in bio."

What doesn't work:

• Generic descriptions. "She's feisty and independent." Every romance heroine is feisty and independent. Give readers something specific.
• Stock photos that look nothing like how you describe your character. It breaks immersion immediately.

Excerpted Scenes

An excerpted scene is your most powerful tool and your most dangerous one. The right scene converts browsers into applicants. The wrong scene confuses people or spoils too much.

What works:

• Pick a scene with tension, not resolution. The almost-kiss, not the kiss. The argument, not the makeup. Leave them wanting more.
• Keep it to 150-200 words maximum. Enough to feel the chemistry, not enough to satisfy it.
• Add a content note at the top if the excerpt contains anything triggering - readers appreciate the heads up and it builds trust.
• Post it mid-campaign when your initial launch momentum has dipped. It re-ignites interest.

What doesn't work:

• Posting a plot-heavy scene that requires context to understand. Readers bounce immediately.
• Excerpting your steamiest scene upfront if your book is mid-to-low heat. You'll attract the wrong readers and get poor reviews.
• Forgetting the CTA. Every single excerpt post ends with your ARC link. Every single one.

The Posting Rhythm That Actually Works

Spread this across your entire ARC campaign:

• Week 1 launch day Sneak peek of chapter one
• Week 1 day 3 Character reveal #1 (MC)
• Week 2 Character reveal #2 (love interest)
• Week 3 Excerpted tension scene
• Week 4 Sneak peek of a later chapter, no spoilers
• Ongoing Repost any reader reactions, application milestones, or early reviews

One Rule Above Everything

Every piece of content you post is only as useful as the call to action attached to it. Readers who fall in love with your sneak peek and can't find your ARC link in under 3 seconds are gone forever.

ARC link. Every post. No exceptions. At least in a comment on your post if not in your actual parent post.

Want to start your ARC campaign and put this into practice? List your romance ARC on Pen Pinery and get in front of readers actively looking for their next read. 🌹