Talking TikTok: A Platform Primer for Authors
Launched in 2016, TikTok is a video-sharing platform that has transformed the social media industry and the way people market themselves and their products online. In just over five years, this community-centred social media platform has amassed over one billion users and is likely to reach 1.5 billion users in 2022.
Because there’s a massive reader audience on TikTok, it can be a marketing goldmine for authors with a book. If you write romance and young adult books (especially young adult contemporary and fantasy), there’s a high likelihood that your ideal readers are waiting to discover you and your books on this platform. This also means TikTok is the perfect way to grow your brand online, and funnel people to your website, books, or other social media platforms.
If there’s one defining characteristic that represents TikTok’s potential for promoting brand awareness online, it’s because it’s easier to “go viral” on TikTok compared to other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Going viral doesn’t necessarily mean that your video gets 20 million views, but it might mean you get 10,000 views when you only have 50 followers. By using hashtags, hopping on trends, using popular trending songs, and posting consistently, it’s easier to reach a larger audience of ideal readers. (However, it’s still going to take some work, as I’ll explore more in a future post!)
Another reason authors should be on TikTok is that it allows them to connect intimately with their ideal readers. By sharing videos of you talking about your book or promoting your book through a trend, readers can put a face to the name behind your books. Of course, you can show your face on other platforms and connect with readers in this way, but TikTok encourages you to do it in a fun and lowkey way.
Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc., feel more professional, but TikTok is the place where you can be fun and silly. You will never need to put more than 10 or so minutes into a single TikTok video. Because of that, the content is lighter and easily engageable. For examples from my own account, I usually post videos that share some marketing tips for authors or showcase my love of books through a hilarious lip-syncing trend.
What Are BookTok and AuthorTok, and How Can I Utilize Them?
As mentioned above, TikTok is a community-centred platform. Two of the communities full of your ideal readers where you can target your content are BookTok and AuthorTok.
BookTok is a community on TikTok focused on — you guessed it — books. (Specifically books in the young adult fiction, young adult fantasy, and romance genres.) Over the last couple of years, BookTok has driven book sales for both print and eBooks. Whether a book was published years ago (maybe even decades ago) or the release day is coming up, utilizing trends, hashtags, and the community of BookTok can help improve your book sales. Readers bought over 825 million print books in the US in 2021, which is more than in any year since records began in 2004.
BookTok has influenced libraries and bookstores across the world. For example, if you visit your local bookstore, there’s a good chance you will see a table of books labelled “BookTok made me buy it.” On TikTok, BookTok content often includes book recommendations, bookshelf tours, reviews, funny lip syncing to song lyrics that represent a scene in a book, or what’s on your TBR (or “to be read”) list.
AuthorTok, on the other hand, is a community full of authors. It’s like a big support group where you will find videos on the writing process, writing tips, and more. Not only is AuthorTok a great place to connect with like-minded authors and find your next writing buddy, but it’s also an opportunity for readers to learn more about you and what it’s like to write the books they love.
If you are especially knowledgeable on the publishing process or outlining, for example, create a fun TikTok video series and establish yourself as an expert on that topic.
And if you think AuthorTok isn’t the right community for you because they won’t buy your books, consider that “all authors are readers.” Some of those authors might just become your fans and supporters!
While not for everyone, it’s important for new authors to try and tap into both BookTok and AuthorTok communities if they want to find marketing success.
Here are 6 quick tips to get you started with creating viral BookTok & AuthorTok content:
Take advantage of BookTok’s current trends;
Don’t be afraid to show your face;
Create funny content to easily catch the attention of new readers;
Create evergreen content (content that doesn’t go out of style);
Batch create content to keep up a consistent posting schedule;
Be you. Always be authentic!
Like with writing and publishing, TikTok is another platform for you to share your voice and your creativity with the world! Its audience rewards people who unleash their true selves and think outside the box. So, take a deep breath and give TikTok a chance — you never know where it may take you!
Zoe Mathers is a social media manager and copywriter from beautiful British Columbia. She strives to help authors grow brand awareness and find their ideal readers on social media. In her free time, she can be found writing her own stories or browsing the shelves of her local bookstores.
Explore her services or scroll through her blog at zoemathers.com.