How Authors Can Use TikTok to Build an Audience of Raving #BookTok Readers
If you didn’t download TikTok as a way of getting through the last couple of years, where have you been?!
Have you seen the woman who remakes company logos?
Or seen the ones with the most adorable babies ever? Like this one that makes my heart melt every time I watch it:
I could go on posting my favorite TikToks, but we’re here to talk about books, right? Right.😉
If you’ve stumbled upon #BookTok, you’re probably familiar with the ways in which books are getting a new life thanks to the platform.
In fact, your local bookstore might have an entire display devoted to all the titles that are creating buzz on TikTok.
READ MORE: The Most Popular TikTok Books at Barnes & Noble #BookTok
TikTok is a powerful form of social media right now.
Check out this article from Vogue about how book influencers (bookfluencers!) are highlighting their favorites and, in turn, creating sales for bookstores and authors alike.
But, the main question you need to ask for yourself is: is TikTok right for you?
If you’ve been in the author game for awhile now, you’ve probably seen all the big trends come and go, and wish you’d gotten in sooner.
Hindsight seems to support the idea that getting on social platforms first is the way to go.
We’ve heard many authors over the years complain that while they know platforms like Twitter might have been amazing marketing for their books 10 years ago, now that they are saturated with millions and millions of people, it’s simply too difficult to make yourself heard over the noise.
So, we get it.
And with TikTok’s massive popularity, we’ve noticed the most-asked questions we’re getting here at Evergreen Authors right now involve TikTok.
Is TikTok good for authors?
If so, how can I use TikTok to sell more books?
As with all things here at Evergreen Authors, we want you to take a step back and look at this unemotionally, and with as many facts as you can.
3 Simple Steps for Using TikTok as an Author
If you’ve decided that TikTok is a platform you want to explore and use an an author, we have three things we’d like you to do first:
1) WATCH THIS VIDEO
We want you to start with this incredible video from the Wall Street Journal that dives deep into the TikTok algorithm and how it works.
WATCH NOW: INSIDE TIKTOK’S HIGHLY SECRETIVE ALGORITHM
The big takeaway for us is this: the creators of TikTok are particularly masterful at bringing people into and keeping people on the platform.
That is their goal—to keep you engaged and scrolling.
2) SPEND SOME SIGNIFICANT TIME ON THE PLATFORM
Scroll through your FYP (For You Page) and see what comes up.
Hit the “like” button on videos you like and watch the algorithm do its magic.
Before you do ANYTHING to promote your book and author brand, simply enjoy the creativity of the people on TikTok.
3) USE THE SEARCH FUNCTIONALITY TO SEARCH UNDER #BOOKTOK
You’ll find thousands and thousands (and thousands and thousands) of book reviewers, indie bookstores, and authors using the platform in all sorts of creative ways.
Take some time to search, watch, and then make sure you “like” the videos that grab your attention.
SOME TIKTOK HASHTAGS AUTHORS CAN USE TO SEARCH BESIDES #BOOKTOK ARE:
#YABooks #AuthorsOfTikTok #WriterTok #Wattpad #BookClub #BookStore #NewBooks #WIP #LibrariansOfTikTok #LibraryTikTok
After you’ve searched and gotten familiar with the format and style of the #BookTok community, then and only then, you can start to use these ideas to get inspired to create your own content.
But, before you really dive into TikTok as an author, we want you, again, to ask yourself:
Is TikTok something that makes sense for me?
To be clear, we have done this ourselves at Evergreen Authors.
Keep in mind that our book, The Evergreen Author: Master the Art of Book Marketing, has all sorts of great little sound bites that we know would make for awesome TikTok videos.
Write. Sell. Repeat.
The no-nonsense guide to book marketing and promotion.
We also know that our YouTube videos are the #1 way that people find us here—we know this by simply looking at our website analytics.
TikTok seems like a no brainer for us, right?
We should be using the platform because videos are the main way people find our website, so we should expand onto TikTok because it’s a video platform.
Not quite.
Here are a few reasons why we are NOT using TikTok as part of our book marketing strategy:
1) Audience: While TikTok isn’t just for teenagers anymore, the data is clear that our ideal audience isn’t using that platform in the same way that they’re using, say, Facebook or LinkedIn.
We always lead all of our marketing strategy decisions with reaching our ideal audience where they already are.
2) Time: Making cute TikTok videos is really time consuming.
Yes, you can make very simple videos with no bells and whistles, but the ones that get the most attention in the book world tend to be the ones that incorporate filters, music, and graphics.
3) Likes ≠ Conversions: TikTok is really about creating community, and creating community is very different than creating conversions.
Don’t get us wrong—creating community can be great for book sales.
But just getting to the coveted FYP on TikTok isn’t going to guarantee you any book sales or grow your audience.
That said, there are authors on TikTok who are loving it, and we know of many book marketing agencies like ours that are working on creating courses around TikTok for authors.
READ MORE: 8 Authors Who are Crushing it on TikTok Right Now
So the bottom line is this:
If after doing your research you think that you’d like to give TikTok a try, go for it!
As with many things, it’s all about managing your expectations.
Lead with your authentic self, your book’s message, and connect with other people doing it RIGHT.
