With #BookTok’s influence, it’s no surprise that publishers are encouraging their authors to promote their books on TikTok. TikTok is a powerhouse of an app, so much so that most other social media platforms now have features replicating it (Facebook & Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts…).
As authors, we have a lot to juggle. Social media marketing for authors can feel overwhelming as is, and for many millennial and Gen X authors, appealing to the masses on TikTok means learning a whole new app.
I’ve been using TikTok since before I even started my WIP. I’ve amassed over 21k followers and many of them have expressed interest in my books. I’ll be sharing my TikTok tips for authors including getting over camera shyness, TikTok post ideas for authors, and ways to make your videos really stand out.
Smile, You’re on Camera!
I know a lot of authors don’t want to show their faces (and if you’re writing under a pen name, that may not even be an option).
If you’re not writing under a pen name, I think it’s really important for readers to see who you are. Our books are often very personal to us, even if we’re not writing a memoir. It’s an emotional journey, and readers often want to connect with the person behind that—hence your author bio and headshot at the end of your books.
While there are videos you can share that never show your face, especially once you have your books in hand, it can’t hurt to venture into this space. So, here are some tips for getting over camera shyness.
Just Film It
I know what you’re thinking… “how does just filming it help me get over it?”
Practice makes perfect! I was a theater kid growing up but that didn’t mean it was any less awkward the first time I filmed a TikTok. I’ve found that the more you start to film yourself, though, the less weird it feels.
This Isn’t 2016 Instagram
What I mean by “this isn’t 2016 Instagram” is to release any expectation of perfection. In 2016 Instagram, beautiful photo grids on our profile feeds were in. Everything had a matching filter and aesthetic and we were always camera ready all the time. Everyone looked flawless and only shared the best of the best.
Well… not always the case on TikTok. TikTok users tend to stray away from that more filtered view of reality, and I often see people who film that sort of “aesthetic” content get criticism for showing unattainable standards. Just be yourself, don’t worry if your makeup isn’t perfect, and let go.
Find a Happy Place
Take a few deep breaths before you start filming if you’re feeling anxious. Recording in a private place of your home can help you ease into it, too, without anybody watching.
Don’t Feed the Trolls
I see a lot of people worried about getting made fun of on TikTok.
In my experience, the main bullies on this app are literal 12-13 year olds. It’s nothing against you personally, middle schoolers are just brutal and you can block them.
If you’re worried about being attacked for something, though, then you can filter comments in your settings. For example, I’ve blocked some slurs and other harmful phrases because I don’t have the energy to deal with it. Filtering comments means their comment won’t show up at all if one of the filtered words is included, not for you or for anyone else. Protect yourself in advance and then you don’t have to sweat the assholes.
If you do get troll comments, don’t engage with them. They likely don’t even mean it, but just get a thrill out of getting a reaction out of people.
How to Make Your TikTok Videos Stand Out
There are a few simple ways you can really make your TikTok videos stand out. You don’t have to invest a ton of money or anything, either.
Get a Ring Light & Tripod
While nothing beats the natural lighting of the great outdoors, if you’re new to recording or live in an area with unfavorable weather, you’re probably going to be filming indoors primarily.
Invest in a ring light. If it has a slot to hold your phone like this one does so you don’t need to also get a tripod, even better. The lighting will help brighten up your videos.
Think like a consumer. If you see a video with horrible lighting and it’s hard to see what you’re watching, you’re probably gonna think it’s amateur or just scroll by. A ring light helps improve the quality of your videos and is a simple way to make everything look a little more professional.
Find a Background You Like
A lot of BookTokers have a beautiful bookshelf background showing off their full collection. If you’re like me and primarily read ebooks don’t you don’t have one of these, don’t worry. Ya don’t need it!
Find a nice spot in your house with a plain or non-distracting background.
Have a pretty plant near your couch and get some good natural light through the window? Pretty!
Have a fairly plain wall with a handful of art prints and a spot to put your ring light? Fantastic!
Distraction-free just means no clutter and nothing too wild. If you’ve got a gorgeous bookshelf, then that’s great and obviously a fantastic background for an author. But it’s totally not necessary.
Use the Right Hashtags
Using just #BookTok, which has millions of not billions of videos in it, won’t cut it. Make sure you diversify your hashtags as a combo of small, medium, and larger sizes (you can do this on Instagram, too).
If you only use hashtags that are massive, you run the risk of your content getting lost in the sea of masses. Using only smaller hashtags, though, can mean your reach suffers.
Think of hashtags as category tags. If I want to reach romance readers, then I can use #booktok alongside #romancenovel or #romanceauthor. This helps tell the algorithm what you’re looking for and will help put your videos on the right feeds.
Don’t Be Afraid to Share Multiple Niches
I see so many authors stick to only one niche, which is promoting their books. But here’s the thing… your content will probably start to feel kind of stale, and people don’t want to be inundated with sales posts 24/7. Remember—they’re connecting with you because we’re all human.
One of my hobbies is cosplay, and it’s something I share on my account a lot. I cosplay a lot from anime and manga series, and luckily for me, manga readers also happen to find themselves in bookstores pretty often. So, I have multiple niches I can share that have some audience overlap.
Xiran Jay Zhao is another great example of this. Iron Widow is a Chinese history retelling with mechs Neon Genesis Evangelion style. Xiran shares a lot of Chinese history videos on their YouTube, and wears historical, cultural outfits, and shows off their Yu-Gi-Oh blanket on TikTok. The niches overlap and it fits their author brand, so even though they’re not talking about Iron Widow all the time, it’s still content their audience will like (Chinese history + anime).
None of us are one-trick ponies. If you can find an audience overlap with multiple niches, then even better. But don’t be afraid to show your personality, too, not just your books.
Use Captions
If you’re speaking during your video, closed captions can be transcribed automatically within the TikTok app. Do this!
1. It’ll help make your videos more accessible to those who are hard-of-hearing.
2. A lot of people watch video with the sound off, believe it or not. Especially on other platforms (Facebook, I’m looking at you). So including captions can boost your reach and engagement.
Verizon ran a survey in 2019 and it found that 80% of people were more likely to finish a video to completion if it had captions. And because so many people keep the audio off, Facebook has reported videos with captions see 135% higher reach than those without. Whoa!
Don’t Overthink It
I’ve seen a lot of people overthink TikTok. Authors, for example, will be told that page flip videos do well so that’s all they post, and then they wonder why their page flips don’t always perform well.
Please do not do this!
Diversify your feed. It’ll get stale otherwise. If you overthink it in an attempt at success, you’ll disappoint yourself.
The funny thing about algorithms is that they’re not perfect so they’re constantly updating. What works for the algorithm today won’t necessarily work for the algorithm tomorrow.
Enjoy the trends, follow along with the trends that you feel comfortable participating in, and just have fun with it.
TikTok Post Ideas for Authors
Now that you’re primed and ready to run a really fun TikTok account, check out some post ideas you can share. Remember to incorporate trending audios or other trends when you can, but these are just some evergreen ideas.
Remember to keep your videos short. I’ve seen authors do long info-dumps and they get scrolled right past. Save the deets for your book and give us bite-sized nuggets (think 7-15 seconds long).
Plenty of these can be done without showing your face, so if you have a pen name or are still easing into being on camera, you can still try most of these!
- Show us a day in your life, especially a day where you’re writing or editing.
- Have character art? Show it off!
- Show us what inspired your book.
- Introduce us to your characters.
- Show us the book’s setting.
- Any book recommendations? (And yes, this can include your own book! Tori Dunlap of Her First $100K does this!)
- What are you currently reading?
- What’s next on your TBR?
- Share a mood board of your book, but break the photos up to show them one at a time.
- If you like this book, then you’ll like my book!
- Share a snippet over a page flip video.
- And any publishing news! Cover reveals, release dates, unboxing your ARCs, etc.
You can add a link to your bio once you have 1,000 followers. But even if you don’t have that link, don’t forget to include a call-to-action (CTA). While TikTok does block words like “link in bio” to prevent people from leaving the app, you can always include a sticker in your video that encourages people to like & follow for more, or say in the caption “MY BOOK is available where all books are sold.” Give them an action item!
Also, I’d avoid sharing videos that are just a bunch of photos. If you want to include photos, either film an intro clip with yourself, or if you don’t want to show your face then you can film a background clip and then upload your pictures as stickers in edits.
At the end of the day, remember: people follow people, not brands or books. They’ll follow you for your book, sure, but stick around because they like you.
