Ultimate TikTok Guide for Authors
Clearly, social media has reshaped and influenced how we communicate and interact. Information, whether personal or public, has become so conveniently shared online through different social media platforms.
It is a widely adopted tool insofar as communication is concerned, and it is hardly surprising that social media has blown to become one of the major marketing channels.
As a writer, you can use social media to reach as many potential readers as possible and create a fan base for your work.
One particular social media platform that has taken the world by storm is TikTok. This platform has gained popularity during the 2020 pandemic, and it is now one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.
What is TikTok though? What makes it unique? How will you use TikTok to expand your influence as a writer? This article is meant to answer these key questions.
Here is the ultimate TikTok guide for authors.
How do writers use TikTok?
TikTok is a video-sharing-focused social networking service owned by a multinational tech company, ByteDance. It was first released in 2016 but only managed to gain popularity around 2020.
As a writer, it might seem strange to use TikTok in book marketing. However, the platform hosts a variety of short videos with a genre that spans from dance to education. It is a very potent channel to put forward and promote your work.
TikTok is a fun and vibrant platform that is geared towards what is hip and new, whose users are predominantly a younger demographic. Recently, older users have also been getting into the TikTok craze.
As a writer, the challenge is making a rapport with your potential readers. Take the time to identify your target market. This will make it easier to curate your TikTok content according to their tastes.
Strategy for authors
It is rather commonplace that popularity and competition are closely associated. Literally, millions of TikTok users are posting content on a daily basis. If you want your own content to do well, you should have a set strategy.
If you are going to create video content for TikTok, you should make sure that your content is as interesting as possible. Even if your content is informative but it is not fun or eye-catching, it won't really do well in TikTok.
Remember that you have only a few minutes at most to catch your viewers' attention. If your video does not get their attention within that time, then your potential viewers will just move on to another video.
The best thing about TikTok is that there is a myriad of subjects that you could make content for.
Here are some tips for marketing your book through TikTok.
• Do a quick video about your book cover
Your book cover is one of the first things that your potential readers will see of your book. Take a short video of your book cover. Show off the art being used on your book cover.
• Read excerpts from your book
You could also post a short video of you reading excerpts from your book. This will give potential readers a sample of your writing style. You could also add captions and graphics to the video to make it more visually pleasing.
• Use trending songs in your content
Take the time to check what songs or sounds are trending in TikTok. Check how many videos used these songs or sounds. If they have thousands of users, then you should use them. Just make sure that using this song or sound does not break any copyrighted songs.
• Use trends to your advantage
If you take a look at other writers' TikTok videos, you would see some of them using trends in their videos. Check the current trends and try to incorporate them into your videos as well. It could be a new dance move or challenge. What's important is that you could effectively use them in your content, which should relate to your book.
• Give Out Book Recommendations
One of the best ways you could use TikTok as a writer is by giving out book recommendations. Remember that many book lovers usually look to TikTok for book recommendations, and you will be providing them a service with your recommendations.
How writers on TikTok can make money
While your first reason for uploading content through TikTok is to create a following for your work as a writer, you could in fact also make money through your TikTok channel as well.
Why do you think there are so many TikTok stars out there? They are posting content because it earns them money, and so could you. Here are some tips on how to make money as a writer, through TikTok.
• TikTok Ads
One way you could make money through TikTok is through ads. Some companies will pay a good amount of money if you mention their products in your videos.
• Creator Fund
When it comes to getting money for your TikTok account, one of the most efficient is the Creator Fund feature. Through the Creator Fund, you will be rewarded in monetary form for your content. The main condition is that your content gets as much viewer engagement as possible.
• TikTok could act as an online store
You could post examples of your work through TikTok. You could put the payment and delivery details in your video's captions.
How to Create an account
If you are serious about using TikTok as a platform for your work, you should know how to make an account. It is relatively easy and fast. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create a TikTok account.
• Download the app
The TikTok app is free and very easy to download. Just go to your preferred app store and click download. It usually does not take too long to download. Once you have finished downloading it, open the app and sign up.
• Sign up
Signing up is a very fast and efficient process. Just give them core details such as your full name, e-mail address, and other online addresses you are using.
• Edit your profile
Once you have finished signing up, it is now time to edit your profile. When you edit your profile, you should make sure that you design it with your branding in mind.
• Test-film your first video
After you finish editing your profile, you should now test-film your first video. While you make your first video, you should take the time to check all the features that TikTok offers. With these features, you will be able to create a video that meets your standards.
• Upload the video
Once you feel that your video is ready, you could upload your video. It is easy to upload, and you could schedule when your video will be posted.
• Connect with other users
One of the best things about TikTok is that the more you engage with other TikTok users, the wider reach you will have. You could share another user's video through your account. You could also direct message other users to give them your well-wishes or if you want to collaborate with them.
TikTok hashtags for authors
If you are going to use TikTok as an author, it is important that you know how to use hashtags. Like any other social media tool, hashtags are capable of giving your videos as much visibility as possible. This will also make your content a lot easier to find and amplify the reach of your content.
Using hashtags is relatively simple. All you need to do is to type the hashtag symbol (#) and add a keyword that could lead potential viewers to your video. If you want to make your hashtags more efficient, you could also use hashtag generators.
#authors #author #books #writers #bookstagram #writing #writer #book #authorlife #writingcommunity #writerslife #amwriting
Authors on TikTok
While TikTok might not be a likely platform for writers, a good number of authors have used TikTok and are doing quite well. Here are some great TikTok author accounts that you could use as inspiration.
• John Green @literallyjohngreen.
John Green is already established as an author and has written a bevy of best-selling works such as Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. His videos are quirky and fun and give insights into his life as an author.
• Great Valley High School Library @gvhslibrary
The account was founded and run by the school's librarian Ms. B. Here, the videos are fun, informative, and show a unique perspective on the literary world that an experienced librarian could bring.
• Cait's books @caitsbooks.
This popular TikTok account is run by a long-time book lover known as Cait. She gives out detailed and fun book recommendations for bibliophiles all over the world.
How Could Writers on TikTok Boost Their Careers?
If you want to boost your writing career through TikTok, it is best that you find a hook. A good number of authors have made an impact in TikTok. You should remember, though, that these writers are usually established and already have a following.
If you are just starting out as a writer, it could be a bit difficult to create a rapport with your potential fan base. Take the time to think up a core concept for all your videos.
You could create a character or alter ego. It could be a bibliophile or a quirky book lover. Your character could be practically anything. What's important is that your core ideas will get your videos noticed.
How often you should post on TikTok?
If you want your TikTok videos to do well, it is important that you have a set schedule for all your posts on TikTok. The main question though is how often should you post on TikTok? There is no set number of times that you should post on TikTok.
Take the time to experiment on how many times you should post. Post videos at different intervals. In one week, you could post videos just once. In another week, you could post three times.
Observe the amount of engagement that your videos got. Which posting times got more engagement? By doing so, you will be able to gauge how many times you should post.
In the past few years, TikTok has become one of the most widely used social media platforms in the world. It gained full steam during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and now, a multitude of people is using it to create fun and original content.
As a writer, you could also use TikTok to spread the word about your work and enhance your influence. With these tips, you could use TikTok in the most efficient way possible.
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