Taking off with TikTok

With over 40 million daily active users across iOS and Android, TikTok is the newest and biggest social media platform. You can find an audience for whatever book you want to market. Its impressive algorithm can help you attract followers who will actively support your work and engage with your content regularly. But how can you reach them? 

•  Utilising the ‘For You’ Page  

One great thing about TikTok is the speed and reach of its trend cycles. On an entirely new TikTok account, participating in the right trend on the right day can expose your content to thousands of eyes which the algorithm believes will find relevant. This will help you get on the ‘For You’ page, where viewers get recommended content they may like by people they don’t yet follow. There are plenty of ways to adapt TikTok trends to promote your work. Trends include popular audio, popular editing formats and ‘stitches’ that are going viral. One tried and tested successful technique is to use the storytime format. Authors present the plot of their book as a real-life issue they are dealing with, and when the viewer is enthralled and invested in the details, the author reveals that they can find out more in their upcoming book. To see examples of this, search and scroll through ‘storytime book recommendations’ on TikTok. Keep these videos entertaining and engaging through your tone of voice and storytelling techniques, and you’ll find success! 
 

• Find Your Niche Audience  

‘Booktok’ is a huge TikTok subgroup waiting to get their hands on your work. It has a wide variety of book enthusiasts of every genre you can think of, sharing their reviews and recommendations. #Booktok has over three billion views and a massive and active audience. By using the relevant hashtags related to that audience (such as #booktok, #bookreccomendations, #YA) you can end up on their ‘For You’ page. This should be used more often than participating in trends. The TikTok algorithm takes into account the number of consistent interactions you get per post, and by building an audience who is actively interested in reading, you can solidify a reliable viewer base. 
 

• Be Personal 

It is advisable to diversify your content so that it’s not just self-promotion. Viewers like to support a personality! Intertwine facts about your life or vlog your creative process. Anything to make your content as personal as you feel comfortable with helps. This can help your viewers grow attached to you as a person, which makes them more inclined to support your work. It will also help build a more intimate relationship with your readers: engagement is important!  
 

• Upload Regularly  

The key to going viral is consistency! Upload TikTok content as often as you can and make sure to interact with content yourself. TikTok assumes that the audience you want to attract has similar interests to you, so interacting with content you like will not only help shape your ‘For You’ page, but it will also help shape your audience.  
 
Unlike older platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, TikTok users have a more positive outlook on self-promotion and will support your work if you promote it well enough! Just remember to be engaging, consistent and committed, and your audience will find you.  
 
For more help with social media marketing as a whole, you can always contact us or check out our marketing and aftercare package.  ​