Should You Get on TikTok to Promote Your Writing?
Most writers, from those embarking on their very first project to those who have been writing for over thirty years, have asked themselves, Should I get on Tiktok to promote my writing? The answer: it’s complicated.
TikTok is fun and can help your work reach a wider audience, go viral, and get coverage online. But it’s also a time suck and not a sure thing.
For experienced authors, it’s just another way the book industry is changing: you, the author, are now expected to do basically all of your own promotion. And for new or hopeful authors, there’s the allure of “going viral” and having all your dreams come true, from that one perfectly shot “GRWM to write at a cafe all day” video (in TikTok speak, that’s “Get Ready with Me”). It’s happened before - multiple authors I follow on TikTok have received offer(s) of representation or publication from their video campaigns. One is even publishing with Tiktok’s publishing company, 8th Note Press. It can be easy to become drawn in by the power and promise of the algorithm. But what would be even more incredible is if there were a formula that you could follow to go viral, and stay there.
Just like the publishing industry itself, TikTok is fickle; even when doing all the “right things,” like posting consistently, using the right hashtags, and making sure to keep up interaction on your own posts and others’, there are no guarantees. Yet - there’s no harm in creating videos to share a glimpse into your process, inspirations, celebrations, and failures (and in fact, it can be a fun time capsule or project diary to look back on yourself). TikTok is primarily an uncontrollable but learnable marketing tool. It’s not guaranteed to change your life overnight, but it’s cool if it does!
First, let’s discuss all the major components of the app, from the algorithm, to trending sounds and keywords/hashtags, audience expectations, and more. Then we’ll dive into who should and should not worry about Tiktok.
The Algorithm, 200 View Jail, and Creator Search Insights
The algorithm is something many of us have at least heard of, and some of us are familiar with - and all social media operates on an algorithm these days. Let’s say you’ve never had a Tiktok account before. So you sign up, log in, and start watching. You’ll notice that at first you are getting shown videos that are kind of generic, and appeal to a wide audience: dogs doing tricks, practical jokes, pretty pictures of beach getaways switching to the beat of a popular song, people dancing to the latest “viral sounds.” But if you start swiping away from videos that don’t interest you, and you start liking, saving, sharing, and commenting on videos that do, Tiktok will learn what you are interested in. The algorithm’s job is to show you as many videos as possible that resonate with you, and once it figures out the main topics you enjoy, that’s basically all you will see - because the goal of any great algorithm is to keep you on the app.
But the problem with Tiktok’s algorithm for creators is this - firstly, it keeps changing. Once we learn how to work with the algorithm, Tiktok rolls out something new. The second issue, and one that I’ve run into myself, is what we call “200 view jail.” The way the algorithm currently works is that when you post a video, it pushes it out to approximately 200 random people. The way they do - or don’t- interact with your video determines if more people will see it. So if they push out your 2 minute video about the inspirations for your latest novel to 200 people who don’t care about Pompeii, Goddesses, and that crazy dream you had that led you to write 10k words in one weekend, your video is dead on arrival, and now you are in 200 view jail, as the algorithm has deemed you unworthy of attention. But you know what? It has a name because it’s common - all the “200 view jail” means is that you might need to reorient your approach to the app and how you use it.
One such way to do that is to be concise. The algorithm LOVES short videos - as short as seven seconds. The quicker you can say something in a way that hooks people the better - which leads me to the next best way to please the algorithm - use a good hook. One way to hook people is to say something salacious or strange. Some authors like to do this by speaking as their main character. This works best if your story is grounded in the real world.
For example, let’s say you’re writing a book about a character who escaped a cult and is now on the run from its ruthless leader. You could start your video off with, “I escaped the cult I was born into, and the leader is still after me.”
Even better if you pair the story with an action, like a GRWM video: “GRWM while I tell you about the time I escaped a cult, and how the leader will stop at nothing to find me and take me down.” Someone who did this successfully is author Leigh Stein, who you should absolutely follow for her marketing expertise.
After a couple of hooky sentences about the novel or story, you could then tell the audience, “If you want to hear the rest of the story, check out my book…”
Another thing that tells the algorithm what your video is about (and is just plain courteous!) is captions - both closed captions for the hard-of-hearing and deaf community, as well as a longer caption written under the video. Be sure to use keywords in your captions that will attract the audience you’re looking for - so think about the phrases people might use when searching. You might want to say “books about cults,” “cult books,” and so on in your captions.
Finally, search “creator search insights,” and you’ll be brought to a page where Tiktok will tell you what people are searching for in your niche, and the words they are using, as well as the “content gap.” The content gap refers to a topic your audience is searching for that there are not many videos about yet. Use that to your advantage!
Trending Sounds and Hashtags
If you’ve ever scrolled TikTok or Reels, you’ve probably heard the same sounds over and over and over until you found yourself doing the “Apple dance” while doing the laundry. Just me? If you can find a way to make the meme make sense for the project you’re promoting or the writing life, do it! If you can’t, skip it - never force it because people can tell and they will scroll.
You can ask ten people for strategy for hashtags and get ten different answers. I suggest that you do some light research - take a few accounts you like that are also in your niche, and see what hashtags they use. Do they use the same hashtags each time, no matter the topic of the video (content-based hashtags), or do they use topic-based hashtags? Play with strategy and see if you can find a sweet spot for yourself and your audience.
Before you decide whether to use TikTok as an author, there are a few questions you’ll want to ask yourself and things you might want to consider.
Self-Promotion, Purpose, and Audience Expectations
What is the purpose of this account? Are you coming onto TikTok with the intention of:
Promoting a completed product, such as a self-published or traditionally published book?
Sharing your journey as you start, or work on, a new, incomplete, or unpublished project?
If the project is complete, but unpublished, what is the intention behind talking about it? To get an agent, editor, or publisher? To get an audience to sell the book to if self-published?
If you define your intentions and goals for the account, you can see more clearly a)if you want to post at all and b)what you want to post, rather than starting with confusion and too many options. Also, beware that potential readers are not going to follow you if you are constantly trying to sell them something. Many people who follow authors are interested in the writing process, “aesthetic” videos, or memes about their favorite books.
Regarding audience expectations, if you don’t have a finished project, they will want to be taken on a journey rather than told, “Just wait - this will exist.” And remember - although “batching” content is always a good idea, you may also need to spend time following current trends or talking about current events (if they relate to your work) in order to get your videos in front of more eyes. This means capitalizing on them by jumping into a trend while it’s hot, and not three days later. You will also want to make sure you don’t leave after hitting “post.” Make sure to comment, like, save, and share other videos. Finally, you can also “stitch” other videos, or video reply to comments on your own videos, and add your thoughts which will get your videos in front of more eyes and hopefully gain more followers. '
So, should you use it?
If you don’t like spending time on the internet or social media and don’t have time or energy to put into the account after a full day of writing and life, then no - maybe you shouldn’t. TikTok is fun, but it’s also demanding. But if you like challenges, have a bit of time to spend, and you’re more interested in having fun and playing with or using your already-honed marketing skills, then TikTok might be for you! You never know who you might connect with, and being able to interact with your audience, make friends, or find potential critique partners or professional contacts is invaluable.
