Did you know that Tik Tok was the most visited site of 2021. It even beat Google.
I joined Tik Tok 10 months ago and quickly gained a strong following that has both helped me launch my first book (850+ ARC readers jusr from Tik Tok!) and helped me grow my book cover design business.
I thought I would help share some pointers that have helped me reach 7900 followers and be as successful as I have been on there.
First, I do want to note that I'm a hotmess mama. If you look at my account @magnetra I'm normally in a messy mom bun, just being myself. The members and algorithm of Tik Tok tend to prefer more candid, fun, higher or more light hearted energy than really polished stuff.
Make sure to add links when you can to your website. I made a link page on my website and used that so they already are on my website if they click it and it has links to all other social media, my newsletter and anything else I may want.
Use good lighting. Tik Tok really does care. Natural lighting works!
While you don't have to use your face, videos with a face usually do better
Remember that you are a marketing specialist for your target audience of authors and genre of books already. Use those tropes to your advantage from that genre (both cover tropes and book tropes)
If you post only art you will most attract other artists. Mix it with marketing knowledge and bookish fun! You don't have to share all of your secrets.
You can talk about the same thing more than once. You can even present it in a new way once a week if you want. Not everyone will see every video and repeats establish reliability
Make your account a business account. It restricts you from using sounds that aren't allowed for marketing. It's bad form to expect to use legal stock photos for your covers, but illegally used sounds that aren't supposed to be for marketing. Tik tok takes care of that for you in this setting.
After 1000 followers you can do lives. Work on a premade live, sprint, answer questions… partner with someone so it's not awkward and just chat about books, cover trends, upcoming book trends, favorite books, your work in progress and answer questions
It doesn't matter what time of day you post. Your video has a natural lifespan if around 5 days with the current algorithm
Before and after of a cover or art, manuscript, scenes, typos from concept stage to final product
Duet an author in your target niche
Duet a video that you can relate to a book trope
Stitch a video and add to the conversation
Use a trending sound and/or movement and turn it bookish. Use the tropes from your target audience of authors and readers.
Video reply to a comment/question on someone else's video
Ask a question to an author
3 things you should always/never do for…. (Use to show marketability and reliability knowledge)
Do a video of upcoming trends that you see in your niche
Share some knowledge of a cover trope that you use for your niche. Ex. What fonts are best, saturation, composition, colors…
Talk about how cover tropes evolve
Show your own progress as your art or writing style evolved.
Video of covers and books that were published in the last year
Learn your authors and author friends release date or cover reveal date and celebrate with them.
Share your other hobbies too. Let your account be personal. Keep it still 96% bookish, but you can share other stuff
Share what you're currently reading or favorite books you've read. Never give a bad review on there though
Show your other services you offer. If it's related to publishing or books in any way Talk about it, show it and share your expertise
Talk about your process
Mention your availability
How did you get Into cover design or writing?
What tools do you use for cover design or writing?
Favorite resources to learn.
Swap asking questions with other designers and answer them in video response
Search book related hashtags to help find your target audience
Use humor to relate your process and experience of working from home to a sound. Our experience of working from home and the creative process isn't that different from an authors. Use that to connect with them. Ex burnout, imposter syndrome, working with kids, not knowing what to do next, how hard marketing yourself is...
Allow yourself a couple of hours to scroll through tik tok and make a bunch of videos. Save them as drafts and post daily. If you're not enjoying what you're seeing search hashtags to change your algorithm
Engage with the comments on your own videos or they will stop engaging. Have an extra minute? Go to the account that commented on your and engage on one of their videos. Don't have an easy response to their comment? At least heart it so they know you saw it, but reply when you can. Replies can also start new videos for you
Tik tok isn't just for young teens.
Giveaways: not necessary but a couple of ideas if you want to. Use them to help build a newsletter so you can reach them directly if you decide to do one. Signed copies of books you've published or done covers for, fill out form and you pick one to make a custom for (no changes), premake a premade
Use your tik tok videos as blog posts on your own website.
Use your tik tok videos and tik tik lives for facebook/instagram/youtube channels