Hi, fiction lover! I’ve been enjoying my K-dramas and curling up with a good book before bed. But something else I’m enjoying is BookTok! I know… I am late to the game. My introduction to BookTok was filled with confusion. But I’m here today to demystify the process of starting a BookTok and connecting with an audience. Let’s dive right in! 🫰
How to Get Started: Introduction to BookTok
Yes, my introduction to BookTok was a pretty overwhelming one. I was constantly wondering what type of content to make. It didn’t help that there were so many creators talking about templates, popular sounds, keywords, trends, and more things that I didn’t quite understand yet.
But after several months of testing, I found out what works for me! For the longest time, I thought that I was not a BookToker—that I didn’t have that in me. Now, I’m realizing there are pieces of content that I love adding my own twists to! 📚
So—how to get started. An important thing is to pick a handle (username), a profile picture, and a bio that aligns with your brand. Then, start following creators that you genuinely love to watch. Day by day, figure out what is working for them. And the easiest thing is to copy! The creators who are making it big expect you to take trends from them. TikTok rewards creativity, yes, but it also rewards people using templates and making them their own. All you have to do is click the sound on the bottom right of a video to use a popular sound, or look on the bottom left to take advantage of a template.
People recommend posting once a day. Honestly, this is good advice. However, when you’re just beginning, start off small. Make sure the videos you’re posting are really aligned with who you are, with a fun twist and fresh perspective. For fellow BookTokers, this means figuring out what story you want to tell with your reviews, hauls, and more. ✨
The Features to Keep an Eye Out For
An important thing to keep in mind when creating on TikTok is to figure out which type of content works for you. I’d like to talk about three main ones—long videos, short form videos, and carousels.
Yes, TikTok now supports longer videos. Creators who succeed in this form are usually talking in front of the camera, relating to their audience in a best-friend way. Do you love to talk to the camera? This one might be for you. Be honest and genuine, and don’t be afraid to ruffle some feathers! 📹
The short-form videos are where I’m really shining. These are usually 5 to 7-second videos, with some text on the screen and a popular audio that gets people watching over and over again. Featuring a book cover, a short review, or a bookish thought of the day gets watchers involved and commenting their opinions.
Then we have the carousel. I love this one too! You have the option to post just one picture, or you can create a carousel, which is basically like a slideshow. Each slide contains some text that builds on the previous slide, garnering a lot of engagement. It truly allows you to tell your story as a bookish creator. Many people introduce themselves on BookTok this way! 📷
TikTok rewards people who are consistent. So try not to think too much or make posts perfect. People much prefer someone who is showing up consistently. Also, keep that engagement up. Comment and share on other people’s posts that you genuinely enjoy. You might find that people love to do the same back.
Mindset and Growth Tips
The most important mindset for me is to remember why you’re there on BookTok. 📖 It can be easy to get onto the treadmill of constant uploading and trying to comment on others’ posts. However, the true value of BookTok is finding community and sharing love for storytelling—finding books that you would like to read, talking about tropes and upcoming releases, and making new friends. Eventually, making some income from sharing different titles could be an achievable goal.
It can be easy to give up. Sometimes, the algorithm will not favor you. 📊 However, the one thing you can control is consistently posting and engaging. Being a human who has a real love for books and perhaps writing.
Growth on BookTok is different for everyone. Some creators find overnight success, but the more realistic path is slow but steady growth. One tip I have for you is to hop on those new features. The app loves people who use new features—such as stories, the text feature, and the newest grid feature. Combining these new features is a sure way to get more eyes on your content.
Thank you for joining me in this introduction to BookTok! Are you going to start on BookTok? If you’re already on there, what do you love most about it? What are your own tips to grow and find more community? Follow me on my blog for more posts about fiction and fandom!