TikTok

[David Y]

This might be of interest to self-publishing authors who quickly realise they have to add marketing to their skillset.

I self-published a book last Tuesday and put the same promotional video on YouTube, Instagram and for the first time, TikTok. I had less than 10 views after a week for the first two channels and over 600 views on TikTok.

I then posted a picture of a couple of paragraphs from the book, and within a week it had 650 views and 50 likes. Today I'm going to experiment with another extract and read it out loud.

OK, full disclosure, it hasn't generated a sale yet (it's only 10 days), but in terms of free social media advertising I've found nothing better.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I have a number of videos I've made for various things--some are on YouTube, some are on various other websites. But they're all landscape format. TikTok is portrait format (?? isn't portrait a no-no for video?). I'd love to post some videos on TikTok, but it would mean creating new videos, rather than using the work I've already put in. I'm curious what format you used.

 

[David Y]

@Robinne Weiss for illustration (not advertising) see my TikTok channel TikTok

Looking at the videos in reverse order:
a) The one with 650 or so views. This was a widescreen YouTube video, uploaded with no adjustment. I added the text above the video in TikTok.
b) The next one with 670 views. This is one jpg and I added a free soundtrack on TikTok.
c) The same.
d) I made this in Powerpoint. Page setup to recommended TikTok pixels. Two slides with timings. Save as mp4. I recorded the voiceover after I'd loaded it into TikTok.
e) Just now, the same video as a) but there's a rotation option I didn't know about before!

Hope this helps.

 

[Nikky Lee]

I'm looking to dive into Tiktok soon as that is where a lot of the YA audience is, so I'm following this thread with interest. My struggle is coming up with things that I could make a video on. What ideas have you guys come up with? @David Y, @Robinne Weiss, anyone else?

 

[Ancora Imparo]

I've only just cracked Audacity – and now there's more to learn! Thanks for this info.

 

[KateESal]

@Nmlee do you know about Canva? It's a brilliant — and free (unless you choose to pay the subscription for the pro option...which you can get for free if you're an educator...) — graphics design website. @AgentPete put me onto it and I'm a definite convert.

Anyway, it has a design template for TikTok videos on there...correct shape, size etc. You just load into it what you want to use, twiddle it around using Canva's various bits and bobs, then upload it to your TikTok account.

Canva has templates for all the main social media sites and I've used it to great effect both for doing school publicity and my own author/Pop-Up Submissions stuff. Recommended!

 

[David Y]

I'm looking to dive into Tiktok soon as that is where a lot of the YA audience is, so I'm following this thread with interest. My struggle is coming up with things that I could make a video on. What ideas have you guys come up with? @David Y, @Robinne Weiss, anyone else?

I'm using Doodly and Powerpoint. If I had a better phone/more confidence I'd probably film myself. Hashtags, I think are really key. You also need to understand TikTok's algorithm (I don't yet!) - my views just climb at a ridiculous rate then stop, it's as if TikTok doesn't show them anymore.

Also, I've not found a way of changing the text colour so if your video is predominantly white the text is invisible.

You might just start with a photo/slideshow, add some background music and see what happens before spending too much time/money on video software. Also spend time on TikTok seeing what else is there and what seems to work.

 

[AgentPete]

I self-published a book last Tuesday and put the same promotional video on YouTube, Instagram and for the first time, TikTok. I had less than 10 views after a week for the first two channels and over 600 views on TikTok.

Word is that this might be a powerful medium for YA authors...

 

[Robinne Weiss]

@Nmlee do you know about Canva? It's a brilliant — and free (unless you choose to pay the subscription for the pro option...which you can get for free if you're an educator...) — graphics design website. @AgentPete put me onto it and I'm a definite convert.

Anyway, it has a design template for TikTok videos on there...correct shape, size etc. You just load into it what you want to use, twiddle it around using Canva's various bits and bobs, then upload it to your TikTok account.

Canva has templates for all the main social media sites and I've used it to great effect both for doing school publicity and my own author/Pop-Up Submissions stuff. Recommended!

Ah! I occasionally use Canva, but didn't know about the video templates. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I'm looking to dive into Tiktok soon as that is where a lot of the YA audience is, so I'm following this thread with interest. My struggle is coming up with things that I could make a video on. What ideas have you guys come up with? @David Y, @Robinne Weiss, anyone else?

I have a silly mock-documentary video about the New Zealand Sand Dragon I was going to put up...but I'll have to redo it in TikTok format. And I was going to do a new book trailer or two. I was considering doing a 'how are cats like dragons' one. I started looking for what other authors had posted (search #writer, #writersoftiktok, #author, #authortok), but pretty quickly got overwhelmed--I really struggle with video as a medium on social media, and I find it difficult to watch more than a few in one session. There were some around the author's writing process, some writing prompts, writing tips, etc.

 

[David Y]

I'm signed up for this free Intro to Tiktok for Authors which runs from tomorrow for 5 days. There's also a big Facebook group. Here's the link if anyone else is interested: AUTHOR ADS EXPEDITION - TIKTOK CHALLENGE

 

[Hannah F]

I'm signed up for this free Intro to Tiktok for Authors which runs from tomorrow for 5 days. There's also a big Facebook group. Here's the link if anyone else is interested: AUTHOR ADS EXPEDITION - TIKTOK CHALLENGE

I've signed up, thanks for the info.

 

[David Y]

I'm giving Litopia a plug in my latest TikTok series, which is averaging around 600 views per video (still no sales, mind!). Here's the link, if you're interested : TikTok.

 

[Barbara]

*SIGH*

I'm about to take the TT plunge. Does anyone know if I can have several profiles on one account? I'd like one for myself as an author but I also want to post on the account @Jonny has started for the Green Cows Don't Fly podcast where we both have access. AM I making sense? My English seems to have gone a bit weird today.

 

[Jonny]

What we need is to recruit a small child who could sort this out within five minutes.

 

[David Y]

*SIGH*

I'm about to take the TT plunge. Does anyone know if I can have several profiles on one account? I'd like one for myself as an author but I also want to post on the account @Jonny has started for the Green Cows Don't Fly podcast where we both have access. AM I making sense? My English seems to have gone a bit weird today.

My understanding is you can have one account per mobile phone number or email address. I currently have three. One that uses my mobile for verification and two that use an email/password combination. You can though add multiple accounts together and toggle between them pretty easily.

 

[Barbara]

My understanding is you can have one account per mobile phone number or email address. I currently have three. One that uses my mobile for verification and two that use an email/password combination. You can though add multiple accounts together and toggle between them pretty easily.

Ta. I managed to do it. (No content yet though.) I now have two - one for myself: b_writes_books, and one for the podcast: green_cows_dont_fly. Feel free to follow me/us and I/we will follow you back.

 

[David Y]

Ta. I managed to do it. (No content yet though.) I now have two - one for myself: b_writes_books, and one for the podcast: green_cows_dont_fly. Feel free to follow me/us and I/we will follow you back.

Thanks. Have done. If you're interested this Facebook group is pretty good/active: TikTok For Authors . The big talk on there is about getting up to 1000 followers, then you can add a URL to your profile (and do live feeds, as if!). We're basically all following each other, I reckon. I'm at 650 now. If you go to profile > followers > suggested you'll probably get listed accounts that follow me, who if you follow them will follow you.

 

[Julie]

As @Hannah F has done, I've signed up for TT info. I've had a look just now at Canva, but I'm wondering how this differs from having my own WiX website, which incidentally I've had since summer, but now it's gathering cobwebs . . . I also have an Instagram account, but I've never posted on there. I do have Facebook, but I don't use it for self-promotion, and after being hacked last year, I hardly post anything. All this sends me back to pen and paper or the quiet tapping of my stories into the computer.
I'll be honest, I find all this 'getting out there on platforms,' intriguing, but also confusing, tiring, difficult in terms of really putting one's best self forward, and draining of time. I do admire folk who seem to embrace and run with it, but I'm not currently of that ilk . . . I need to sit under a tree, or look up at the clouds . . .

 

[Hannah F]

I've taken on board the TikTok information and I'll embark on that journey once I've something to embark with. Right now it would be deleterious rather than advantageous. I don't want a potential audience bored before I have a chance to get them interested. And it's difficult enough keeping up with twitter without losing precious writing time.