Info for Authors – Social Media Guide – TikTok
TikTok Guidelines & Recommendations
TikTok is a free, visually-focused social networking service owned by Chinese company ByteDance that allows you to make and share short form videos to an audience of 1 billion monthly users. Users can add filters, text, and music and share videos ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes. As of 2021, approximate 41% of TikTok’s users were between the ages of 16 and 24, and 69% of American teens use TikTok.
Books that trend on TikTok often experience direct sales increases! Learn about the basics of the platforms and some exciting best practice examples from Hachette authors and imprints below:
Getting Started on TikTok
To setup a TikTok account:
- Download TikTok from Google Play or the App Store.
- Open the app.
- Go to Me.
- Choose a method to sign up.
Note: Make sure your email and phone number are valid as they are needed for log in and password recovery.
When creating a username, try to make it identical or as close as possible to your username on your other platforms. If your username is taken, adding “author” in front or at the back of your username can help distinguish you from other users. For example, if your Instagram user name is @jane.doe try to make your TikTok username @jane.doe – but if @jane.doe is taken on TikTok you might want to use @author.jane.doe or @jane.doe.author.
View more materials for getting started on TikTok at the link below:
Once you have set up your account, we recommend swiping on TikTok for a little while so you can understand the TikTok landscape. It may take a while for you to find bookish content on your for-you page, as the TikTok algorithm learns more of what you like the more videos you like and swipe through. Try looking up #booktok or other book-related hashtags so you can see what book influencers and other authors are doing. These videos will help show you the varied ways people talk about books on the platform, and might help inspire you.
Interface
Here are detailed descriptions of TikTok’s various tabs proceeding from left to right.
Home tab
The first tab on TikTok is the Home Tab, on the far left. This is where your “For You” page and your “Following” pages live.
The For You page, aka FYP shows trending videos recommended to you by an AI algorithm. The FYP is where videos go viral and is what TikTok is most known for. These videos can be of people you follow or don’t follow. The more time you spend interacting with these, the more fine-tuned the algorithm gets to recommending relevant videos to you. You can like, comment, share, and follow the creators of these videos with the buttons on the right side of the video. You can also view all videos made with the video’s sound by tapping on the bottom right corner button. See more about the importance of TikTok sounds in posting below.
The “Following” page is full of content from creators you follow. You can switch between the two pages by tapping on the one you want to view at the top of the screen.
Friends Tab
This tab collects all the recent videos from people you follow on the app and who follow you back on the “Friends” page.
The “Now” page is TikTok’s answer to BeReal. To view your friends’ “Now” posts, you will need to post yourself. Usually this involves taking a photo with your front and back camera to show off what you’re doing at the moment.
Record Tab
The button in the middle with the big plus sign is the record tab. This will take you to the recording and posting space – more info on this below!
Inbox tab
Here you will be able to see all of your messages with your friends (people who you follow and who follow you back), and your notifications.
Profile tab
This is your profile. All your TikToks will be viewable from here, along with your bio, website link, other social media platforms, profile picture, your private videos, your video drafts, and videos that you’ve liked, saved and reposted. +.
Anyone visiting your account will be able to view this information except for your drafts and your private videos. You can also make your saved videos and your liked videos private in your account settings. More info on TikTok privacy settings can be found below.
Types of Accounts
Personal and Business accounts are the two types of account you can use. Personal accounts are the default. Most authors will find that a personal account suits all their needs, but it’s good to familiarize yourself with the different account types, their capabilities, and their drawbacks before making a final decision.
If you’re not sure what type of account to use, reach out to your social media manager and they can give you more guidance.
Read more about the different capabilities of Business accounts like analytics, profile website links, and more at the link below:
Switching between types of accounts can be accessed through the steps below:
- Open the TikTok app and login to your account
- Go to your profile homepage by tapping Me
- Open your Settings and privacy page by tapping the three dots icon on the top right corner of your profile homepage
- From the Account module, tap Manage account
- Then under the Account control options, tap Switch to Pro Account
- Tap Business under Select an account type
- Select a category that best describes your account, then tap Next and this will the complete process
Posting and Sharing Videos
Videos on TikTok can be as simple or complicated as you want. For a complete guide to creating videos on TikTok, visit the link below:
Delete a Video or a Comment
You can delete a comment with these steps:
- Open the TikTok app and tap Me in the lower-right corner to open your TikTok profile.
- Tap the TikTok video that you want to moderate.
- Tap the comment icon that looks like a speech bubble.
- Perform a long press on the comment you want to delete. …
- Tap Delete.
To delete a TikTok video that you have posted to your account, select the video you want to delete from your profile. From there, tap the “…” icon in the bottom-right corner and select Delete or the trash can icon. You will be asked if you are sure you want to delete the video. You can also change the privacy settings of your TikToks so only you can see it if you’d like to keep the content without deleting it permanently. Read more about how you can change privacy settings at the link below:
Sharing Through Other Platforms
To add a social media account to a TikTok profile:
- Go to Me.
- Tap Edit profile.
- Select Add Instagram to your profile or Add YouTube to your profile to link your social media accounts.
Best Practices for Using #hashtags on TikTok
Be Relevant. Relevant tags will help you attract new followers who will take a genuine interest in your posts and continue liking and commenting on your videos over time. Find popular and trending hashtags in the caption of viral TikToks on your FYP and/or in the Discover section of the app.
Be Observant. Pay attention to the other hashtags used on TikToks that use the same sound or tag as yours. You may discover a popular hashtag you hadn’t thought of on your own.
TikTok recommends using around three hashtags per video, but no more than five. But this is anecdotal advice that is subject to change, so keep an eye on trending videos to see what hashtags are working.
Ways Authors and Publishers Can Utilize TikTok
Sharing consistent entertaining, educational, funny and/or cute content on TikTok is the key to building an audience on the platform. See below for some ways you can utilize TikTok to promote yourself and your book(s).
- Share a clips of a writer’s workspace—give sneak peeks of excerpts, cover ideas, etc.
- Share clips from author events or conventions
- Share the exciting moment you hold a copy of your book for the first time
- Share clips that let followers get to know more about you or your staff
- Share clips of places that inspired your book, share what you are reading, always take a video of your pet with your book (seriously, pets are beyond popular!)
- Repurpose content created for other platforms, like YouTube
- Repurpose writing and add sounds or actionable tips
- Give away your main idea of the piece and point them to more in-depth knowledge in the form of your book, article, and/or blog
- Give highlights of upcoming features, podcasts, articles, and blogs
- Share your opinion or do a short editorial piece
- Do an author challenge
- You can also interact with other TikTok user videos through the “Duet” and “Stitch” functions. You can find out more about that in the Creating Videos section (Creating videos). These features are similar to a repost but allow you to react or add more context of your own through videos.
Once you have over 1,000 followers, you’ll be able to live stream on TikTok. When going live, TikTok will circulate your stream in the FYP and Live feeds. Learn more about starting a live video on TikTok here.
TikTok Analytics
To access TikTok Analytics, you’ll first have to switch to a Pro Account. Just head to the “Settings and Privacy” page, choose “Manage My Account,” and tap “Switch to Pro Account.”
Once you’ve switched, you’ll find your analytics in the “Pro Account” page of your settings. On desktop, you can access the Analytics page by hovering over your profile photo in the upper-right corner of your screen and clicking “View Analytics.” You can also download and export your Analytics directly to your computer when you access TikTok from your desktop device.
Learn more about the three sections in Analytics:
TikTok Tutorial Series: TikTok Analytics