QUICK UPDATE: I started writing this article last week. My TikTok video is now up to 462,000 views.

I haven’t been on TikTok long. I’m certainly not an influencer and I only have 1,900 followers (as of this writing). I post some promotional videos on there for our publishing company, BookLocker.com and our website featuring jobs and advice for writers and authors, WritersWeekly.com.

But, I have FAR more fun posting videos of us at home – the grandkids helping us in the garden, our dog, Tank, killing birthday balloons, our Orb Weaver Spider named It, our beautiful view from the top of the mountain (there are lots of those), and Brian being silly…

Prior to my now almost-half-a-million-view video, the silly one of Brian above had the most views, at 30K. It was just a 5-second video and I still don’t know why so many people clicked on it.

So, imagine my surprise when my “corn cancer” video went viral. And, then I figured it out.

WHY DID SO MANY PEOPLE VIEW IT?

1. The more views a TikTok video gets, the more people TikTok will offer that video to through their feed, even if that person isn’t following you yet.

2. The video is only 17 seconds long.

3. The video has a small bit of text on the screen. Many people on TikTok scroll very quickly, and don’t want to wait for the narrator to tell them what’s going on. They’d rather very quickly read what’s going on.

4. I asked viewers for help. I truly did not know WHAT was going on with that corn. And, man oh man, did we get answers! Thousands of them!! People really like to help other people with their wisdom!

5. I used hashtags, and included the word “homesteading,” which is apparently pretty popular.

WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

Until that video started taking off, I never thought to add promotional text about my businesses to my personal Tik Tok videos. Hindsight, right?? You can NOT edit a video once it’s up on TikTok. And, I certainly wasn’t going to take down and then repost a video that was getting that much action.

You can post your website and promotional text underneath a video but most people aren’t going to look at that. Brian shot a GORGEOUS Fall video! I turned it into a TikTok video that:

1. Is short

2. Has a small bit of text on the first screen

3. Includes our WritersWeekly logo

4. Asks the viewers a question

5. Has a screen after the video promoting WritersWeekly.com. I knew that wouldn’t get as many views as the corn one but I wanted to show you what I WISH I’d done to the corn one before I posted it. (I’m still kicking myself!!)

Unfortunately, that video taken by Brian only (as of this writing) received 317 views. But, we’ll keep working at it. And, from now on, EVERY video will have either our logo or promotional text on it. And, we’ll add the link to one of our websites under each one as well.

INTERESTING NOTE

The video I posted immediately after the corn one (which people can see in my profile) received more than 1,000 views while most of my promotion videos only have 200 or 300 views. That’s something to think about when you post something that you think might be of more interest to folks than your promotional videos. Post a promotional one directly after the more interesting (human interest) one.

There are many ways you can use your videos to promote your book (or your writing service). You just have to get a bit creative. If you have any ideas, please share them with me!! 🙂

Oh, and if you need an affordable book trailer that you can post anywhere, including TikTok, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE: The corn cancer video views slowed down quite a bit for a few days, and then picked right back up again. I will never know why. Please let me know if you know how or why that happens on TikTok.

RELATED

• 7 Reasons Why TikTok is Your Best Platform for Book Promotion – by William Opar – 11 2022
• 90+ Days of Promoting Your Book Online: Your Book’s Daily Marketing Plan – THIRD EDITION
• Five Friendly Podcasts for Book Promotion – by Amanda Steel – 12 2021
• NEVER, EVER Buy THESE Book Promotion Products/Services. PERIOD. – 08 2021
• Does Facebook Trump Ezines for Book Promotion? No!

Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.

About The Author

Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).

Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.

WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.

BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."

Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.

PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!

Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.

Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)

See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.

ANGELA ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/AngelaHoy

BOOKLOCKER ON FACEBOOK - Provides links to free excerpts!
https://www.facebook.com/booklockerbooks

ANGELA ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/angela.hoy.750

ANGELA ON LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahoy/

Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/

Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE

90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy

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