The TikTok Engagement Experiment
- L.C Webb
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
Building a supportive community is one of the most powerful ways to expand your reach on social media and introduce your books to new audiences. When you encourage genuine connections, your followers become advocates—sharing your work, recommending it to others, and helping your message travel further than you could alone. Beyond promotion, a vibrant community offers valuable feedback, reviews, and insightful advice, helping you grow as an author and refine your approach. In this article, I have shared some quick tips and helpful hints that I have learnt in my own journey on the social media platforms. I hope they can help you in creating an engaging social media community that not only boosts your book’s visibility but also enriches your creative journey.
Content Tips to try
Add a hook in the First 3 Seconds
Start with a big question, intense line, or eye-catching visual. Example: “What if you fell in love with your enemy to save the world?”
Keep the video Short
Ideal length is 15-30 seconds. It can be longer, but this only works for a small group of viewers who are invested in your topic. (Longer videos are ideal for maintaining or informing your audience.)
Use Captions & Subtitles
Many people scroll without sound—add readable text above or below the main focus (ie: Face/ Book), as to not be a distraction.
Call to Action
Tell the viewer what to comment or what link to press to find out more about your content. Ask them to Like or follow for more.
Soft Sell
Your content doesn’t always have to be about your book. Readers often want to connect with the Author in an authentic way. This type of content does not always have your book front and centre, ie: Bookshelf checks. However, find an opportunity for your book or manuscript drafts to be in the background of the video. (For me, I have a t-shirt with the logo, earrings, posters and magnets.)
Understanding Hashtags
It is recommended to limit content hashtags to 3-5 for each video. This is the recommendation from TikTok and from analysis of popular viral videos. Vary your Hashtag choices between the Popular # and the Niche #. This is said to help refine your target audience.
Most Popular #
Niche Popular #
Please Note – Hashtags are not the only words the Algorithm takes note of. The words in the captions, comments and description are also used to analyse which audience to push your content to. – I recommend making the most of all of it.
Content Ideas for Social Media
Behind-the-Scenes (BTS)
Share behind-the-scenes of your writing process or how a you create Characters
A random “author thought” or inspiration for other writers
“Why” did you choose to write this book
Tell a story from your life as an author, eg: An interaction with a reader.
Show your workspace or library, routines, or writing quirks.
Share a Controversial Opinions (not too extreme) Eg; Trigger Warnings Yes or NO?
Tutorials / How-Tos
Quick, clear instructions on something you have found useful in your writing journey.
A tutorial on how and where to purchase your book or leave reviews
Create a top 5 list of: tools that You use, mistakes to avoid, things to try.
Challenges / Trends
Hop on trending challenges (dance, audio, meme formats).
Create or Participate in a challenge: #FirstLineFriday, #Bookshelfcheck, #YesorNo.
carousel posts and reels with trending sound
Before & After (Use sounds similar to “How does this… turn into this” or the song “Once upon a dream”)
Video of you typing the first line of your novel eg: “Once upon a time,” to the flipping the Pages to “the end” of you physical book.
For unpublished work start from a blank page and then scroll through all the pages of your work.
Engagement and reader responses
Run polls: “Which cover do you prefer?” or “Would you rather…” questions related to your plot.
Respond to viral content, give your opinion, or do a funny take.
Feature some fan art from readers or make your own character line-up
Teasers & Announcements
Build hype around launches, drops, or events.
Unboxing / Hauls / Product Demos
Share a scene or dramatic moment from the book that pulls people in.
Wishing you the best of luck as you build your community and share your stories with the world. Remember, your book has the power to inspire and connect with others—so don’t hesitate to put it out there and let your voice be heard!