TikTok Test

I decided to give the TikTok platform a concerted effort for a while. My goal is a month with a video at least every other day. It has been about two weeks, and I’m waffling on the value.

On the positive side, the tool is well set up and easy to use. There are some advanced techniques, like smooth transitions, that I will never be good at using. However, basic edits and enhancements are relatively straightforward. This includes adding sounds or stickers, adjusting video clip length, and adding text or captions. Oh! And effects. The visual filters are fun to explore.

Unfortunately, this medium takes time and creativity. Some time requirements are related to the learning curve, but even discounting that they are a production. I can probably make two or three videos for each weekly blog post. That puts the effort at about equivalent to two blog posts each week.

It might not seem like a lot, but that is about six hours a week I cannot spend writing and editing. The creative side also takes a toll. I need to constantly come up with new ideas for a form and format with which I am not comfortable. Performing for an audience or in front of a camera has never been my forte. I always feel like a goof.

With that said, publication is a business, even if it is very personal for the author. I need to do a cost-benefit analysis for everything I do. Production (writing more books) comes first. Presentation is second, including cover art and blurbs. Finally, don’t forget about promotion. Marketing, advertising, self-promotion, and social media fall into the category.

So, why do it? Because Tiktok is the social media platform of this generation. On top of that, BookTok is huge. It revitalized the paperback industry and catapulted indie authors further onto the writing scene. As with any social media, it is far from perfect, and you need to be careful what you internalize from it, but authors need social media presence.

Till Tok has the potential to be big. If you have a video take-off, you could see sales shooting up as well. Do I continue putting in the time and energy here, hoping I can make it big despite my lack of skill in this area? Probably, but I don’t think I will continue daily posts. Maybe two a week. I only hope the change does not doom my account to the algorithmic pits.

If you want to check out my first attempt at a transition video, I’m going to dry doing one today, so check my account later today or tomorrow! As always, thank you for your support, and if you have time to leave a rating/review on Amazon, I appreciate each one.