(Spoiler: the short answer is probably yes. Sorry.)
It’s been over a year since I started using Reels on Instagram consistently, and about a year since I wrote up this post about why authors should be using Reels too. (Please go check out that post for how to get started on Reels/TikTok.) So what’s changed in the past year? Should you be on TikTok? Reels? Both?
Here is the good news I can report on making short-form video content: it honestly gets much easier and faster and less mortifying the more you do it. I’ve got a system down now where I can plan and film a bunch all at once, and not stress too much over how they end up.
Here’s the bad news: remember last year when I said that IG was really pushing Reels and video and that it was a great time to start because the Reels inventory was low and they’d show your Reels to more people? Yeah, they’re still pushing video, but inventory is now no longer low because more people figured they should be doing Reels. That means it’s much harder now to gain traction and get eyes on your video.
Does that mean you shouldn’t even bother and whew, you’ve managed to dodge this whole Reels thing without ever having to do one?
(Come on, you knew it wasn’t going to be that easy, right?)
It’s only getting harder to get noticed on IG or any social media platform without using video these days because these platforms have seen the rise of TikTok and are trying to emulate it. Quick, attention-grabbing content is where it’s at, and this is probably what you’re going to want to be doing to stay relevant and get seen (and therefore sell books).
I know that’s not what you want to hear if you’ve been resisting doing video content. (If it’s about not wanting to show your face on camera, there’s a lot of ways to get around that, don’t worry. I do, however, think it’s more engaging for readers to see you and know the person behind the book.)
Once you do start doing video content, is it going to be frustrating and slow? Yeah. But it’s work you’re doing for the sake of your book, and your writing career. You can’t get more if you don’t put more in—and that’s tough love, but it’s true. You could write the greatest romance in the world, but you won’t get discovered if you’re not doing things that put it out there and showing up. And that’s scary to do, and change is hard, but your social media is going to stagnate if you don’t react to the changes that are happening on the platforms. (That’s why I started doing Reels in the first place last year—I could feel the stagnation happening, and I didn’t want to get left behind.)
And listen, do I resent the hell out of having to make this content?
I would much, much rather be editing than making silly videos. Probably about as much as you would rather be actually writing than making silly videos. Wanting to do the stuff we’re good at it is natural, and of course we’re going to balk at doing the stuff that doesn’t come as easily to us and that feels hard and uncomfortable, but no guts, no glory. You’re doing it so that you can keep doing the stuff that you love and that comes easily to you.
The question you’ve been waiting for: do you have to get on TikTok?
Another I-hate-to-tell-you…but I think the answer is probably yes for most people.
I would never ask you to do something that makes you feel overwhelmed, and I completely understand that adding on yet another social media platform is going to be a hard no for some people. (Personally, that’s where I’m at right now too—the thought of some other app to check and create content for and be addicted to is not appealing at all. But I’ve mostly given up on Twitter—I love the romance conversations that happen there, but that whole app gives me anxiety about the state of the world—and I think TikTok is inevitable for me. I’ve already reserved my username on there.) And TikTok feels particularly overwhelming because it feels like you have to produce a lot often, which I’m not super keen on either.
Here are some upsides to TikTok, though!
TikTok is growing faster than IG. IG still has way more users, but think of IG like Facebook used to be, when it hit saturation point and everyone and their mother was on there—it's getting harder to get engagement on an oversaturated platform. TikTok is a smaller pond, and it's going to be easier to get eyes on your stuff there.
The TikTok algorithm is way more sophisticated that IG (IG is just trying to get on TikTok’s level in that respect), and you’re more likely to get discovered there by people who aren’t following you.
The audience is less demanding and more likely to buy. The quickness of the content is mirrored in the quickness of the audience to hit “buy” immediately. Where it might be multiple posts/Reels to just get people to follow you on IG, one good post on TikTok can net you a bunch of sales.
You can lean hard into tropes on TikTok. What’s sexy or interesting or different about how you’re using a certain trope? (There’s always something because tropes are familiar but subverted to keep things fresh in every book.) And also, you can do this without having to show your face, by just showing pages flipping and the tropes and a quote from the book overlaid. As with Reels (or any social content, really), you need to find the thing that’s going to make people stop the scroll and pay attention. Once you do that on TikTok, you’re more likely to get a sale from it.
Okay, so if you think you might need to attempt Reels or TikTok soon, here are some basic tips (you can also go back to my post from last year on Reels for more tips that still hold):
Have ideas in the hopper: I’m constantly scrolling Reels for content ideas that I can apply to my own business. When I find something, I usually save the Reel or the sound, and I copy the link into my Notes app on my phone and write down what I think I’m going to do with it. For example, I had this sound saved with a note that said “hint for workshop launch” when I was getting ready to promote my workshop back in July—here’s what I actually did with it.
Don’t worry about being perfect: I’ve talked to people who are like “well, I couldn’t get that transition down, so I just gave up.” What? No! Who cares if the transition is off by a few milliseconds and not perfectly synced to the sound? I’ve done it, and it was one of my best Reels that month. Done is better than perfect. Also, these videos are micro-content that are only a few seconds long and that people forget about quickly—no one will care, promise. (It is incredibly satisfying to nail a transition, but I film fast then move on.)
Batch your content, but also jump on trends quickly: I like to have a day once a month or so where I just do a bunch of Reels that will last me for a few weeks (of posting one Reel a week)—I knock out ten Reels and just keep them in my drafts and dole them out as needed. (And then I only have to do makeup once!) But sometimes there are trending videos/dances/sounds that you want to jump on immediately and ride the first wave—record those and get them out quickly so you can be more discoverable. (Use filters if you want to just record it fast. Yes, filters promote unrealistic face/body standards, but they also do makeup much better than I can and save me time.)
Stay consistent: You can’t do a few Reels/TikTok, not see much traction, and then say, “welp, didn’t work for me, so I’m never doing this again.” It’s a long game, and there are going to be ups and downs with it. (And, actually, I’m pretty sure the algorithm rewards you when you first start doing it and shows your content to lots of people to give you the serotonin boost so that you keep trying to replicate that success again.) You need to be putting out stuff regularly and adjusting your strategy as needed to see movement.
Get involved: As with any social network, you need to be social on Reels/TikTok. Get to know people on there, like/comment on/share their stuff, get conversations going. The algorithm rewards you for being active, and in terms of real human connection, people are much more likely to share your stuff if you’re engaging with them.