By Alyshia Hull
If you are an author looking to build your brand and connect with potential readers on TikTok, using hashtags can be a great way to boost your visibility and increase your reach. Hashtags categorize your content and make your videos more discoverable to potential readers. But with so many hashtags, how do you find the best ones for you and your work? Here are some tips on how to find the most effective ones as an author.
See what is trending:
Before you get started, make sure you grab a pen and notebook. Then when you are ready, open up the TikTok app, and type in the keyword you are looking for. As an example, let’s use the popular phrase, “Writers Of TikTok,” or “Authors Of TikTok.” By doing so, you will see thousands of videos pop up.
Now, click the filter button. Here you can sort your search results by like count and the date posted. Make sure you click this week — that way you are not analyzing posts from 6 months ago.
After doing so, you will see your results narrow. You will now be looking at some of the most popular videos within your niche from the past week. These are the videos that stood out in the crowd.
Now, click through the first few videos and see which hashtags these authors used. With your pen, jot those hashtags down into your notebook.
Can you name an author or two who have done exceptionally well on TikTok? Still with your pen and paper, let’s now analyze what they have done. To do this, pull up their page and look at their last three to five videos. Again, we want to make sure these videos are recent. If they are, jot down some of the hashtags they have been using. Do you notice any they have been using consistently?
Let’s be careful here, we aren’t copying their videos, or their content, but instead looking to see what is working for those similar to you. If you can’t think of any popular author accounts on TikTok, not to worry, simply by scrolling through the app, you will find plenty.
See the hashtag filter:
The third way to find hashtags on TikTok, is use the handy feature they provide you, labeled hashtags. Much like step one, research a keyword you want to target. Then, click the hashtag button. Here, many hashtags will pop up that are related to your niche. Oftentimes, the hashtags towards the top are among some of the most popular. So while they are a good place to start, understand, they might also be some of the most saturated.
Especially, when you are just starting out, it is important to mix popular hashtags with niche specific hashtags. Popular hashtags can help you reach a wider audience, but niche specific hashtags will help you target a specific audience interested in your content.
Phew! You did it, and you should now have a handful of hashtags written down in your journal. Now for the fun part, making the content and testing them out. As you spend time creating, you might see some videos perform better than others. When that happens, write it down. Ask yourself: Which hashtags did I use? What was the length of my video? What was the subject?
Need some help finding hashtags? Start by researching these: #BookTok, #WritersofTikTok, #writingcommunity, #IndieAuthors, #writing community, #AuthorLife, #BookRecommendations, #writingtips
Bio: Alyshia Hull is a writer, YouTuber and the founder of Make Your Break, a podcast for building your dream life and career. Her previous works have been published with Rachael Ray, Business Insider, HuffPost and AdWeek. You can find her at Home | Make Your Break (shopmakeyourbreak.com)
