How to Create Videos for BookTok or Bookstagram

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Lately, video has become the name of the social media game. TikTok has been rising in popularity, and to compete, Instagram has been pushing Reels, their own version of TikTok videos. What does it mean when a platform is pushing a certain type of content? When a platform pushes a certain type of content it means that they’re giving a reach boost to content creators who are creating the kind of content they want. So, currently, if you start making Instagram Reels, you will most likely find those posts doing better than your other types of Instagram posts.

It’s important to note the role that sounds play in each of the respective platforms. On TikTok, sounds are a huge part of your video. Most people browsing TikTok will be doing it with the sound on, and even searching for videos with a certain sound, so a good sound can make or break your video. On Instagram, sounds generally play a smaller role. Many people on Instagram will not have their sounds on, so your video needs to read well without any sound, and the sound is more like a bonus for those listening with their sound on.

Part of the reason TikTok grew in popularity so quickly is because they double as a great video editing software. Many of the popular TikTok videos that you see were created entirely using the app. They have fun filters, transitions, sounds, and more that you can choose from when you’re making your own video. However, just be forewarned that while any average Joe on TikTok is protected from copyright infringement due to a licensing agreement between TikTok and content creators, if you’re running as a business on TikTok, you won’t have the same protections and therefore may not be able to use many of the popular and trending sounds going around. Switching your account from a personal one to a business one should make it easy for you to know which sounds are available to you or not.

On both these platforms, book communities have formed. On TikTok, the book community has dubbed itself BookTok. On Instagram, the book community has dubbed itself Bookstagram. Since TikTok is the giant in the video space, generally you’ll see trends start on this platform and then get carried over to the Instagram Reels platform as they catch on. Because of this, we will be referring to the trends specifically seen on TikTok, but know that these are the same trends found in the Instagram Reels section as well. If you’re interested in learning more about what type of content is trending on these platforms, we recommend searching the #booktok and #bookstagram hashtags on the respective platforms. By doing this, you can discover a ton of great ideas for you own content. To get you started, here are a list of ideas that have been trending on BookTok lately:

List of TikTok and BookTok Trends Going around Right Now

Tell me you’re a writer/reader without telling me you’re a writer/reader. These posts are generally short video clips that show a scene that other fellow writers and readers will understand. Perhaps it’s your messy desk area. Perhaps it’s your unique Google search history. Whatever the case, these videos should give a glimpse into the quirky things that make up your bookish life.
Book Sharing Ones. The point of these videos is to make quick book recommendations based on a certain criteria. The criteria could be a genre, holiday themed, or a specific book trope or criteria people may be searching for. Here are some ideas we’ve seen:
1. Books I think everyone should read at least once.
2. Books you’ve read in one night.
3. Top genre/specific interest books.
4. Top ten favorite books.
5. Books that got me out of a reading slump.
6. Books I still think about 24/7.
7. Books that left me heartbroken.
8. Books I could reread every month.
9. Books I wish I could read for the first time again.
10. Books that made me cry.
11. Books that changed my perspective on life.
12. Books I never see on TikTok.
13. Current books you think will become classics one day.
Quirky reader reactions. These are visual videos that showcase the silly things all readers do while reading. Like slamming the book shut when you’ve just read something crazy or crying when an author kills off a favorite character.
Things all book lovers do. This trend shows off some funny and odd habits that all book lovers have, like using anything as a bookmark or coming out of a bookstore with as many books as you can carry.
Guess the book from one word/line. For this trend, individuals first show their favorite line or word from a book, then wait for a little while before they reveal the cover of the book the text goes too. This can be a fun sort of guessing game and a great way to intrigue and hook individuals with your book recommendations.
Convincing readers to read your favorite books by reading their first line. This concept is similar to the one above, except it uses the first line of the book. So for this trend to work well, the books you use for it should have exceptionally strong first lines.
Reading a book time lapse. For this trend, you set up a camera so that it can see you while you read. Then, simply read. Once you’re done with your book or just after a couple hours of reading, speed up the video to create a time lapse video. We’ve also seen a few readers showing their reactions as they read the end of books.
Turn to a page and the first words answer a question. For this trend, select a favorite book and ask yourself some silly questions. Then, flip open the book to a random page and read the first complete sentence from a character. That comment is the answer to the question you just asked. Some examples are:
1. What your soulmate will say to you?
2. Will you have a good day tomorrow?
3. How does your best friend really feel about you?
Your own idea? TikTok trends and challenges are constantly changing. So if you’ve seen a trend or video idea that you like that’s not on our list, give it a try!