Experience

How the publishing industry understood the growth of #BookTok

The question

TikTok has turned the publishing world upside down. It has become one of the most powerful growth engines available to publishing brands, yet many were outright ignoring it, unsure how to take advantage of the explosive #BookTok trend.

Our approach

To show the commercial potential of Booktok, and how brands can be at the forefront of spotting creative and commercial opportunities, we analysed and coded more than 300 #Booktok videos using our first-of-it’s-kind, qualitative TikTok methodology

The answer

Our research on #BookTok revealed how young readers are building their own communities on TikTok, and how it’s having a massive influence on books – new and old. It’s success shows an appetite for bonding with like-minded peers with authenticity, humour and relatability. Using the #BookTok case study, we discovered how brands can use TikTok more broadly to reach new audiences, understand what makes them tick and what their ideal customer journey is.

Read a list of our detailed recommendations here.