In an attempt to raise awareness of our upcoming Kickstarter (That would be goal number 4) I joined the latest social media platform, TikTok. The app has been around for 4 years, and after the incredibly long blackout of the worst social media platform, I felt like it wasn’t too bad of a choice.
I kind of feel like the croc hunter, commenting and observing TikTok’s users in the wild.
After a hundred thousand thumb swipes, I’ve found the platform isn’t all narcissists dancing and showing off their bodies. It seems to be a pretty solid move for a lot of YouTubers/educators that I follow who seem to be tired of the old platforms.
@michaeljaminwriter How long to write an episode of TV? #aspiringscreenwriter #sitcom #showrunner #comedywriter #tvwriter #screenwritingtips #tvwriting
♬ original sound - MichaelJaminWriter
I’m looking forward to finding more authors and hopefully, I’ll find some sort of community here. We’ll see.
For now, my goal is to bring about awareness of my upcoming Kickstarter, where I hope to transform my TV pilot into a comic. More on that in another post.
So here are a few thoughts/reflections I’ve walked away with after a week of constantly pushing stuff.
1) Tell your story and treat every video like an elevator pitch:
@nicwritesgood 29 days until our #steampunk #comicbook launches on Kickstarter! Watch this series to learn how we turned our TV pilot into a comic!
♬ original sound - Author_Nic
Brevity is definitely the key here. If anything, it has helped improve my own writing! Get to the dang point, say what you need to say, and go for it.
2) If possible, for goodness sake, be funny:
@nicwritesgood 28 days until our #steampunk #comicbook launches on Kickstarter! Watch this series to learn how we turned our TV pilot into a comic!
♬ Symphony of the Clockwork Lands: The Time of Winds - Luis Humanoide
I think I’m funny, dammit.
I throw in these little asides from time to time talking about my opinions about the muppets and game of thrones and hopefully, folks stay tuned for the humor. It’s a simple lesson I learned from Mary Poppins and most of my teachers never figured out in school: A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
Make em chuckle and they’ll keep watching.
3) All the old marketing tricks apply:
@nicwritesgood 27 days until our #steampunk #comicbook launches on Kickstarter! Watch this to learn how we turned our pilot into a comic! #writingadvice
♬ original sound - Author_Nic
We writers talk a lot about using tools to keep our readers/viewers engaged. After a little bit of time on the platform, you’ll actually see videos of people telling you how to get more viewers on TikTok and it comes back to the hook. You gotta hook em right off the bat. Tease a great lesson, tease a great payoff, whatever it takes in that first sentence, you gotta keep their eyes glued to the screen.
4) Be useful (teach them something):
@nicwritesgood 26 days until our #steampunk #comicbook launches on Kickstarter! Watch this series to learn how we turned our TV pilot into a comic! #screenwriting
♬ Autumn Love - Thomas Bergersen
A good deal of what I’m sharing are things I’ve posted in the past and snippets of gold I’ve learned in the trenches. To someone who is just starting off or to someone who has been writing for a while, there should be something for all ranges of education when you make a post (if that is indeed your goal).
5) Consistency is the key:
@nicwritesgood 18 days until our #steampunk #comic launches on Kickstarter! Time to write that TVpilot! #screenwriting #howto
♬ The Place I'll Return to Someday (Final Fantasy IX) - John Oeth
I took a little vacation and was away from all cell service. It was glorious. The view count hasn’t quite hit where I was at before, but I’m hoping that getting back into a daily routine will bring in more viewers, who will then binge my old videos.
No evidence of that thus far, but it’s only been a few weeks.
I’ll come back when the Kickstarter date gets closer and reflect some more.
~Nic
